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Abstract We investigate the causes of failure of a piston rod of a hydraulic cylinder, which moves a spillway floodgate of a hydroelectric power plant, after 30 years of service. The… Click to show full abstract
Abstract We investigate the causes of failure of a piston rod of a hydraulic cylinder, which moves a spillway floodgate of a hydroelectric power plant, after 30 years of service. The fractured piston rod is made of the AISI 410 martensitic stainless steel (condition T). The analysis shows that intergranular cracking originated on the outer surface and propagated along prior austenite grain boundaries, accompanied by corrosive attacks between martensite needles. The low performance of the piston rod can be explained by the improper heat treatment during the manufacturing process, which led to a high δ-ferrite content, temper embrittlement, low toughness, and susceptibility to stress corrosion cracking.
Journal Title: Engineering Failure Analysis
Year Published: 2019
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