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TECHNICAL ARTICLE—PEER-REVIEWED
Submitted: 29 November 2012 / in revised form: 4 March 2013 / Published online: 22 March 2013
Ó ASM International 2013
Abstract A section of fractured rear axle shaft made of Keywords Brittle fracture Characterization
induction-hardened steel and removed from the scene of Cleavage Electron fractography Hardness Steel
overturned automobile was analyzed to determine the most
probable cause of failure. Light optical metallography and
scanning electron microscopy combined with energy dis- Introduction
persive spectroscopy were used to characterize the
microstructure and the mechanical strength was evaluated Axles are installed in vehicles to perform two important
by microhardness measurements. Chemical analysis veri- functions: (i) they transmit driving torque to the wheels,
fied that the shaft was made of AISI 4140 steel as per and (ii) they maintain the position of the wheels relative to
specifications. However, microstructural characterization each other and to the body of the vehicle. In most non-
and microhardness measurements revealed that the shaft commercial vehicles, the circular motion of the drive
was improperly heat treated resulting in a brittle case, wheels is maintained by means of axle shafts, which are
where crack propagation was found to occur by an inter- integral component of the rear axle. The shafts are installed
granular mode in contrast with cleavage within the core. in the tire’s wheel well near the differentials and stretch
This behavior was related to differences in microstructure, across the bottom of the vehicle. Often during operation,
which was observed to be martensitic-type within the case the shafts are subjected to tremendous torque due to heavy
with microhardness equivalent to Rc 58, and a mixture of loads or quick acceleration and therefore, they are manu-
pearlite and ferrite within the core with Rc 25. Although it factured from various grades of hardened steels. However,
was not possible to reconstruct the exact sequence of for various reasons, the shafts may fail particularly by
events leading to fracture, it is possible that it was initiated fatigue modes, e.g., [1–5]. In extreme cases, cracks in the
by large overload within the extremely hard brittle case, shafts during driving can lead to overturning of the vehicle.
which could lead to overturning of the vehicle and final A typical symptom of cracks in rear axle shafts is
fracture could have occurred by the impact of overturning. skidding of the vehicle to one side similar to driving on ice,
However, crack initiation due to hydrogen generated by which is commonly known as fishtailing. Complete spin-
rust and water pickup as well as the possibility that over- ning occurs if the driver does not properly respond by
turning of the vehicle was the cause of the fracture could counter steering, i.e., turning the front wheels in the same
not be ruled out. direction as the skid. Therefore, cracks in the shaft can lead
to overturning of the vehicle particularly during driving at
high speed such as occurs on highways. However, the shaft
may also fracture upon impact as a result of an accident.
Therefore, the key question to be answered in respective
H. M. Tawancy (&) L. M. Al-Hadhrami failure analysis investigations is whether the fractured shaft
Center for Engineering Research, Research Institute, King Fahd
is the cause or result of the accident.
University of Petroleum and Minerals, P.O. Box 1639,
Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia In the present case and according to the information
e-mail: tawancy@kfupm.edu.sa received from the proponent, a vehicle overturned during
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354 J Fail. Anal. and Preven. (2013) 13:353–358
driving on a smooth highway at a speed of about 100 km/h fracture surface, (ii) specimens in the as-polished condition
(62 miles/h), which was within the speed limit. Also, it was to measure the microhardness across the case and into the
stated that no collision was involved and there was no core, and (iii) specimens etched in 3% nital to reveal the
indication that the driver was trying to avoid an object. grain structure within the case and core. A Vicker’s hard-
Since the accident was fatal no information could be ness tester was used to measure the microhardness using
obtained from the driver. As per specifications the fractured 10 g load.
shaft with diameter of about 7 cm was manufactured by
forging of steel grade AISI 4140 given an induction-
hardening treatment to produce a case of 3–4 mm in depth. Experimental Results and Discussion
Although respective specifications regarding microstruc-
ture and hardness were not available, it is usually required Figure 1a is a schematic illustration of the rear axle shaft
that the case consists of tempered martensite with hardness showing the approximate location of the fracture near the
of HV 500–550, and the core consists of a mixture of ferrite wheel mounting flange. A photograph of the section
and pearlite [6, 7]. A section of fractured rear axle shaft received for analysis is shown in Fig. 1b. In general, there
removed from the scene was received to determine the
most probable cause of failure.
Experimental Procedure
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J Fail. Anal. and Preven. (2013) 13:353–358 355
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356 J Fail. Anal. and Preven. (2013) 13:353–358
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J Fail. Anal. and Preven. (2013) 13:353–358 357
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358 J Fail. Anal. and Preven. (2013) 13:353–358
fracture could have resulted from the impact of overturning 5. Asi, O.: Fatigue failure of a rear axle shaft of an automobile. Eng.
the vehicle. Another possibility is that overturning of the Fail. Anal. 13, 1293–1302 (2006)
6. Naumann, F.K.: Failure Analysis and Prevention: Case Histories
vehicle was fully responsible for the fracture. and Methodology, pp. 9–15. ASM, Materials Park (1983)
7. Kashar, L.: Effect of strain rate on the failure mode of rear axle.
Acknowledgments It is a pleasure to acknowledge the continued In: Esaklul, K.A. (ed.) Handbook of Case Histories in Failure
support of King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals. Analysis, vol. 1, pp. 74–78. ASM International, Materials Park
(1992)
8. Broek, D.: Fracture mechanics as an important tool in failure
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