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Analysis of Fractured Turbine Blade After Long-Term Exposure to Service Conditions in a Power Station

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Abstract

A turbine blade has fractured after 74,461 h of exposure to service conditions in a power station. The fracture surface is found to be composed of square and slant sections corresponding to tensile and shear modes, respectively. Most evidence points out that the fracture has been initiated by thermal fatigue in the protective coating at the trailing edge. Continued propagation of the cracks with extended thermal exposure leading to fracture is found to occur intergranularly by creep mechanism aided by formation of denuded zones free of the strengthening γ′-phase alongside the grain boundaries. The microstructural changes leading to the formation of the denuded zones and the role of the coating are elucidated.

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Notes

  1. ®Udimet is a registered trademark of Special Metals Corporation.

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Acknowledgments

It is a pleasure to acknowledge the continued support of King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals.

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  1. Center for Engineering Research, Research Institute, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, P.O. Box 1639, Dhahran, 31261, Saudi Arabia

    H. M. Tawancy

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Tawancy, H.M. Analysis of Fractured Turbine Blade After Long-Term Exposure to Service Conditions in a Power Station. Metallogr. Microstruct. Anal. 4, 78–90 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13632-015-0188-2

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