Issue 1 May 2010

SFA Newsletter
NCFA-2010 at Bengaluru in
Oct 2010!

Event NCFA 2006-

platform for our society
NCFA 2006 Inaugural
For mation of SFA ceremony

Objectives

Local center s
Happy news for Failure analysts-- A society for you!
SFA, a newly born Society for Failur e Analysis expr esses war m wishes to all of you.
Experts and experiences:
The pur pose of our newsletter is to keep scientists and technologists working in the
Dr .A.Venugopal Reddy ar ea of failur e analysis updated on events of impor tance to FA, ar ticles sharing
exper iences on FA, books published r ecently etc. You can wr ite your own ar ticles.
Dr .D.K.Bhattacharya
You can also send us photomicr ogr aphs from your findings/ r ecent meetings held at
Dr .S.K. Bhaumik your place etc.
Dr M..Srinivas

Dr S.R.Singh
Dr .T.Jayakumar
Getting started
A special message from our President
Dear r eader s,
War m gr eetings! I am delighted to find a society for med
amongst the failur e analysts of our countr y. It is
hear tening to note that effor ts seeded dur ing NCFA 2006
r eached fruition now. This only meant that failur e is only
a delay and not a defeat. The patr onage of the society
fr om many stalwarts is likely to set the pr ogr ess of the
society in achieving its ambitions and goals-viz.-
achieving safer and stipulated service life of components
in var ious industries. It is nice to observe that society
aims to conduct lecture ser ies, annual meetings,
wor kshops, and clinics on var ious aspects of failur e
analysis. The cur r ent effort to br ing out a newsletter is a
gr eat step in building the society. I wish all success in the
endeavour .
Best wishes K.Tamil M ani
PRESIDENT, SFA

Edited by: Dr.T.Jayakumar & Dr.P.Parameswaran, Metallurgy & Materials Group, IGCAR, Kalpakkam
 Issue 1 SFA Newsletter
Page 2 of 27
Gspn!uif!Eftl!pg!Fejupst
W a rm gre e tings to a ll o f yo u! You
a re bro wsing the colum ns o f the
m a iden issue o f the Ne wsle tte r of
So cie ty fo r Fa ilure Ana lysis (SFA)
tha t spra ng fro m the e a rnest efforts
o f pe ople who ha d che rishe d great
inte re st in the fie ld. It was in the
ye a r 2006, a na tio na l se mina r on
fa ilure a na lysis (NCFA-2006) was
o rga nize d at Hyde ra ba d to
disse mina te a nd sha re the
k no wledge o n the subje ct by
For an engineer, Henry
bringing to gethe r scie ntists fro m
Petroski seems va rio us de pa rtm ents - a to m ic
strangely enthusiastic e ne rgy, spa ce , a e ro na utical,
about failure. He de fe nce a nd so o n. As a stro ng
de sire wa s ex pre sse d by m a ny
observed: Every single
pa rticipa nts a t the e nd o f the
calculation that an succe ssful conduct o f NC FA-2006,
engineer makes is a the see d was so wn to nurture a
failure calculation. so cie ty unique to the scie ntists
e nga ge d in the fie ld o f fa ilure
Successful engineering a na lysis.
is all about
T o lo ok ba ck wha t ha ppened during
understanding how
the two da ys o f NCFA-2006, you
things break or fail. T o m a y gla nce thro ugh a special report
read more about him: o n NCFA-2006 in the a rticles
www.nytime s.com /2006/05/ se ctio n. T o kno w the de tails a bout
02/scie nce /02pro f.html the socie ty, re a d the co lumns that
fo llo w im m e dia te ly the e dito ria l.
W he n e nginee ring co m ponents fail,
it ca n affe ct the productio n ra te or
the safe ty of the ge ne ra l public.
T he re fo re , unde rsta nding why a
pa rt faile d is critical to preve nting
future fa ilures. In the study o f a
fa ile d pa rt, the a na lyst m ust
co nside r a bro ad ra nge of
po ssibilitie s fo r the fa ilure. Although
so m e fa ilures ca n be a ttributed to a
single prim ary ca use , it is quite
co m mo n that m ultiple fa cto rs do
co ntribute . It is the ro le o fthe
fa ilure a na lyst to eva lua te a ll the
e vide nce s ava ila ble to him a nd
a rrive a t a roo t ca use o f the failure.
May 2010
It is in this directio n the current
issue carrie s se le cted a rticle s
fro m distinct pe rso nalitie s who
ha ve dea lt with a wide va riety
of fa ilure s and contribute d
com pre he nsively fo r prevention
of re curre nce of such fa ilures,
thro ugh lo gical a nd pra ctica l
reco m me nda tio ns. Yo u wo uld
appre ciate our view while
rea ding the a rticle s highlighting
the ir vast e xpe rie nce s. We
tha nk all the autho rs fo r the ir
contributio ns to the ne wsle tter.
We ta ke this o ppo rtunity to
appe a l to the India n industryto
use SFA a s a fo rum to share
the ir e xpe rie nce s o n tro uble
sho o ting.
A gre a t wa y to a dd conte nt to
this ne wsle tte r is to include a
cale ndar o f upco m ing e ve nts.
Fo rthco ming inte rna tio na l and
na tio nal e ve nts which fo rm
impo rtant a nno unce me nts are
include d; so also the re la te d
bo o k s published o n the subject
rece ntly.
To wa rds the e nd, the newsletter
adds a fe w co lum ns in lighte r
ve in. As a lwa ys, yo ur ne ws and
com m e nts, m a iled to
tjk @igcar.go v.in or
pa ra m @igca r.go v.in are
we lco m e. W e wish you a ll fre e
fro m failure s a nd a jo yful
sum m er!
Ka lpa k ka m (T .Ja ya k uma r)
31-05-2010 (P .Parameswaran)
Editors
 Issue 1
Page 3 of 27
Patrons
Dr.P.Rama Rao,
Former Secretary, DST
Shri Ashok Nay ak, HAL
Dr.D.Banerjee, IISc
Dr.A.R.Up adhy a-NAL
Dr.G.M alakondiah, DMRL
Dr.S.Srikanth, NML
Dr.Baldev Raj, IGCAR
Dr.A.Venugop ala Reddy,
Formerly of RCMA
Dr.A.C.Raghuram,
Formely of NAL
President
Dr.K.Tamilmani,
CEM ILAC
Vice presidents
Dr.S.R.Singh, NML
Dr.M .Srinivas, DM RL
Dr.T.Jay akumar, IGCAR
Dr.S.Bhoumik, NAL
General Secretary
Sri.P.Jay ap al, RCM A (H/C)
Treasurer
Dr.Vijay akumar Varma,
RCM A (F&F)
Joint S ecretaries
Sri.Bahukhandi,IOCL
Sri.Venkatesh, HAL
Dr.N.Eswara Prasad, RCM A
SFA Newsletter
About the society
A ims and Objectives of
Society for Failure A nalysis
T he aim s a nd o bje ctive s of the
So cie ty sha ll be :
T o se rve a s Na tio nal So ciety to
pro m ote , e nco ura ge a nd
de ve lop the gro wth o f “Art a nd
Scie nce o f Failure Ana lysis” and
to stim ulate inte re st in
co m pila tio n o f a data ba se, fo r
e ffe ctive identifica tio n o f ro o t
ca uses o f fa ilure s a nd the ir
pre ventio n the re o f.
T o se rve a s a co m mon forum for
individua ls, institutio ns,
o rga niza tio ns a nd Industrie s
inte reste d in the abo ve .
T o disse m ina te info rm atio n
co ncerning de ve lo pm e nts both
in India a nd a broa d in the
re la ted fie lds.
To o rganize le cture s ,
discussio ns, confe re nce s,
se m ina rs, co llo quia , co urse s
re la ted to failure a na lysis and to
pro vide a valua ble fe e d back on
fa ilure a na lysis co ve ring design,
m a te ria ls, ma intena nce a nd
m a nufa cturing deficie ncie s /
lim itatio ns.
Know your Local
centres in your state
May 2010
T o tra in perso nnel in investigation
o n fa ilures o f e ngine e ring
co mpo ne nts a nd the ir mitigation.
T o ide ntify a nd reco mmend areas
fo r re se a rch a nd de ve lo pm e nt
wo rk in the C o untry re la ting to
fa ilure a nalysis.
To e sta blish lia iso n with
Go vernm e nt, individua ls,
institutio ns a nd co mm e rcial
bo die s o n fa ilure ana lysis,
m e tho do logie s a nd to advise on
re que st.
To co o pe ra te with o ther
pro fe ssio na l bo die s having similar
o bjective s.
T o affilia te itse lf to a ppro pria te
inte rna tio na l o rganiza tion(s), for
the pro mo tio n o f co m m on
o bjective s a nd to re pre se nt them
in India .
T o orga nize re giona l chapte rs in
differe nt pa rts o f the country as
a nd whe n the ne ed a rise s.
T o do a ll such o the r a cts a s the
So cie ty ma y think ne ce ssa ry,
incide nta l o r co nducive to the
a ttainm e nt o f the a ims a nd
o bjective s o f the So cie ty.
 Issue 1 SFA Newsletter
Page 4 of 27
Highlights of NCFA –2006
With a vie w to re juve na te the
spirit o f fa ilure a na lysts by show-
ca sing the ir impo rta nce , the First
Na tio nal C o nfe re nce o n Failure
Ana lysis wa s pla nne d a lo ng with a
wo rk shop to e nthuse young
engine ers to ta k e up failure
ana lysis a s a pro fessio n. T he
re spo nse to the first circula r itself
wa s a ma zing and m ade the task
of the orga nize rs that m uch more
difficult. T he re we re o ve r 150
pa rticipa nts in the work sho p who
de rive d the bene fit of e x perience
fro m the pe ers in the fie lds o f
fa ilure a nalysis, m a te ria l
cha ra cteriza tion, co rro sio n, no n-
de structive te sting, qua lity
assura nce a nd qua lity co ntro l.
The co nfe re nce wa s ina ugura ted
by Air Chie f Ma rsha ll, S P Tya gi,
PVSM AVSM ADC , C hie f o f Air staff
and Dr D Ba ne rjee , C CR &D,
DR DO . Bo th e m pha size d the
me ssa ge tha t fa ilure analysis is an
impo rtant spe cia liza tio n tha t
de se rves to be ca re fully nurtured.
The e ffo rt to bring toge ther the
de signers, m ate ria ls scie ntists,
ma nufacture s a nd qua lity co ntrol
ex pe rts to o wa s a succe ss a s
evide nce d by o ve r 60 ca se
histo ries prese nte d in the
se m inar. T he ca se s pre sente d
co ve re d the entire spe ctrum o f
If you are interested in joining the
society, please contact secretary:
pjayapal@yahoo.co.in
May 2010
engineering, a e rona utical,
pe tro che mica l, po we r generation,
chem ica l, fe rtilize r a nd de fe nce
industrie s a nd R&D o rganizations
e nga ge d in de ve lopm e nta l
a ctivitie s. T his co m pe ndium o f
proce e dings co nta ins the papers
prese nte d a t the se m ina r duly
re vie we d by the e x pe rts.
It wo uld no t ha ve be e n po ssible
to co nduct the work shop a nd the
se mina r witho ut a glitch but fo r
the tire le ss e ffo rt o f a ll the lo ca l
o rga nizing co m mitte e members.
T he se m ina r wa s jo intlyorganized
by De fe nce Me tallurgical Research
La bo ra to ry (DMRL), Hyde ra bad,
R e gio na l C e nter fo r Military
Airwo rthine ss (Mate ria ls),
C EMILAC Hydera ba d, Indira
Ga ndhi C e nte r fo r Ato mic
R e se a rch (IGC AR), Ka lpa k k a m,
Na tio na l Ae ro space la bo ra to rie s
(NAL), Banga lo re a nd Indian
Institute of Me ta ls (IIM),
Hyde ra bad C ha pte r. T he seminar
wa s sponso re d by De fe nce
R e se a rch a nd De velo pm ent
O rga nisa tio n (DRDO ), Co uncil for
Scientific and Industria l Research
(C SIR ) a nd Bo a rd o f R ese a rch in
Nucle a r Scie nce (BR NS) a nd was
libera lly funded by m a ny
industrie s in public a nd private
se cto rs .
Issue 1 SFA Newsletter
Page 5 of 27
THE INDIA N FAILURE A NA LYST
A.Venugopal Reddy
Former President,
Society for Failure Analysis
Fa ilure s trigge r inquisitivene ss
a nd succe ss stim ula te s egoism.
Ego ism k ills a nd inquisitiveness
se e ds a ppe tite to le a rn.
Le a rning e nha nce s k no wle dge
a nd k no wle dge m inimize s
fa ilures.
Mo st o f the pro gress m ade in
m o dern te chno lo gy is due to
le a rning from fa ilure s. Thus,
the im po rta nce o f failure
a na lysis as a spe cialize d
Diagnostic skill like e ngine e ring discipline is growing
that of the m edical wo rldwide a t a n e nvio us pa ce .
variety comes only T he gro wing numbe r o f te x t
bo o k s, te chnica l pa pe rs a nd
with experience. de dica te d journa ls publishe d
Before experience a nd the nume ro us inte rnational
can becom e of co nfere nce s he ld in the fie ld of
fa ilure a na lysis stand testimony
value, it is necessary to its e ve r gro wing re le vance .
to study the It is inde e d de lightful to no te
fundam entals be it tha t India to o co ntribute d
significa ntly to the world’s
for process control k no wle dge ba se in failure
or for fault finding. a na lysis. But, sa dly, in a
co untry e ndowe d with la rge pool
Prof. A. R. Bailey
o f tale nte d te chnica l hum a n
re so urce , a ple tho ra of
re so urce ful na tio na l R &D
o rga niza tio ns a nd m a gnifice nt
m a nufa cturing industrie s, there
a re o nly a few functio na l teams
struggling to so lve large number
o f production a nd pe rfo rma nce
re la ted pro ble m s. T he reasons
fo r this depre ssing state o f
a ffa irs ra nge fro m o ur belie f in
KARMA SIDDHANTAM (whate ve r
is destine d to ha ppe n will
ha ppen) to the industry’s
de plora ble be lie f tha t quality is
co sme tic a nd qua ntity is money.
Ex ce lle nce in product
pe rform a nce a nd re lia bility can
o nly be a chie ve d by e x celle nce
in de sign, pro ductio n processes,
usa ge a nd ma intena nce . T he
we a k ne ss of the co untry in
de signing e ngine ering systems
is we ll k no wn. Fo rtuna te ly, the
May 2010
numbe r of de sign re la te d failures
a re no t significa nt since the
de signs bo ught o r co pie d a re well
prove n. The incide nce o f fa ilures
due to a buse in e x te nde d usage
a nd lo w qua lity ma intena nce too
a re no t a la rm ing since , a s a
na tio n, we follo w dire ctions
re aso na bly we ll. Ho weve r, a vast
m ajo rity of the pre m a ture service
fa ilure s, ex pe rience indicates, are
ca use d by innoce nt a buse o f
science at va rio us sta ge s o f
production a nd mo re importantly,
due to inade quacie s in
im ple m e nta tio n o f quality control
proce dures.
W hile the ca uses fo r the incidence
o f de fe cts in co mpo ne nts leading
to pre m ature fa ilure s a re we ll
do cum e nte d a nd sim ilar a ll ove r
the wo rld, there a re ce rtain
a dditive fa cto rs pe culia r to this
co untry. T he principa l o ne s are
(a ) pre m ature pro pa ganda (b) ill
de fine d pro ductio n ta rge ts (c)
la pse s in pe rso nnel placement and
(d) wide spre a d disho ne sty. The
ge ne ra l tre nd o f propa ga nda
re sults in pro ducing products with
im ma ture te chnolo gies. There are
m any e x am ple s in the fie lds o f
de fe nce , spa ce and a uto m o biles
where the na tio n is m a de to
e x pe ct too m uch o nly to be
drowne d in the despa ir o f
succe ssive fa ilure s. Y et a no the r
im po rta nt fa cto r is the im m e nse
pressure o f me e ting a nnua l
production ta rge ts. T he first
quarte r is spe nt in the euphoria of
m ee ting the pre vio us ye ar’s
go als; while the m a jo r pa rt of the
production ta rgets is rea lize d in
the la st qua rte r. Stre tching the
o rga niza tio n to wo rk beyo nd the
intende d lim its le a ds to non-
co mplia nce to the stipula te d
standa rds a nd pro ductio n of sub-
standa rd pro ducts. T he re is,
thus, no wo nde r tha t ma jo rity o f
Issue 1 SFA Newsletter May 2010
Page 6 of 27

Educatio n impa rts
k no wle dge

Enco ura ge me nt induce s
co urage

Endura nce inculca te s
co nfide nce
pre ma ture fa ilure ha ve ‘la st
qua rte r pro duct’ a s com m o n
fa ctor.
T o tal disrespe ct fo r science is
ra mpa nt in India n e ngine e ring
industry, which too co ntribute s
its m ight to the pre ma ture
pro duct fa ilure s. Y o u can easily
find bio logists pe rform ing
m e ta llurgica l functio ns, ‘ro ya l
civils’ discha rging the dutie s o f
‘m ighty m echs’ a nd so on. The
co nse que nce is the lack o f
scie ntific appre cia tio n o f the
ca use s fo r pro ductio n problems
a nd the ir ill e ffe cts o n pro duct
pe rfo rm a nce . T he re a re so m e
industrie s with we ll-de fine d
qua lity syste m s and there a re
o thers with no such ‘fa ncy frills’.
T he qua lity co ntrol departments,
whe re ve r the y e xist, a re o fte n
m a nne d by no n-pe rforming and
no n-e nthusia stic e ngine e rs
tra nsfe rre d fro m o the r
de partm e nts o r by pe rsonne l ill
qua lifie d to ha ndle the
spe cia lize d te chnica l ta sk s.
Disho ne sty in ma ny fo rm s
a ffects the qua lity a nd reliability
o f pro ducts a nd it takes shape in
a ll its varia tio ns with the
ble ssings fro m the bo sse s.
T he re are innume ra ble
e x a mple s of the to p
m a na ge m ent le aving no space
fo r the ho ne st to pe rfo rm a nd
the whistle blo wers crying fo r
qua lity be ing la be led as
re bellio us. T he se disturbing
a dditive facto rs do co ntribute
significa ntly to the incidence of
pre ma ture failure s.
Unfortuna te ly, mo st ca se s a re
m a de invisible thro ugh a n a rt
pe rfe cte d by the ma na ge ment.
T he re are m a ny
go vernm e nt de partm e nts and a
fe w ma jo r industrie s, which a re
ve ste d with the po wers to
ca rryo ut in ho use inve stigations
into m a jo r fa ilures. Mo st often,
the se fa ilure a nalysis ex pe rts
e nd up ta king the so ft option of
blam ing the ‘unkno wn fa cto rs’ as
re aso ns fo r fa ilure . The re are
sa fe ty bo a rds a nd sa fety
re gula to ry a utho rities who
ca rryo ut ‘ex ha ustive ’ ma nda to ry
inve stiga tio ns in to m ajo r
incide nts invo lving lo ss o f life ,
prope rty and prestige unde r full
m edia glare a nd public a tte ntion.
In a lm o st a ll the case s, the
m anda to ry fa ilure a na lysis boards
se ldo m po int to de ficie ncie s in
product and se rvice s but e nd up
blam ing na ture (cyclo ne s, ra ins,
co rro sio n, we a r and te ar, visibility
e tc.) a nd hum an e rro rs, o nly if
the na m ed o ne s a re not a live to
de fe nd the m se lve s. Obvio usly,
the cre a to rs and ce rtifie rs o f
fa ulty syste m s ca nno t co nde mn
them se lve s. T he re is the re fore ,
a n a bso lute a nd urge nt ne e d to
crea te a n inde pe nde nt Na tio na l
Accide nt Inve stiga tion Bo ard
(NAIB) with e x pe rts of pro ve n
a bility a nd inte grity. Such a n a ct
will sure ly be the m o st e ffe ctive
wa y to ide ntify the re al ca use s
a nd impo se a nd e nsure
im ple m e nta tio n o f a ppro priate
re me dia l m e a sure s.
In spite of the India n te ndency to
trivia lize se rvice fa ilures, e x pe rt
o pinio n is o ften so ught from
profe ssiona l fa ilure a nalysts when
it is m a nda to ry as in the ca se o f
m ilita ry a ircra ft a ccide nts o r
m ajo r disa ste rs inve stiga te d by
prem ie r crime de te ctors.
Fo rtuna tely, e xce lle nt fa ilure
a nalysis te a m s function in the
R &D la bora to ries under Ato mic
Energy, Co uncil o f Scientific and
Industria l R e sea rch, De fe nse
R ese a rch a nd De ve lo pm ent
O rga niza tio n a nd India n Space
R ese a rch O rga niza tio n in addition
to a fe w ca ptive te a ms in the
m anufa cturing se cto r. The
se rvice s re nde red by these teams
a re de finite ly lauda ble.
A kno wle dge a ble fe w kno w under
what co nstra ints the se te a ms
o pera te in the se re pute d
 Issue 1 SFA Newsletter
Page 7 of 27
o rganiza tions. T he y a re always
under pre ssure to pe rform to
re duce the burden o f back lo g.
Y e t ano ther undisputa ble fact is
tha t while the se orga niza tio ns
a re ove rstaffe d to the e xtent of
incentivizing ine fficie ncy, the
fa ilure a na lysis gro ups a re
gro ssly unde rstaffe d. T he
o ften-sta ted re a so n is tha t not
m a ny a re willing to wo rk in this
discipline . W hy sho uld anyone
cho ose to live unde r pressure -
co o ke r a tmo sphere when the
syste m perm its cho ice ! T he
fa ilure a nalyst, unlik e the re st,
is unde r consta nt pre ssure to
upgra de a nd bro ade n scie ntific
k no wle dge no t o nly in his fie ld
but also in re la te d fie lds as such
k no wle dge is ma nda tory to
so lve the myste rie s o f se rvice
fa ilure s. The investiga tor often
co me s unde r pe er pre ssure to
dilute o r a lte r co nclusio ns
de rive d from e vide nces a nd
e x perim e nta l findings.
Agree m e nt brings stress on self-
re spe ct a nd disagre e me nt is
co nstrue d as disobe dience. The
wo rst disince ntive to the fa ilure
a na lyst is the a rt o f fla wle ss
discrim ina tio n pra cticed by
so me o f the pe e rs. If sco res of
co nfide ntial fa ilure investigation
re ports scripte d by a scie ntist
a re no t tre ate d e quiva lent to a
te chnica l pa pe r publishe d by
a no the r scie ntist with ha lf a
do zen co a utho rs, the n the re is
de finite ly an unsolva ble
pro ble m . So m e distinguishe d
May 2010
profe ssiona l bodie s in the fields of
scie nce a nd engine ering to o
co ntribute significantly in
disco ura ging scie ntists fro m
ta king fa ilure a na lysis a s a
profe ssion. Is the re one fa ilure
a na lyst se le cte d fo r a ny ho nor by
a ny pro fessio nal so ciety solelyfor
his co ntributio ns to this fie ld?
In sum ma ry, som e o f the principal
re aso ns fo r the dwindling strength
o f the failure a na lysts flo ck a re
ce nte re d a ro und the industry’s
la ck o f qua lity conscio usness, the
m yo pic and o ften bia se d a ttitude
of the pe e rs in scie nce
m ana ge me nt and the la ck o f will
to tra in and susta in co m pe te nt
fa ilure a na lysts. R ich po o ls o f
e xpe rts we re o nce de ve lo pe d by
grea t visio na ries lik e Dr. V S
Aruna chala m , Dr.S.R .Va lluri
Dr.V.R a ma cha ndra n and a fe w
o the rs while they we re he a ding
India n Scie nce a nd T echno logy
O rga nizatio ns. Such wa s the
ta le nt o f the se te a m s tha t ma ny
fa ilure s of na tiona l impo rta nce
were so lve d a nd re me die d to
a vo id recurre nce with the ir
e xpe rtise a nd lea de rship.
Howe ve r, if the pre se nt tre nd o f
negle ct continues, the nation may
have to so o n borro w se rvice s o f
fa ilure a na lysts fro m China. That
will be a sa d da y fo r India n
Scie nce . If it is a cce pte d by the
pee rs tha t lack o f tra ining
e nco ura ge m e nt a nd reco gnitio n
a re the ro o t cause s o \fo r the
fa iling failure a na lyst in India n,
co rre ctive m e a sure s hope fullywill
be in place so one r!
Issue 1 SFA Newsletter May 2010
Page 8 of 27

PREVENTION OF FA ILURES – SOME ISSUES

D.K.Bhattacharya
CGCRI, Kolkatta
dkbhatta@cgcri.res.in
wrong o n a ll co unts…Sma rt me n
O n 14 April 1912, four da ys into
in the be st o rganiza tions
its ma ide n vo ya ge , sho rtly
surro unded by da ta ma k e the
be fo re m idnight, the ship Titanic
wrong de cisio n….” R e ading these
struck a n icebe rg, sink ing two
lines, I re me m bere d the blo wing
ho urs a nd forty m inute s la te r.
up o f Air India P la ne Kanishka on
R e ce ntly, I ha ve com e a cro ss
23 June , 1985 in m id-air (a t an
the follo wing bo ok : “Dea dly
a ltitude o f 31,000 feet) by a bomb
de cisio ns – ho w fa lse knowledge
in Irish a irspa ce , cra shing into the
sa nk T ita nic, blew up the
Atlantic O ce a n. Co uld this disaster
Shuttle a nd le d Ame rica into
ha ve be e n pre vente d? I ha d a n
W a r” (by C . Burns, P ro m etheus
o ppo rtunity to liste n to a talk
Bo o k s. 2002). I a m e x ce rpting
given by Dr. V. Ra m a chandran (of
be lo w a fe w line s fro m the
Na tio na l Ae ro space La bo ra tories,
intro ducto ry cha pter o f the book
Ba nga lo re) base d on his
re la ted to the sinking. “The re
e x pe rie nce a s the chief fa ilure
wa s no thing surprising abo ut
Smart men in the best a nalyst depute d fro m the Indian
ice be rgs in the North Atlantic.
organisations side to a na lyse the ca use o f the
All da y T ita nic re ce ive d detailed
surrounded by the best blowing up o f the a ircraft. Though
info rma tio n a bo ut the ice be rgs
na tura lly, Dr. R a m a cha ndra n
data make the wrong a he a d, de live re d dire ctly to
co uld no t divulge a ll the re sults
decisions sometimes!! C a ptain Edwa rd Smith, a nd to
that the ana lysis bro ught o ut, it
o the r o ffice rs o n the bridge. Two
wa s cle a r fro m his pre se nta tio n
ho urs be fore the incide nt,
that the a na lysis wa s a ble to
Message sent the T ita nic a
e sta blish tha t the blo wing-up had
wa rning o f ice be rgs….a lmo st
be en the re sult of the de to nation
pre cise ly whe re the a ccide nt
o f a bo mb. (Though it was not
la te r o ccurred. At le a st o ne
…the strongest iron will told by Dr. Ramachandran, some
snap if over-tempered in re po rt wa s give n to Bruce
of us came to know later that
Ism a y, P re side nt of the White
the fire to brittleness…. deformation twin had been
Sta r Line r. Ea ge r to se t a ne w
observed in the microstructure of
re co rd fo r transa tlantic crossing,
samples taken from the body of
Ism a y ca lm ly stuffed the note in
the aircraft. Deformation twin is
the po ck e t. Ism ay be lieve d
rare in the microstructure of a fcc
thre e things to be true : First he
aluminium alloy – unless perhaps
k ne w from his o wn
there is a shock loading)
e x pe rie nce …tha t the lo ok o ut
wo uld give him a ctua l sightings Any fa ilure a na lyst, a fter ca rrying
o f a ny ice berg in tim e to ste e r o ut a n a na lysis a nd giving his
a ro und it. Seco nd, his te am o f re com m e nda tio ns to the clie nt,
e ngine e rs a ssure d him thateven wo uld a lwa ys think – co uld the
if the T ita nic struck a n icebe rg fa ilure be pre ve nted? The problem
subme rge d o r o therwise difficult is, a fa ilure a na lysis m ay correctly
to se e, the ship wo uld no t sink. co nclude on a contributo ry ca use
And third, if the re sho uld be an o f fa ilure – such as wrong
a ccident o f any k ind, the re was m ate ria ls cho ice , inade quate
tight and mutua lly supportive fa brica tio n, o ve rlo a ding etc. But in
co m munity of ships ne a rby that m ost o f the ca ses, he is no t in a
wo uld co m e to his a id. He wa s po sitio n to ze ro in the ro o t cause.
Issue 1
Page 9 of 27
In analysis of failures,
understanding the chain of
events is important.
1986 Space
shuttle
disaster due
to O-ring
failure
The te chnica l ca use o f the
disa ster wa s the le ak o f
fue l from o ne o f the SR B
jo ints re sulting in rupture
of the e x te rna l fue l ta nk
and shuttle bre a k up. The
le a k was ca use d by rubber
o-rings no t co m ple te ly
se a ling the SR B jo int a s
the a bno rma lly lo w
te m pe ra ture s e x pe rienced
at the la unch site a ffe cted
the m ate ria ls pro pertie s
(m a k ing the rubber le ss
re silie nt to structura l
vibra tions).
SFA Newsletter
Fo r e x a mple , who wa s
re sponsible fo r the wro ng
cho ice, a nd why he m a de the
cho ice. Ma y be the de cision was
ta k e n by a pe rso n who was no t
suppose d to ta k e the de cision.
And eve n if he was, he might
no t have bee n we ll qua lifie d o r
tra ined to tak e such de cisio ns.
T he dia gnosis o f the failure
a na lyst the n give s the
m a nage m e nt ide as as to how, in
fo o lpro o f m anne rs, the various
sta ges o f life cycle o f a
co m po ne nt be m ana ge d.
CA USE A ND EFFECT
Afte r m a ny ye a rs of e x perience
in fa ilure a na lysis of engineering
m a teria ls and co mpo ne nts, I
ca n no w bette r pe rce ive a n
im po rta nt philo sophica l te rm
“Causality”. Simply put,
C a usality is the re la tio nship
be twee n a n e ve nt (the cause)
a nd a se co nd e ve nt (the effect),
whe re the se co nd e ve nt is a
co nseque nce o f the first. As
Aristotle wrote , a ll ca uses a re
be ginnings. W e have scientific
k no wle dge whe n we k now the
ca use a nd to k now a thing's
na ture is to k no w the rea so n
why it is. Aristo tle m a rk ed two
m o des o f ca usa tio n: pro pe r
(prio r) ca usatio n and a ccidental
(cha nce ) causa tion. In lo gic,
ca uses a re ofte n distinguished
into two types: Ne ce ssa ry a nd
sufficie nt. A third type o f
ca usatio n, which re quire s
ne ither ne cessity no r sufficiency
in a nd o f itse lf, but which
co ntribute s to the e ffe ct, is
ca lle d a "co ntributory ca use. If x
is a ne ce ssary ca use o f y, the n
the pre se nce o f y ne ce ssa rily
im plies the pre se nce o f x. T he
pre sence o f x, ho we ve r, do e s
no t imply tha t y will o ccur. If x
is a sufficie nt ca use o f y, the n
the pre se nce o f x ne ce ssa rily
im plies the pre se nce of y.
Ho weve r, a no the r ca use z m a y
May 2010
a lte rna tively ca use y. Thus the
pre se nce of y do es no t im ply the
pre se nce of x. In the ca se of
co ntributo ry ca use, the presumed
ca use pre ce de s the e ffe ct, a nd
a lte ring the ca use a lte rs the
e ffect. It doe s not re quire that all
tho se subjects which po sse ss the
co ntributo ry ca use e x perience the
e ffect. It doe s not re quire that all
tho se subje cts which a re fre e of
the co ntributo ry ca use be fre e of
the e ffe ct. In othe r wo rds, a
co ntributo ry ca use m a y be neither
ne cessa ry no r sufficie nt but it
m ust be co ntributo ry. If we
ca refully think , we ca n see
e x a mple s o f fa ilure s under all the
situatio ns m e ntione d a bo ve .
Cause and effect relationships
a re de a lt with in ma ny are a s – in
P hysics, bio lo gy, me dicine,
e co no m ics, a nd engine ering for
e x a mple . O f co urse , it is a lso
de a lt with – co nsciously or
unconscio usly – in fa ilure analysis.
C o nside ra tio n o f ca use and effect
re la tio nship is inhe re nt in fa ult
tre e a na lysis, ro ot ca use analysis,
a nd risk a na lysis.
W HY DO W E CA RRY OUT
FA ILURE ANA LYSIS?
W hile it is true tha t fa ilure s a re
the pilla rs of succe ss, if we no not
k no w why a nd ho w the fa ilure
to o k pla ce, we canno t tra nsla te
the fa ilure into succe ss. In the
pre se nt day a dvance d sce na rio,
we do have po ssibilitie s of
sim ula tio n, m o deling e tc, but a
da taba se cre a ted base d on
e x perie nce a nd co rre ct fa ilure
a na lysis, and using the same can
go a lo ng wa y in de signing a
syste m whose proba bility of going
wro ng in pra ctice is low. It is
ce rtain that m a n, thro ugh a ll the
a ge s, ha ve o bse rve d fa ilures and
use d the ir a nalysis la te r to
pre ve nt fa ilure s. An e x am ple is
given fro m the Gre ek P lay
“Antigo ne ” writte n by the famous
th
5 Ce ntury (BC ) write r So phocles.
Issue 1 SFA Newsletter
Page 10 of 27
In o ne pla ce, C re o n is describing
the na ture o f “Antigo ne” a s
fo llo ws: “…Ah, but yo u will se e .
T he o ve r-obstina te spirit is
so o nest bro k e n; as the
strongest iron will snap if
over-tempered in the fire to
brittleness. A little ha lte r is
e no ugh to bre a k the wilde st
ho rse….” T he a ncient Egyptians
k ne w the strength and resilience
o f o f a la yere d structure lik e
plywo od. W ell it ma y be true
tha t we no w k no w ma ny of the
intricate de ta ils of m a teria ls
pro pertie s be ca use o f the
a va ilability of a wide ra nge o f
cha ra cte riza tio n te chnique s,
supporte d by a dvance m ent o f
scie nce & techno logy, but the
a na lysis a nd tho ught process as
to ho w to pre ve nt the fa ilure s
ha ve be e n a cha ra cte ristic tra it
o f the huma ns since the y
switche d o ve r fro m be ing
ga there rs to hunters.
SCIENCE TO THE AID OF
FA ILURE PREVENTION
In the m e die va l perio d, ofte n
the wo o d structure o f ships
wo uld be cove re d by coppe r
strips. T he strips wo uld be put
in place by iro n nails. Soo n it
wa s found tha t the iro n nails got
co rro de d quick ly in se a wa te r.
No bo dy co uld figure o ut why –
May 2010
till Fa ra da y a nd Da vy “cam e into
the picture” in the e a rly pa rt o f
the nine tee nth century. W e now
k new the ele ctro che m ical cause of
co rro sio n and a lso ho w to prevent
the iro n na il co rro sio n by using
sa crificia l ele ctro de s m ade up o f
zinc. T his re la tio nship o f the
scientific kno wle dge a nd fa ilure
pre ve ntio n is nece ssa rily
co ntinuing a nd wo uld co ntinue .
T he re a l cha lle nge will ho we ve r
co me , when na no-te chno lo gy will
be com e wide sprea d.
PA RTING REMA RKS
In a na lysis of fa ilures,
unde rsta nding the cha in of events
is impo rta nt. T he e sse nce o f the
fo llowing nurse ry rhym e which all
o f us le a rnt whe n we we re k ids is
strikingly pe rtinent for fa ilure
a nalysis. *Fo r want o f a na il the
shoe wa s lo st // Fo r wa nt o f a
shoe the ho rse wa s lost // Fo r
wa nt o f a ho rse the rider wa s lost
// Fo r wa nt o f a ride r the ba ttle
wa s lo st // Fo r wa nt o f a ba ttle
the k ingdom wa s lo st // And all
fo r the wa nt o f a ho rse sho e nail.
Well, if the nail failed, the moot
question is why and how the nail
failed. Was it a proper (prior)
causation or an accidental
(chance) causation? What is the
root cause of the failure of the
nail in the first place?
Issue 1 SFA Newsletter May 2010
Page 11 of 27

Engineering Failure A nalysis: Microstructural Evaluation

and Interpretation
S.K. Bhaumik
F ailure A nalys is & A c c ident I nves tigation, Materials Science Division,
N ational A eros pac e L aboratories , B angalore 56 0 0 1 7
subir@nal.res.in

T he re a re situa tio ns
co rro sio n, o xida tion and
whe rein the Microstructura l e x a m ina tio n
m icro structura l de gra da tio n are
inve stiga to r fa ce s pro vide s the fa ilure a nalyst a
a lso re vea le d, and their e x tent
dile mm a in dra wing go o d indicatio n of the cla ss o f
ca n be investiga ted.
co nclusio ns fro m the m a teria l invo lved a nd its
Micro structura l study is,
m icro structura l structure . T he micro structure
there fo re, he lpful in confirm ing
e va luatio n alone unless ha s stro ng influence on the
the pro bable ca use o f fa ilure and
a histo ry o f sim ila r pro pe rtie s o f the m a te ria l a nd
e limina tion o f o the r possibilities.
fa ilures ca n be the ir be ha vio ur during service .
Hence , it sho uld be co nducted as
e sta blishe d. Fre que ntly, this e xamination can
a ro utine pro cedure whe re ve r
pinpo int e rro rs m ade a t various
po ssible . But, inte rpre tation of the
sta ge s o f the co m po ne nt
o bse rve d m icrostructure s with
fa brica tio n such as pro cessing,
re latio n to the fa ilure ca use s is
he a t trea tm e nt, surfa ce
no t a lwa ys stra ightfo rwa rd. There
tre a tm e nts, ca sting, we lding
a re situa tio ns whe re in the
e tc. Se rvice e ffects such a s

( a) ( b)

(c )

F ig.1 P hoto grap hs of th e da ma ge d ( a) in ne r

racewa y, (b) ou ter ra ce wa y, an d (c) a typical
roller surf ace

F ig. 2 Scan ning electron ph oto graph show in g Fi g.3 O ptical microstructu re of the rolle r
b each m arks on the spalled su rface, typ ical ma terial consistin g of tem pered m artensitic
o f f atigu e crack propag ation ma trix d ispersed with carbide particles
Issue 1
Page 12 of 27
500-yr-old temple tower
collapses in Andhra
Pradesh!
T he structure ha d been
de ve loping cra ck s fo r
o ve r a de ca de . T emple
a uthoritie s bro ughtthis
to the go vernm e nt’s
no tice se ve ra l time s.
Ex pe rts from IIT -
C he nna i wa rne d that a
stro ng wind wa s
e no ugh to bring down
the dila pidate d
structure - The Hindu,
th
28 May 2010
SFA Newsletter
investiga tor fa ce s dile mm a in
dra wing conclusions from the
m icro structura l e va lua tion alone
unless a histo ry o f sim ila r
fa ilure s ca n be e sta blished. Yet,
circum sta nce s so m etim e s
dictate tha t co nclusio ns be
dra wn with the lim ite d da ta
a va ila ble . In this a rticle , I share
the e x pe rie nce o f such a n
investiga tion.
In re ce nt past, I wa s
investiga ting a recurring fa ilure
o f rolle r bea rings o f a particular
type o f ae ro engine. T he
be a rings we re m a de o f a
m a rte nsitic ste e l sim ila r to M2
gra de to o l ste e l, and they were
inte nde d fo r a pplica tio n in a n
e nviro nm ent with m a xim um
0
te mpe ra ture o f 400 C . The total
te chnica l life o f the be a rings as
pe r the de signe r wa s 1000 hr. It
wa s re po rte d tha t in a fe w
ca ses, the fa ilure s in the
be a rings occurred in se rvice
live s o f 350-850 hr ra nge .
T he be a ring tha t wa s submitted
fo r inve stiga tion to o ur
la bora to ry ha d lo gge d in a bout
850 hr a t the time o f fa ilure .
T he be a ring ha d se ve re po st
fa ilure se conda ry da m a ge s. All
the be a ring e lem e nts we re
discolo ue d due to he a t effe cts.
Fla king, spa lling a nd flo w o f
m a te ria l o n the rolling surfaces
we re wide spre a d (re fe r Fig.1).
T he re wa s tra nsfer o f ma te ria l
fro m o ne surfa ce to a nothe r by
a dhesive we a r m echa nism. This
ha d re sulted in pluck ing-o ff o f
m a te ria l fro m the ro lling
surface s lea ving be hind craters.
Although mo st of the fa ilure
signa ture s we re oblite rated due
to se conda ry da ma ge s,
e vide nce s of prim a ry
m e cha nism o f fa ilure were still
pre se rve d o n so m e of the
ro llers. Thro ugh scanning
e le ctro n micro scopic study, it
co uld be esta blishe d tha t the
May 2010
fa ilure o f the ro lling e lements was
by surfa ce co ntact fa tigue (refe r
Fig.2). T his study wa s fo llowed by
deta ile d m a teria l eva lua tio n
including m icrostructura l
e xa m inatio n.
T he m ate ria l o f the be a ring
e lem e nts wa s found to conform to
spe cifica tio n with rega rd to
chem ica l co m positio n, cleanliness
o f the stee l, inclusio n ra ting and
hardne ss. T he micro structures of
a ll be a ring e le me nts we re similar
a nd the y co nsiste d o f te m pere d
m arte nsitic structure dispe rse d
with ca rbide pa rticles (refe r
Fig.3). T he re we re two type s o f
ca rbide s in the structure ; o ne rich
in tungste n a nd the o the r rich in
vana dium. Va nadium -rich
ca rbide s we re rela tive ly la rger in
size co mpa re d to those o f the
tungste n-rich carbide s. By and
la rge , the m icro structure wa s
fo und to be a cce pta ble fo r the
spe cific gra de of ste el tha t wa s
use d. Ho we ver, the only
a bno rm ality tha t wa s no tice d
(a)
V a n a d iu m - r ic h
(b)
Vanadium-rich
Fig. 4 S c anning elec tron
micrographs s howing c rac ks in the
vanadium-ric h c arbide phas e of
rollers : (a) failed bearing, and (b)
unus ed bearing
 Issue 1
Page 13 of 27
An investigation
grounded in sound
scientific data can
ascertain the mode
and root cause of
component failure with
minimal time and
money.
http ://www.rdmag.com/Featu
redarticles/2010/02/M aterials
-Materials-Testing-The-
Failure-Analy sis-Puzzle/
SFA Newsletter
during this study wa s in the
m icrostructure o f the rolle rs,
whe rein m o st o f the va nadium-
rich ca rbide pa rticle s sho we d
pre sence of pa ralle l cra ck s
(re fe r Fig.4a). At this point o f
tim e , it wa s a significa nt
disco ve ry. It wa s tho ught tha t
the se cra ck s in the
m icrostructure could ha ve
se rio us effe ct on the
pe rform a nce o f the bea ring
be ca use of the fo llowing
re a sons.
T he cra ck s pre sent in the
m icrostructure a re de fe cts a nd
the y a re like ly to pro paga te
pro gre ssive ly unde r the
re pe titive loa d during service. In
ca se of ro lling e le me nt bearing,
the vulne ra ble cra ck
pro paga tio n zo ne be ing at the
subsurfa ce , whe re the maximum
she a r stre ss e x ists, surfa ce
co ntact fa tigue fa ilure in ro llers
ca n, the refo re , be m o re
pre dom ina nt in the pre sence of
the se de fe cts. Also, the cracked
ca rbide particle s ca n ge t
dislo dge d fro m the surfa ce ,
which subseque ntly, ca n act a s
a bra sive particle s le a ding to
ra pid de te riora tio n in the rolling
surfa ce s. T he increa se d friction
re sulting from this, ca n aga in
pro mo te surfa ce conta ct fatigue
o n the ro lling surface s. Although
the a bo ve m icro structura l
a na lysis fo r a po ssible surfa ce
co ntact fa tigue failure in the
ro lling e le me nts wa s quite
co nvincing, it prove d to be
e x trem e ly difficult to e stablish
the origin of the cra ck s in the
va na dium -rich ca rbide pha se ,
tha t is, whe the r the y we re
pre sent in the sta rting m ate rial
itse lf o r the y go t de ve lo pe d in
se rvice . Mo re o ve r, the presence
of cra ck s o nly in the
m icrostructure o f the ro llers and
no t in the race s a dded additional
co m ple x ity to the pro ble m.
I wa s a ppre he nsive o f re porting
this a na lysis witho ut be ing
May 2010
ce rta in abo ut the ro le o f
m icro structure o n the fa ilure in
ha nd. Failing to ge t a ny
inform a tion o n this issue from the
m a nufa cture r o f the bea ring, I
ha d to fall upo n co nducting a
co mpa ra tive study. Fo r this
purpo se , ro lle rs we re chosen from
a n unuse d be a ring a s well as a life
e x pire d be a ring that had
succe ssfully lo gge d in 1000 hr in
o ne o f the e ngines. T he results of
this study confirm ed tha t
irre spe ctive o f whe the r or no t the
be aring wa s in se rvice, cra cks
we re pre sent in the va nadium-rich
ca rbide s of a ll the ro llers (re fe r
Fig.4b). T his e x ercise wa s helpful
in esta blishing una m biguo usly
tha t the cra ck s in the ca rbide
phase were pre se nt in the
m a te ria l of the ro lle rs to start
with, a nd the y did no t ge t
de ve lo pe d during se rvice . T his
wa s a ga in a significa nt discovery,
a nd it put to re st a ll specula tions
o n the ro le o f m icro structure on
the fa ilure in que stio n. It was
a ppa re nt fro m the study tha t the
co ntributo ry fa cto rs fo r the
re curring pre m a ture fa ilure of the
be arings we re som e issue s other
tha n the micro structura l a spe cts.
He nce , in this ca se , furthe r
investiga tio n into determination of
the o rigin of cra cks in the ca rbide
phase o f the ro lle rs be ca me
inconse que ntia l. Ne ve rthe le ss, it
wa s impo rta nt for the
m a nufa cture r to lo o k into this
a spe ct a nd e lim ina te the se
m icro structura l de fe cts fo r a
po ssible enha nce m e nt in the
pe rfo rm a nce o f the be arings, in
ge ne ra l.
It em e rged fro m the labo ra tory
study tha t the prim a ry ca use fo r
surfa ce co nta ct fatigue fa ilure o f
the be a ring was ye t to be
e stablished a nd he nce , the
investiga tio n ne ede d to co ntinue
furthe r. It wa s a difficult ta sk to
strike a ba la nce be twe e n the
m icro structura l ana lysis a nd the
final re co mm e nda tio ns in the
 Issue 1 SFA Newsletter May 2010
Page 14 of 27

re po rt. It a ppe are d tha t im porta nce a t this sta ge of

e m phasis o n the m icro structural investiga tion ra the r than stressing
o bse rva tio ns in iso latio n could upo n fine r m icro structura l details.
m isdirect the inve stigating team He nce , I cho se to m a intain silence
with a risk o f missing the o n the m icro structura l issue , and
im po rta nt fa ilure ca use s. re com m e nde d for a syste m level
Anticipa ting the po ssible turn of investiga tion. I wa s convinced
e ve nts tha t could tak e pla ce , I tha t the o bse rve d m icrostructural
tho ught that the se e thica l a bnorm a lity wa s no t the ca use of
co nce rns were of utmo st fa ilure in this ca se .

National Symposium on Fundamentals of Failure Analysis

Two day National s ympos ium on Fundamentals of Failure Analysis,
July 30-31, 2010 at Mahatm a Gandhi Ins titute of Technology,
Hyderabad under the aegis of metallurgy and m aterials initiative.
Experts will RCMA (MAT), MIDHANI, NFC and DMRL, Hyderabad
would address the participants from students and young faculty
mem bers from univers ities around the city.

Crossword on failure analysis: A nswers in last page

Issue 1 SFA Newsletter May 2010
Page 15 of 27

Ignorance leads to ignoring well-known facts

T.Jayakumar and P.Parameswaran

Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam 603 102

Fa ilure a na lysis a nd pre vention se rvice tem pe rature o f ~480ºC is

a re impo rta nt functio ns to all of
the e ngine ering disciplines. The
m a teria ls engine er pla ys a n
im po rta nt role in the a na lysis of
fa ilures, whethe r a co m pone nt
o r product fa ils in se rvice o r if
fa ilure o ccurs in m anufa cturing
o r during production processing.
In any ca se , o ne m ust
de te rm ine the ca use of failure to
pre vent future o ccurrence ,
a nd/or to im pro ve the
pe rform a nce o f the device ,
co m po ne nt o r structure .
Fa ilure ca n o ccur due to
im prope r cho ice o f m a te ria l o r
im prope r proce ssing parameters
o r o pe ra tio n e rro rs o r a dve rse
e ffe cts o f service enviro nm e nt
(Fig.1). If the fa cto rs to the
prone to ca use se nsitiza tio n. A
prem a ture fa ilure o f 304 SS
fla nge in a we lded jo int with 316
SS pipe se rving in so dium
e nviro nme nt was re po rte d due to
ca ustic e mbrittlem e nt. C ho o sing
304 SS wa s found to be the
prima ry ca use for the fa ilure a s
the m a te ria l wa s pro fo undly
se nsitize d a s can be o bse rve d in
Fig.2.
C ho ice of pa ra m ete rs fo r
proce ssing is a n im po rta nt factor
in de te rmining the com po nent
a tta ining ne ce ssa ry stre ngth and
susta ins the se rvice degra da tion
till its life tim e . He a t trea tm e nt of
co mpo nents is a n im po rtant
a spe ct to introduce ne ce ssary

Choice of Engineering Processing

alloy Failures route

Service
environment

Fig. 1. Schematic describing the causes of engineering failures

prim ary ca use o f fa ilure a re surfa ce prope rties, stre ngth a nd

k no wn o r unde rsto o d, it is
e sse ntia l fo r the designe rs and
m a te ria l specia lists to take note
o f the sugge stion so tha t
re pe ate d fa ilure s do no t occur.
Ho we ve r, it is no t a lwa ys the
ca se a s m any k no wn failure
m o des a re ignore d whe n
de signing com ponents discussed
o ve r the fo llowing fa ilure cases.
It is we ll k nown that the cho ice
o f 304 sta inle ss ste e l fo r a
o vera ll toughness. W ire ro pe s
e m plo ye d in service o f coa l
ha ndling we re repo rte d to fail
within its life pe rio d due to
unex pe cted surface de gra da tion
which wa s fo und to be due to
de carburisa tio n effe ct cause d by
the he a t tre a tm e nt. If the
te mpe ra ture a nd pa rtial pressure
o f the furna ce e nviro nme nt were
co ntro lle d pro pe rly, the
de carburisa tio n e ffe ct o n the
surfa ce would ha ve be en avoided
Issue 1
Page 16 of 27
New Dimens ion to Failure
Analys is , us ing XRF
Technology
In general, X-ray fluorescence
spectrometer (XRF) has been in
use for many years in the
analysis of chemical
composition.
T he methods employed have
consistently advanced in the
same stride as the instrument
technology itself. T oday, XRF
analysis is a reliable method of
predicting the onset of abnormal
wear or resolving failure
analysis issues in hydraulic
systems.
www.mac hinerylubric ation.c om
/R ead/2 4 9/xrf- failure-analysis
A failure is a failure of
imagination!
SFA Newsletter
(Fig.3).
A wire ro pe o f a to we r cra ne
used in a co nstruction site
sudde nly fa ile d while lifting a
bucke t co nta ining a lo a d. It was
o bse rve d tha t the wire ro pe
e m plo ye d do e s no t m ee t the
re com m e nde d spe cificatio n o f
co nstruction, viz. ca pable o f
ro tatio n during se rvice. This
re sulte d in the rope not meeting
Fig.2. S ensitized 304 SS flange
(top left inset); below,
unsensitize d 316 SS pipe
Fig.4. Cross Section Close to
th e failed region shows
d ecarburised area in dicated
b y a rectang le
the de ma nd of the se rvice
conditio ns whe re ro ta tio n of the
wire while lifting the loa ds was
quite common. As a consequence,
the wire wa s subjecte d to
frictio n he a ting e a ch tim e it
passe d a ro und the swivel.
May 2010
C onse quent m icrostructura l
de gra da tio n le d to soft surface
la ye rs a nd fo und re sponsible for
the fina l fa ilure (Fig.4).
Summ a rising, it is quite o fte n
o bse rve d tha t the igno ra nce
e x ercise d in choo sing the right
m ate ria l o r right para m e ters
during pro ce ssing or right
co nstructio n m etho d to m ee t
se rvice e nviro nme nt was found to
304 S Sfla nge
316 SS pipe
F ig.3.(a) core of the wire is pearlitic;
(b)Edges with cracks showing ferrite+
pearlite; (c) in detail (b); note Ni layer
intentionally m ade for preserving edge
(white deposit)
882 VHN
572 VHN
cause fa ilure s. The a bove
e xpe rie nce s cle a rly indicate
igno ra nce le a ds to igno ring
o the rwise we ll-kno wn pro ble ms
a nd m a ke s o ne wo nde r tha t a
failure is a fa ilure o f imagination!
Issue 1 SFA Newsletter May 2010
Page 17 of 27

Root Cause A nalysis of Fatigue Failures of Compressor

Blades of Aeroengines
S. R. Singh
National Metallurgical Laboratory Jamshedpur-831 007

m eta llurgica l inve stigation of FOD

Fo re ign o bject da ma ge (FOD) is
to co m presso r bla de s is a lways
re sponsible fo r ma jo rity o f
ne ce ssa ry to confirm tha t it is
fa ilures o f com pre sso r blades of
FOD a nd no t m eta llurgica l defect
a e ro engine s wo rldwide . FO D is
that is re spo nsible fo r the fatigue
usua lly co nside re d to be caused
fa ilure . The fo llo wing ca se s
by so ft/ha rd la rge o bje cts.
prese nte d be low illustra te the
Ho weve r in re ce nt tim e s, sandy
va rio us type s of FO D induce d
a nd ma rine e nviro nm e nts in
m ate ria l de gra da tio n tha t ha s
co a sta l re gio ns ha ve cause d
re sulte d in fa tigue fa ilure o f
sa nd a bra sion induce d failures
blade s. Co nse que nces of FOD can
Henry Ford was broke at of co m pre sso r blade s.
ha ve serio us flight sa fety
the age of 40. The refo re , fo r all practica l
im plica tions.
purpose s the sa nd induce d
a bra sio n o f co m pre sso r bla de 1. FOD Damages to
Henry Ford II fired Lee m a y also be co nside red as FOD. Compressor Blades of Mig-29
Iacocca at the age of 54. Usua l FO D appe a re d a s nick s, aircraft
de nt, cut m ark s o f various forms
The da ma ge s a ppea re d a s
o n the a irfo il which in turn,
Young Beethoven w as te ar/she ar, nicks, de nt at leading
re duce s the fa tigue stre ngth of st th
e dge o f 1 to 9 sta ge bla des.
told that he had no talent the ma te rial. FO D ca n lea d to
Inte nsity o f da ma ge de cre a se s
se ve re re ductio ns o f e x pecte d
for music, but he gave with increa sing sta ge num ber.
high-cycle fatigue (HC F) life .
some of the best music to Inve stigatio n a t FO D impa ct site
This re duction in fatigue life due
indica te d the pre sence o f
the w orld. to FOD is a sso cia te d with fo ur
im pre gnate d trace s of rock having
m a in fa cto rs: (i) impact-induced
co mbina tio n o f diffe re nt m ineral
re sidua l stre sse s, (ii)
All success stories are phase s o f va rying sto ichio m etry.
m icrocra ck s fo rme d upo n th
Howe ve r, the 8 sta ge ga s
stories of great failures. im pa ct, (iii) the stre ss-
ge ne ra to r bla de, which is made of
co ncentra ting e ffects o f the
stee l, is im pa cted by ro ck & Ti-
im pa ct site , a nd (iv) distortio n
a lloy (fracture d pie ce s from
o f the m icro structure . The
blade s o f fo rward sta ge s). The
pre dictio n of the fatigue
va ria tio n in da ma ge inte nsity in
be ha vio ur is e x tre me ly difficult
succe ssive sta ges indica te d that
be ca use o f the ma ny facto rs
the fo reign o bje ct pro je ctile
tha t m a y co ntribute to the
fo llo we d pa th o f re ducing ra dius
o ve rall be havio ur. LC F invo lves
in be twee n the succe ssive
e a rly cra ck initia tion a nd a long
co llisio ns.
pro paga tio n life a s a fra ction of
2. FOD Dent/A brasion/
to ta l life . LC F cra ck s a re st
Corrosion: 1 Stage
typically o f inspe ctable size. HCF
Compressor Blade of R-13-
cra ck s o n the othe r ha nd
300 A eroengine
re quire s a re la tive ly la rge
fra ction o f life fo r initia tion fo r The first sta ge co m presso r rotor
re a ching a n inspecta ble size . blade s are m ade o f e na me l
This re sults in a ve ry sm a ll co ate d ste e l. De nt clo se to
fra ction o f life re ma ining fo r le ading e dge a nd co m plete
pro paga tio n. The refo re , e rosio n of e na me l layer at leading
Issue 1 SFA Newsletter May 2010
Page 18 of 27

e dge a re o bse rve d. XRD residual o pera ting co nditio ns/a re a . This
stre ss a na lysis re vea le d re sulte d in pitting co rro sion, which
re ductio n of be neficia l m a y initiate fa tigue failure o f
co m pre ssive re sidua l stress in bla de s, if it is no t de te cted before
ne ighbo urhoo d o f the dent. This the o nset o f fa tigue cra ck
m a y lea d to re ductio n in fatigue initia tio n.
e ndura nce stre ngth & number of
R e co m m ende d sho rte r inspection
cycle s to fa ilure . Mo re ove r,
interva l of le a ding edge to
e ro sion a t lea ding e dge of the
de term ine the sta rting tim e o f
a irfo il is una voida ble in
co a ting e rosio n .
Issue 1 SFA Newsletter May 2010
Page 19 of 27

3. Reworking Induced 13500 rpm with a x ia l pre ssure of

st
Fatigue Fracture of 1 S tage
Compressor Blades: AL-31FP
Aeroengines
As per O EM’s pro ce dures, the
de nted co mpre ssor bla des a re
re wo rk e d ma nua lly to desire d
pro file , o nly if the de nt size is
within the pe rm issible lim its.
The se bla des a re made of BT3-1
( α- β tita nium a llo y), o perated at
2
1kg/cm , a nd use d fo r le ss than
550 ho urs. Investiga tion revealed
the fa tigue fa ilure a t re wo rke d
lo ca tio ns which is im printe d with
scra tche s due rewo rk ing.
Thinning o f edge s due to
re wo rk ing is a lso o bserve d. The
re wo rk ing by ha nd grinding
gene ra ted; (a ) we a r gro o ves, (b)
re duce d bla de thick ness, a nd (c)
te nsile re sidual stress. The

fra cture of re work e d bla de impro ved surfa ce finish, less

po rtio n is due to fa tigue re duction in blade
m e cha nism. The scra tche s due pro file /thick ness and
to re wo rk ing a ct a s stre ss elim inatio n o f te nsile re sidua l
co nce ntra tio n sites while o the r stre ss ge nera te d during
two fa cto rs a ssist fa tigue cra ck re wo rk ing.
initiatio n at re wo rk e d lo ca tio n.
R e com m e nda tions: To develop a
m e tho do logy o f re wo rking of the
nicke d/de nte d bla de with
Issue 1 SFA Newsletter May 2010
Page 20 of 27

4. FOD/Nick Induced de pth o f 0.7 m m. Service

nd
Fatigue Failure of 2 Stage
Stator Blade of A eroengine
In this ca se FO D gene ra ted a
nick o f 6 m m le ngth & 1.5 mm
de pth at le a ding edge o n a
se co nd sta ge sta to r blade made
of BT3-1( α + β Tita nium a lloy).
The de pth o f nick is be yo nd the
acce ptable limit o f perm issible
ex po sure o f the bla de is 697:31
hrs & tim e betwe e n o ve rhaul is
550 hrs. The refo re , nick fo rm e d
during la st 147:31 hrs o f
ope ra tion by FO D. Inve stigatio n
re ve a led tha t the fatigue cra ck
sta rte d at the no tch-ro o t
de ve lo pe d a t nick fo rmed byFOD.

fa ce is due to titanium hydride

5. Hydrogen Induced
nd fo rm atio n which lea d to vo lum e
Fatigue Failure of 2 Stage
e x pa nsio n and crack initia tio n.
Compressor Blade of R-29B-
P ro te ctive pa ssive la ye r o n
300 Aeroengines:
pre ssure surfa ce of bla de ge ts
nd
2 stage co mpre sso r blade s da m age d due to impa ct abra sion
bro k e n fro m le a ding e dge tip by m icro sco pic fo reign particle s.
whe re as nick s a nd cuts This le d to hydro ge n a bso rptio n
o bse rve d o n ro to r bla de s fro m the re by the fo rm a tio n o f hydride.
rd th
3 to 11 stage s in the direction Hydride e mbrittle me nt induce d
o f ro tatio n o f ro to r (clo ck wise ). surfa ce cra ck s re sulte d fa tigue
Suction fa ce ha s m e ta llic cra ck gro wth.
re fle ctive shine while the
The hydro gen a bsorptio n ca n be
pre ssure fa ce ha s dull
co m ple te ly pre vente d by (1)
a ppe ara nce with black streaks.
re m o va l of the iro n/nick el
C ra ck nuclea tio n site , o n
co nta mina tion in nitric acid solution
pre ssure fa ce is surro unded by
prio r to scale co nditio ning, (2)
be a ch m a rk s & greyish-bla ck
a no dising in a 10% so lutio n of
a ppe ara nce o f a rea fro m tip
a m m onium sulpha te rem o ve s
e dge to o rigin. A deta ile d XR D
surfa ce co ntam ina tio n and leads to
structura l a nalysis re vealed that
thick ening of pro tective o xide film.
the black stre a k s on pre ssure
Issue 1 SFA Newsletter
Page 21 of 27
FAILURES DUE TO HYDROGEN
EMBRITTLEMENT
M.Sriniva s
DMRL
Hyderabad500 058
Hydro ge n e mbrittles se vera l
me ta ls a nd a llo ys a nd the
de fe cts ca n range from a slight
de cre a se in the pe rce nta ge o f
re duction o f are a a t fra cture to a
brittle ma cro sco pic fra cture at a
re la tively lo w a pplied stress.
Eve n sma ll ppb o f hydrogen can
ha ve a de le te rio us e ffe ct,
pa rticula rly for high stre ngth
ste e ls, ca using ha irline cracking.
Eve n whe n the qua ntity o f ga s
in so lutio n is to o sm all to reduce
te nsio n te st ductility, hydrogen
induce d de la ye d fracture ma y
occur.
Hydro ge n is abso rbed fro m the
enviro nm e nt fo llowe d by
diffusion to re gio ns o f high
te nsile stre ss pa rticula rly areas
with notche s. Hydro ge n pickup
fro m m a nufa cturing e ithe r
during pick ling o r plating can be
one o f the m a in ca use s o f
hydro ge n e m brittle m ent.
Pla ting so lutio ns a nd pla ting
co nditions se le cte d to pro duce
high catho de e fficiency minimize
the am o unt o f hydro ge n
ge ne rate d o n the m etal surface.
Me ta l coa tings o fte n preventthe
hydro ge n fro m le a ving the base
me ta l. Ele vate d te mpe ra ture
Fig. 1a Photograph showing as received
condition of broken fork end and tie rod
of frame.
May 2010
ba k ing a fter pla ting is ge ne ra lly
re quire d to a llo w the hydrogen to
m o ve to micro structura l positions
in the pa rt inte rior tha t a re le ss
da ma ging to the a to m ic bo nds.
O ne such ca se ha s be en
discusse d he re .
PA RT I Hydrogen from plating
Fo rk e nd of a Fra m e atta ched
with a tie rod ha s fa ile d suddenly
in a brittle m a nne r. The fa iled
fo rk e nd and pa rt o f the tie rod
a ssem bly is shown in Fig. 1a.
Fig. 1b shows the fa ile d portion of
the tie ro d. It is se e n fro m Fig.
1b tha t fa ilure has o ccurred inside
the tie ro d fro m a thre a d o n the
fo rk e nd. Fra cture surface shows
bright fe ature s a nd cra cks
e m ana ting fro m the thre ad
gro ove a nd a lso cra ck s o n the
surface o f the threa d a s se e n in
Fig. 1c. The Fork e nd o f the
fra me a nd the thre a d po rtion
we re fo und to ha ve a go lden
ye llow co a ting.
SEM fra cto gra phs o f the initiation
re gion have sho wn cle a va ge
fra cture s as shown in Fig. 2.
Awa y fro m the fracture and most
o f the fa iled re gio ns a lso ha ve
sho wn cle ava ge fe a tures. The
co a ting a na lysis of the fo rk e nd
re vea le d it to be Ca dmium on the
Fig. 1b Magnified view of the broken
tie rod showing dent mark and bright
fracture surface
Issue 1 SFA Newsletter May 2010
Page 22 of 27

Fig. 1c Stereo photographs

showi ng cracks near the
thread root and on the
surface of the thread in the
fork end.
Fig. 2 SEM fractograph of initiation
of cleavage
surfa ce . Upon e tching with 2%
m a rk o n the surface substantiates
nita l so lutio n, the microstructure
this.
a ppe ars to ha ve pe a rlite a nd
The cle a vage fracture throughout
fe rrite a nd a ne twork o f gra in
the fra cture surface is indica tive
bo unda ry fe rrite (Fig. 3). The
o f brittle fracture a nd sugge stive
Vick e rs Hardne ss o f the
o f em brittle m e nt. This type of
thre a de d shank o f the fo rk end
fa ilure by cle a va ge fra cture in a
a t 10 k g lo ad is found to be
ca dmium -co a te d sa mple could be
280HV10.
due to hydro ge n e m brittle m e nt.
The che m ical co m po sition of the
P re se nce o f crack s at o ther
m a te ria l sugge sts tha t the fork
threa d re gio ns a lso suggests that
e nd of the fra m e might ha ve
hydro ge n em brittle m e nt could be
be e n ma nufacture d fro m ste e l
the re a son fo r the fa ilure.
ne a rly e quivale nt to AISI 1050
Hydro ge n em brittle m e nt o ccurs
ste e l gra de . The micro structure
whe n prope r ba k ing a fter
a nd ha rdne ss show tha t the
ca dmium co a ting ha s no t be en
m a te ria l has be en used in
ca rrie d o ut. In the pre sent case,
no rm alize d co nditio n. The
the fa ilure o f the fo rk could have
e lliptica l na ture o f the inne r
be e n initia te d by hydro gen
dia m ete r o f the tie ro d indicates
e m brittle me nt a nd ca tastro phic
tha t the tie rod ha s unde rgo ne
fa ilure ha s o ccurred m a y be due
se ve re de fo rm a tio n, m a y be by
to impa ct lo a d.
im pa ct be nding lo ads. A de nt

Fig. 3. Photom ic rogr aphs of the

faile d s han k showi ng fe rri te and
pe ar lite .
 Issue 1 SFA Newsletter
Page 23 of 27
PA RT II Hydrogen in welds
The prese nce o f hydro ge n in a
we ld is ge ne ra lly due to
mo isture tha t is intro duce d in
shie lding ga s. A ca se studyhas
be e n pre se nte d he re to sho w
ho w hydro gen pre se nt in
enviro nm e nt ca n ca use failure in
an im po rta nt pre ssure piping.
A pre ssure pipe m a nufa cture d
using Ma ra ging ste el ha s failed
at we ld lo ca tion during pressure
te sting a t 95% o f pro o f
pre ssure . Acoustic indica tio ns
ha ve be e n notice d a t 85% o f
pro o f pre ssure le ve ls. Ho wever,
the te sting could no t be stopped
as the a co ustic indica tio ns a re
no t continuous and we re
obse rved a s bursts. Visua l
ex a m ina tio n re ve a led tha t the
fa ilure ha s o ccurre d a lo ng the
circum fe re ntial we ld jo int. A flat
fra cture re gion to a n e x te nt o f
appro xim a te ly 400 mm o n one
side a nd 150 m m o n the o the r
side o f the L – se a m a lo ng the
circula r se a m wa s o bserved. The
re m a ining fracture are a shows a
zig-za g pa ttern fo r the cra ck
pa th. Ho we ver, fo r mo st o f the
pa th, the cra ck ha s tra ve lled in
the we ldm e nt i.e . we ld re gio n
and hea t a ffecte d zone (HAZ)
and not in the pa re nt m e tal o r
L-se a m. Fig 1 sho ws a pa rt o f
the fla t fra cture d re gio n
re ve a ling che vro n pa tte rn
indica ting the cra ck propagation
dire ction. Tra cing the che vro n
pa tte rn in the o ppo site direction
to cra ck pro paga tio n, le a ds to
the proba ble cra ck initia tio n
re gio n. It is se e n tha t the se
che vro n m a rkings point outto a
va lle y or ste p. It is a lso see n
tha t the o the r side o f this
fe a ture, che vro n m ark ings a re
mo ving in the o ppo site direction
indica ting that this regio n could
be the initia tion re gio n. It is to
be no tice d tha t the fra cture
fe a tures (Fig. 1) up to two thirds
May 2010
o f the thickne ss of the ma te rial
sho ws cle ava ge pa tte rn while the
re ma ining a re a sho ws sla nted
fra cture with fla t fe a tures. Fig.1
a lso sho ws the a rea
co rrespo nding to the opposite part
sho wing the pro trusio ns of
m a te ria l a t pro ba ble cra ck
initiatio n regio n.
The re gio n suspecte d to be the
initiatio n re gio n sho ws bright
fra cture to ne a rly two third o f the
thickne ss of the pla te while the
re ma ining o ne third ha s dull or
gra y fra cture fe a ture s. The SEM
im a ge s (Fig. 2a, b, c) show
se para tio n be twee n the root pass
we ld a nd first pa ss we ld re gio ns.
The fra cture fe a ture s in the first
pa ss we ld re gio n sho w cle a va ge
fe a ture s a nd se conda ry cra ck ing
(Fig. 2d, e, f) while roo t pa ss
sho we d sla nte d fra cture with
sm oo th fea ture s. The re gion
co nta ining bright fra cture features
m o stly sho ws cle a va ge a nd
inte rgra nula r fe ature s at so me
lo catio ns (Fig. 2d, e , f).
O ptica l Me ta llogra phic
e x a mina tion ca rrie d o ut revealed
(Fig. 3) that the we ld o n the top
re gion shows o ve rla p o f we ld
be a d a nd the visible be ad width is
a ro und 8-9 m m which is generally
lo nge r co mpa re d to no rma l weld
indica ting tha t this co uld be the
we ld re pa ir zo ne . The figure also
sho ws HAZ a nd pa re nt m e tal
re gions. It ca n a lso be noted from
Fig. 3a that we ld be a d appears to
be se pa ra te d fro m the V gro ove.
The we ld a nd pa re nt m e tal
m icro structure s appe a r to be
no rma l a nd co nta in fine vo ids
co nsisting o f fine white pa rticles
a nd m icro po ro sity (Fig. 3b).
The che mica l a na lysis o f the
pa rent m e ta l co nfirm e d tha t the
pre ssure piping ha s be en
m a nufa cture d from maraging 250
gra de ste el. The chemical analysis
Issue 1 SFA Newsletter
Page 24 of 27
o f weldm e nt a t the initiatio n
re gio n a nd rem a ining fra ctured
re gio n in the we ld ma tches with
tha t of W 2 fille r, which cle a rly
indicate s that the re wa s no mix
up of fille r wire . The
m icro structure o f the pare nt
m e ta l, we ldme nt and HAZ a t
a nd awa y fro m the initiatio n
re gio n re ve a le d tha t the
m a te ria l is use d in age d
co nditio n. Ho we ver, a t the
initia tio n re gio n clo se to the
pa re nt m e tal a nd we ld interface,
fine voids a sso cia ted with white
pa rticle s, which m ay be reverted
a ustenite , were o bse rve d. The
se pa ra tio n of the we ld bead and
pa re nt m e tal wa s also see n a t
the V gro o ve, which sugge sts
tha t pro pe r pre ca utio ns ha ve
no t bee n ta ke n during welding.
The sepa ra tio n ge ne ra lly occurs
whe n the re is a fine o x ide layer
de ve lope d at the interfaces. The
fra cture initia tio n zo ne s we re
fo und to be 125-170 m m o n
bo th side s of the L-se a m along
the circula r se a m . Discussio n
with use rs and m anufa cture rs
re ve ale d that we ld re pa irs were
ca rrie d o ut in the se two zone s.
It is to be note d tha t in the se
re gio ns, whe re initia tio n o f
fa ilure ha s tak e n pla ce , there is
se pa ra tio n of ro o t pa ss and first
pa ss a nd brittle cle ava ge
fra cture initia te d at this
inte rface .
The cle a va ge fra cture a nd the
inte rgra nular fra cture o bse rved
a t the initia tio n re gio n a re
indicative of m a te ria l
e m brittle m ent. The
e m brittle m ent in ma raging steel
m a y re sult fro m the fo llo wing.
1. Sub ze ro im pa ct co nditio ns.
2. Stre ss Co rro sion C ra ck ing
(SCC ).
3. Hydro ge n Em brittle m ent.
In this ca se , the failure unde r
May 2010
sub ze ro im pact co nditio ns is
rule d o ut a s the te m pera tures at
the tim e o f pre ssure testing are
a mbie nt te m pera tures i.e. around
22°C - 30°C . In this temperature
ra nge , e ve n unde r im pa ct
co nditio ns, m a ra ging ste e l fails
unde r ductile dim pled m o de .
Furthe rmo re , it is to be no tice d
that the pre ssure te sting ha s
bee n ca rrie d o ut unde r quasi-
static co nditio ns. In vie w o f this
a nd ba sed o n the e vide nce s o f
fracture , the fa ilure in this
prese nt ca se is no t due to sub
zero tre atm e nt.
The fra cture surfa ce s do no t
co nta in any co rro sio n de bris. It
ca n a lso be se e n tha t the
clea va ge ha s initia te d fro m roo t
pass a nd first pass inte rfa ce and
not fro m a ny o f the surfaces. This
clea rly indica te d tha t the initiation
o f fa ilure is no t be ca use o f stress
co rro sio n cra ck ing (SCC ).
The po rosity obse rved in the
weldm e nt a nd a sso cia tio n o f
re ve rte d a uste nite with so m e o f
these vo ids indica te s entrapment
o f ga sse s, which co uld be
hydro ge n. The cle a va ge and
inte rgra nula r fra cture fe a ture s
a nd ga seo us poro sity observed in
the m icrostructure po int o ut to
the e m brittle m ent due to gasses
a nd m a y be be ca use of hydrogen.
Base d o n the e vide nces, it ma y
be co nclude d tha t the fa ilure o f
m ara ging ste e l pre ssure piping in
the we ld wa s initia te d by
hydro ge n e m brittle m ent.
Hydro ge n e m brittle m ent could be
due to
1. Ex ce ssive hum idity in the
surro undings during we lding.
2. Ex ce ssive pre sence of
hydroge n in the fille r
3. Hydroge n pick up prio r to and
during we lding.
 Issue 1 SFA Newsletter May 2010
Page 25 of 27

Fig. 1 Images showing chevron pattern indicating the fracture initiation site

Fig. 2 SEM images of fracture surface showing cleavage and intergranular

features

Fig. 3 Images showing (a) weld bead separation

(b) weld and parent metal interface showing microporosity.
 Issue 1 SFA Newsletter May 2010
Page 26 of 27

Events in the pipeline

1)Four th Inter national confer ence on Engineering
Failur e Analysis, 4-7 July 2010, Chur chill
College, Cambr idge, UK

2)36 th Inter national symposium on Testing and

Failur e Analysis, Nov, 14-18, 2010, Tex as, USA

Books
Issue 1 SFA Newsletter May 2010
Page 27 of 27

A nswers to the crossword:

Failure is only a
temporary change in
direction to set you
straighten for your next
success!

Conducting a failure W ha t do yo u ca ll a pe rso n who is a fraid of

analysis is analogous to fa ilures?
piecing together a Atychipho bic
jigsaw puzzle.

We will be on the Web soon!

Anno uncing Clinic o n Fa ilure

Ana lysis Ja n-11 at Kalpakkam

For Private circulation only

To

From
Society for Failure Analysis
C/O Centre for Military
Airworthiness & Certification,
Marathahalli Colony PO,
Bangalore-560037
Phone:
080-25121001;25231533

Fax: