Failure analysis pinpoints OEM engine flaw

The unnamed OEM appointed Ricardo to investigate why crankshafts were failing across one of its engine families, and Ricardo brought in Axiom to consult on the issue. Stockton-based Axiom sectioned the broken crankshafts to examine the actual machined radius profiles of the journals, which can be a factor in the initiation of fatigue issues.

“We examined the extent of the cracking, charted the position of the failures and the morphology of the cracks,” explained Axiom co-founder and metallurgist Dr Rene Hoyle.

“The crankshafts were sectioned so our experts could study the actual crack face. In some cases we will actually ‘break open’ a crack and examine it under a high-powered microscope; the peaks and troughs of the crack are like an open book to experts in failure analysis. Once the extent and type of failure was plotted it was a relatively simple matter to identify the cause, which in this case was due to metal fatigue.”