Root causes analysis of differential pinion shaft assembly failure in WRX class car

• Published in: International journal of structural integrity 2017-12, Vol.8 (6), p.694-706
• Main Authors: Królicka, Aleksandra, Lesiuk, Grzegorz, Katkowski, Mikołaj
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Assembly; Automobiles; Crack initiation; Crack propagation; Damage; Engineering; Failure analysis; Fatigue cracks; Fatigue failure; Fractography; Fracture mechanics; Growth models; Growth rate; Heat treatment; Machining; Materials fatigue; Materials science; Methods; Microscopy; Microstructure; Propagation; Root cause analysis; Scanning electron microscopy; Stress concentration
• ISSN: 1757-9864; 1757-9872
• DOI: 10.1108/IJSI-06-2017-0033

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a case of fatigue damaging of the attacking roller of the WRC class car. Fatigue fractures are a very essential source of cognitive and usable information about the cause of damage of various engineering components. Microfractography allows extending considerations about the main mechanism of initiation and growth of fatigue cracks. The presented research procedure allowed establishing the root cause analysis of the premature fatigue failure of the pinion shaft. Design/methodology/approach The specimen for metallographic investigation was extracted from failures pinion shaft. According to the light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) study, the detailed observations of microstructure were performed. Fracture surface of pinion shaft and teeth were examined using SEM. The presence of the extraordinary mechanical notch was found as a potential failure root cause. Findings The potential cause of premature failure pinion shaft assembly has been found. The microstructural causes were excluded due to correctly performed heat treatment. The main reason of failure was improper mechanical machining of the pinion shaft due to large mechanical notch. Originality/value A detailed metallographic expertise route is presented. The usefulness of fractographic analysis is confirmed in case of the failure analysis of premature pinion shaft. The root cause was found and the concluding remarks are included in this paper.