Failure analysis of a half-shaft of a formula SAE racing car

The formula SAE is a competition among students worldwide, where they are challenged to design, build and test a small formula-type racing car, following rules and specifications defined by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). In the present analysis, a premature failure of a half-shaft of the transmission system of a racing car occurred after circa 100 km of use. The fractured component was analyzed by means of metallographic, chemical and mechanical analysis, fractography and finite element analysis. The results show that the alloy steel bar used for the half-shaft did not follow specifications, with a consequent lower strength and resulting in a material with insufficient loading capacity and fatigue resistance. As a consequence, the fracture process was a confluence of torsional fatigue crack propagation and overload ductile fracture through the spline section of the half-shaft.