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Metallurgical Failure Analysis of a High-Strength-Steel Drag Chain Conveyor Link

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Abstract

A detailed failure analysis was carried out on a broken chain link made from high-strength manganese steel which failed while in service at a cement factory. Metallographic and microhardness testing revealed the presence of a dual structure within the failed link: a softer low-precipitate chill zone at the outer periphery and a hard and brittle inner structure typified by columnar grain structure and high volume of both inter- and intragranular carbide precipitation. The present failure is believed to have initiated at the outer surface by a contact rolling fatigue action within the softer structure and further augmented by the presence of shrinkage porosity and the inner brittle structure. The development of the observed failure is discussed in terms of microstructure and mechanical properties of the material of manufacture, and practical recommendations are presented at the end of the paper.

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Acknowledgments

The experimental part of this study was carried out at the laboratories of ACUREN Group INC., Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, where the first author held the position of a senior metallurgical failure analyst. The help and support of ACUREN technical and managerial staff is highly appreciated. This work was originally conducted for Holcim-Canada, Mississauga, L5J 1K1, ON, Canada. The permission granted by Holcim-Canada to publish this work is highly appreciated. Provision of bucket elevator images by Infinity for Cement Equipment and The Arab Cement Co. is mostly appreciated.

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  1. Industrial Engineering Department, University of Jordan, Amman, 11942, Jordan

    Abdul Kareem Abdul Jawwad

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Correspondence to Abdul Kareem Abdul Jawwad.

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Abdul Jawwad, A.K. Metallurgical Failure Analysis of a High-Strength-Steel Drag Chain Conveyor Link. J Fail. Anal. and Preven. 20, 647–656 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11668-020-00879-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11668-020-00879-w

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