Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Failure Analysis of Cracked Gear Shafts

  • Case History
  • Published:
Journal of Failure Analysis and Prevention Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Two gear shafts cracked during the fabrication. The cracks are through the grooves associated with the gear teeth and propagated completely across the shaft. Fractography on the cracked teeth indicates that the crack origins are about 3.5 to 4.0 mm from the groove and exhibit pointlike features. Fracture surfaces near the crack origin regions were intergranular, and the fracture appeared to have occurred instantaneously. Metallurgical analysis indicates that decarburization had occurred on the surfaces of the gear shafts, but occurrence of decarburization has no relation to the cracking. Cracking occurred during the carburization-quenching process and originated at a cluster of Al2O2 complex inclusions. The thermal stress produced by quenching drove the cracking process.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Metals Handbook. Heat Treating, 9th edn., vol. 4. American Society for Metals, Metals Park, OH (1981)

  2. Determination of carburized depth and metallurgic examination of carburizing structure, China Standard. GB9450 (1994) (in Chinese)

  3. Brooks, C.R., Choudhury, A.: Failure Analysis of Engineering Materials. McGraw-Hill, New York (2002)

    Google Scholar 

  4. Metal Handbook. Fractography and Atlas of Fractographs, 8th edn., vol. 9. American Society for Metals, Metal Park, OH (1974)

  5. ASM Handbook. Failure Analysis and Prevention, 10th edn., vol. 11. ASM International, Materials Park, OH (1993)

  6. Fernandes, P.J.L.: Tooth bending fatigue failure in gears. Eng. Fail. Anal. 3, 219–225 (1996)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Clegg, R.E.: Failure of planetary pinions in earth moving equipment—a failure analysis approach. Eng. Fail. Anal. 7, 35–41 (2000)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Electromechanics and Material Engineering College, Dalian Maritime University, Dalian, 116026, P.R. China

    Zhi-wei Yu & Xiao-lei Xu

Authors
  1. Zhi-wei Yu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Xiao-lei Xu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Xiao-lei Xu.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Yu, Zw., Xu, Xl. Failure Analysis of Cracked Gear Shafts. J Fail. Anal. and Preven. 9, 43–48 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11668-008-9193-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11668-008-9193-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation