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SCllSNCE ~DIRECT • ENGINEERING
FAILURE
ANALYSIS
ELSEVIER Engineering Failure Analysis 11 (2004) 401~412
www.elsevier.com/iocate/engfailanal

Failure o f a c o n v e y o r t r u n n i o n shaft o n a centrifuge

T. Nguyen, M. Romios, O. S. Es-Said*
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Loyola Marymount University, One LMU Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90045-8145, USA

Received 14 May 2003; accepted 17 May 2003

Abstract
The purpose of this case study is to determine the cause of failure of a conveyor trunnion shaft from a solid bowl
centrifuge. The trunnion shaft fractured at the weld joint, which joins a flange to the end of the shaft. Fracture occur-
red through the walls of the shaft. It was determined that the failure was caused by defects related to the welding
procedures. These defects included cracks in the weld joint, unfused welds, slags, and porosity. The causes of these
defects were due to boor welding techniques prior to and during the welding procedure. The weld joint was an area of
high stress concentration, in addition the flange was inaccurately machined, which may have caused high bending
stresses during operation and contributed to the failure. It is recommended that certain welding techniques be used
prior to and during welding to reduce incomplete fusion and to prevent the formation of slags and porosity. It is also
recommended that the trunnion shaft be redesigned to reduce stress concentration at the weld joint between the shaft
and the flange and to properly machine the flange to reduce high bending stresses.
© 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
.2
Keywords." Fatigue; Defects; Stress concentrations; Sensitization; Welded fabrications

1. Introduction

The solid b o w l centrifuge m a n u f a c t u r e d b y c o m p a n y A a n d b e l o n g i n g to c o m p a n y B experienced a

failure o f its scroll c o n v e y o r t r u n n i o n shaft. W h e n the t r u n n i o n shaft was r e m o v e d f r o m the centrifuge for
failure inspection, it was o b s e r v e d t h a t a fracture h a d o c c u r r e d near the welded j o i n t between the h o l l o w
shaft a n d the flange.
This study determines the causes o f the defects t h a t led to the fracture o f the t r u n n i o n shaft. It is b a s e d
on visual i n s p e c t i o n a n d optical p h o t o g r a p h s t a k e n o f the f r a c t u r e d parts. The optical p h o t o g r a p h s were
taken by c o m p a n y A. Possible solutions for future p r o d u c t i o n are suggested in o r d e r to p r e v e n t or reduce
the initiation o f defects t h a t o c c u r r e d d u r i n g the m a n u f a c t u r i n g o f the c o n v e y o r t r u n n i o n shaft.

* Corresponding author. Tel.: + 1-310-338-2829; fax: + 1-310-338-2391.

E-mail address." oessaid@lmu.edu (O.S. Es-Said).

1350-6307/$ - see front matter © 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
d0i:10.l 016/j.engfailanal.2003.05.017
402 T. Nguyen et al. / Engineering Failure Analysis 11 (2004) 401-412

2. Background

The Solid Bowl Centrifuge is a settling vessel that employs a conveyor to pick up settled solids and dis-
charge them from the vessel by way of a drainage deck. The high speed rotation of the settling vessel cre-
ates the necessary G-forces for thorough separation of the solids from the suspending liquid. The conveyor
assembly consists of the conveyor hub with its feed ports and wash ports and wash nozzles, the trunnion
shaft, and the conveyor helix. A centrifuge, highlighting the conveyor trunnion shaft and flange, is shown
in Fig. 1.
A diagram of how the trunnion shaft was manufactured from the hollow shaft and the flange is shown in
Fig. 2a and b. The end of the shaft was fitted into the similar size hole of the flange and fillet welded around
the circumference of the shaft. The outside surface of the flange, opposite the shaft, was machined after
welding. A photograph of the machined surface of the flange is shown in Fig. 3.
The conveyor trunnion shaft was manufactured from austenitic 316 stainless steel. Austenitic stainless
steels are characterized by a relatively high chromium content, generally above 16%, providing austenitic
stainless steels better resistance to corrosion in certain media when compared to other stainless steels [1].
The 316 type austenitic stainless steels contain molybdenum for further increased resistance to corrosion
[2]. The presence of manganese and nickel in the austenitic stainless steels stabilize the austenite phase
sufficiently to retain most or all of it when the steel is cooled rapidly to room temperature, but the amount
of retained austenite depends on the composition of the alloy [1]. The composition of the 316 stainless steel
alloy used for the conveyor trunnion shaft is given in Table 1 [3].
The welding process used to manufacture the trunnion shaft was submerged arc welding. Submerged arc
welding utilizes an envelope of molten flux, and a layer of unfused granular flux particles, to shield the arc
and the molten metal [4]. The tip of the electrode and the arc are actually submerged in the flux envelope
and the arc is not visible [4]. The process is effectively employed for welding all grades of plain carbon, low
alloy, and alloy steels, including stainless steels and some nickel alloys [4]. Submerged arc welding is well
suited for-heavy s.ections and circumferential welds, making it a sound choice for the conveyor trunnion
shaft [2].

W,~s h

:eed
[r~let

So!idS Oischarge PO[~S ~"'~ Efftue~'~

Fig. 1. TypicaIcentrifugehighlightingconveyortrunnion shaft and flange.

 T. Nguyen et al./ Engineering Failure Analysis 11 (2004) 401 412 403

(a) Flange

J/ ..... t.
T
12.0"

4.125"

(b)

i..........

Circumferential Weld

Fig. 2. (a). Shaft and flange dimensions (b). Welded trunnion shaft and flange.

Fig. 3. Machined surface of flange.

404 T. Nguyen et al./ Engineering Failure Analysis 11 (2004) 401-412

Table 1
Composition of the 316 stainless steel alloy used for the conveyor trunnion shaft [3]
Type UNS# C Mn Si Cr Ni P S Mo
316 $31600 0.08 2 0.75 17 12 0.045 0.03 2 3

3. Failure identification

The parts of the conveyor trunnion shaft after the fracture occurred are shown in Figs. 4-6. The hollow
shaft and the fractured end of the shaft cross-section are shown in Figs. 4 and 5, respectively. The fractured
side of the flange is shown in Fig. 6. A small portion of the end of the shaft remained in the flange after
the fracture occurred. F r o m these pictures, it can be seen that cracks, which perhaps began at defects in the
weld joint, propagated through the shaft wall causing the shaft to fracture.
It appears that the failure of the trunnion shaft was due to fatigue fracture. Closer inspection of the
fractured areas of the shaft indicated that there were numerous defects in the base metal and in the weld
metal. The defects include unfused welds, slag inclusions, and porosity. These defects, which are crack
initiation sites, were perhaps the main cause of the fracture. The design and manufacturing of the trunnion
shaft may have also contributed to the fatigue fracture. The flange had a non-uniform thickness and was
not properly aligned to the shaft for welding. This may have resulted in high cyclic bending stresses during
operation of the centrifuge. The sharp discontinuity or small radius of curvature at the weld joint is anoarea
of high stress concentration. The high stress concentration at this area combined with high bending stresses
and numerous, defects decreased the fatigue life of the trunnion shaft.

Fig. 4. Trunnion shaft--profile.

 T. Nguyen et al./ Engineering Failure Analysis 11 (2004) 401-412 405

Fig. 5. Trunnion shaft fractured cross-section.

Fig. 6. Flange as fractured from shaft, showing fractured end of shaft remaining in flange.

4. Failure analysis

4.1. The weld j o i n t

i;
T h r o u g h e x a m i n a t i o n o f the weld joint, it was d e t e r m i n e d t h a t p o o r welding p r o c e d u r e s were used to
m a n u f a c t u r e the t r u n n i o n shaft. There were n u m e r o u s defects in the fusion zone a n d the heat-affected zone
( H A Z ) . M a n y o f the defects are the result o f specific causes related to the welding p r o c e d u r e . Figs. 7-11 are
406 T. Nguyen et al. / Engineering Failure Analysis 11 (2004) 401-412

Fig. 7. Fractured shaft cross-section remaining in flange.

Fig. 8. Area of the shaft cross-section where fracture may have initiated.

photographs of the fractured end of the shaft that remained in the flange after fracture. The fatigue frac-
ture of the trunnion shaft may have started at multiple origins. A likely origin of the fracture is a defected
area of the shaft as indicated by a large discoloration shown at the top of Fig. 7, and again close-up in
Fig. 8. Other close-up photographs of the shaft also contain similar defects in the weld, although to a
smaller extent, as shown in Figs. 9 11.
 T. Nguyen et al. / Engineering Failure Analysis 11 (2004) 401-412 407

Fig. 9. Close-up of fractured shaft cross-section.

Fig. 10. Close-up of fractured shaft cross-section.

The defected areas identified in the figures may have been the result of several types of discontinuities in
the welded joint. Discontinuities observed include cracks in the welded joint from incomplete fusion, the
/
presence of slag inclusions, and porosity in the weld metal. These discontinuities; occur often during poor
welding procedures and are considered to be contributors to weld related failures [4]. In fact, Hertzberg
includes a case history of a hydrotest failure of a rocket motor casting in which he concludes that the origin
of failure is weld defects and cracks in the HAZ of the submerged arc welded panels [5].
408 T. Nguyen et al./ Engineering Failure Analysis 11 (2004) 401-412

Fig. 11. Close-up of fractured shaft cross-section.

Fig. 12. Magnified optical photograph of fractured shaft cross-section.

Figs. 12 and 13 are highly magnified optical photographs of the fatigue cracks that occurred at the
fractured area indicated in Fig. 8. The cracks in the base metal took place within the HAZ and may be
associated with lack of ductility in the HAZ. The cracks observed could also have bedn the result of
Hydrogen Assisted Cracking. In that case, cold cracking occurs in the H A Z when hydrogen (possibly from
water residue on an unclean electrode) diffuses into the base metal during welding and the material
becomes brittle upon cooling [5]. Another likely possibility is that unfused areas in the root of the weld may
 T. Nguyen et al. / Engineering Failure Analysis 11 (2004) 401-412 409

Fig. 13. Magnifiedoptical photograph of fractured shaft cross-section.

have caused some of the cracks observed. The unfused areas may have permitted the cracks to start and
progress through the entire thickness of the weld, and because of the high bending stresses that may have
taken place d~uring operation, the cracks may have propagated with very little deformation.
There are several possible causes of the incomplete fusion in the welded joint. Incomplete fusion occurs
when the weld metal and base metal fail to completely fuse together and typically occurs whenever poor
welding procedures'are used. The presence of oxides or other foreign materials on the surface of the metal
to be joined may have resulted in incomplete fusion [4]. Failure to raise the temperature of the base metal or
the previously deposited weld metal to the melting point is another possible cause [4]. Finally, the lack of
fusion may have also resulted from improper joint design. In summary, the incomplete fusion was most
likely the result of improper welding procedures for the joint geometry and welding process.
The slag produced during welding results from chemical reactions in the molten weld pool of elements
present in the filler and the base metal [4]. Entrapped slag discontinuities can often occur with submerged
arc welding [4]. Some products of these reactions are nonmetallic compounds soluble only to a slight
degree in the molten weld metal [4]. Other sources of slag include the flux used for welding and foreign
materials present on the surface of the weld metal [4]. During welding, slag is formed and forced below the
surface of the molten weld metal by the stirring action of the arc. Slag may also flow ahead of the arc, and
metal may be deposited over it. Geometric factors such as sharp undercuts and improper groove geometry
also may cause entrapment of slag by providing places where it may accumulate beneath the weld bead.
The causes of the porosity in the weld metal were perhaps also related to the welding process and the
welding procedure. Improper welding procedures for a given welding process is a key cause of weld metal
porosity. The causes of porosity that occur most often during welding include excessive hydrogen, nitro-
gen, or oxygen in the welding atmosphere, high solidification rate, dirty filler wire, and dirty base metal [4].
Finally, another likely cause of failure of the weld joint may have been the result of sensitization in the
HAZ. Austenitic stainless steel alloys are commonly susceptible to sensitization d~e to their high chro-
mium content. Sensitization occurs when the alloy is heated to a temperature within the sensitizing tem-
perature range for a sufficiently long period of time [6]. Within that temperature range, chromium carbide
particles precipitate along the grain boundaries depleting the adjacent area of chromium and leaving that
410 T. Nguyen et al. / Engineering Failure Analysis 11 (2004) 401~412

area "sensitized" to intergranular corrosion [1, 2, 6]. For the austenitic stainless steels, the sensitizing
temperature range is between 650 and 850 °C [2]. During welding, if the alloy is allowed to slowly cool and
it remains in this temperature range for a sufficient period of time, the HAZ will be sensitized leaving the
weld joint with reduced corrosion resistance. In the case of the trunnion shaft, the problem is further
compounded by the fact that highly corrosive liquid is dispensed into the centrifuge for solid separation. If
sensitized and operating in this corrosive environment, the trunnion shaft may become vulnerable to stress
corrosion cracking, a principle cause of fatigue failure [6].

4.2. The shaft design

Although the poorly welded joint appears to be the main cause of the trunnion shaft failure, there were
also problems attributed to the manufacturing of the trunnion shaft. The flange, which was machined after
welding, was found to vary in thickness. Measurements taken of the flange show that the flange varies in
thickness from approximately 1.0 inch to 1.1 inch. As a result of the non-uniform thickness of the flange,
the trunnion shaft when bolted to the centrifuge assembly, may not have been properly aligned. The mis-
alignment may have caused cyclic bending stresses during operation at high rotational speeds. Addition-
ally, the design of the trunnion shaft has areas of high stress concentration factors. The stress
concentrations are located where the shaft is welded to the flange. Visual inspection at the location of the
weld shows that the weld had a very small radius of curvature. The high stress concentration at the weld
joint, combined with misalignment of the trunnion shaft in the centrifuge, caused a decrease in the fatigue
strength at the weld joint, contributing to short fatigue life. -~

5. Recommendations

If it is the option of the manufacturer to keep the original design, proper welding procedures can be used
to prevent most of'the defects that occurred in the welded joint. Although there are many remedies unique
to each cause of the defects, there is a similarity in that they are related to procedures that can be done
prior to and during welding.
Many of the cracks found at the weld joint were the result of incomplete fusion. Proper welding proce-
dure such as controlling the heat input and proper control of welding materials can reduce the areas of
incomplete fusion [2]. The welding conditions for complete fusion should be verified by welding tests to
establish minimum heat inputs. The welding conditions or work position should be changed to prevent
molten weld metal from flooding ahead of the arc. Oxides and slag should be removed either by mechanical
or chemical means.
The measures taken to reduce areas of incomplete fusion can also be used to prevent slag inclusion. The
work should be positioned to prevent the loss of slag control. In addition, the weld surface should be
smooth and properly prepared before the weld bead is deposited [4]. Rough surfaces usually entrap slag.
The use of preheat treatment prior to welding would reduce the solidification rate, therefore reducing
porosity and resulting cracks. The joint faces and adjacent surfaces should be cleaned prior to welding to
prevent a dirty base metal. Lastly, the filler wire should be clean before welding takes place. Proper welding
procedures for the base metal should produce welds that are essentially free of porosity.
In addition to improving the welding procedures to reduce defects, the manufacturer could redesign the
trunnion shaft to reduce the stress concentration at the weld joint. Although it would ,f be more costly, it
would further reduce the possibility of fatigue failure. The fillet weld produced from' the original design had
a very small radius of curvature, equating to a high stress concentration factor in this area. The trunnion
shaft may undergo high torque and bending stresses during operation of the centrifuge, increasing the
vulnerability to failure at this area of high stress concentration. The possibility of failure may be reduced
 T. Nguyen et al. / Engineering Failure Analysis 11 (2004) 401 412 411

Fig. 14. Recommendedshaft-flangeredesign.

Table 2
Composition of 316L stainless steel [3]
Type UNS# C Mn Cr Ni Mo
316L $31603 0.03 2 17 12 2.5

by redesigning the trunnion shaft to eliminate this stress concentration. A diagram of the suggested
redesign is shown in Fig. 14. It is recommended that the flange be cast or machined with an extrusion
having the same diameter as the main shaft. The change in diameter between the main part of the flange
and the extrusion has a rounded fillet with a large radius of curvature to reduce the stress concentration.
The point of attachment between the main shaft and the extrusion on the flange is U-grooved and butt
welded together.
It should be noted that steps can also be taken to prevent the possibility of sensitization during welding.
One option is to use a stainless steel with a lower carbon content. A stainless steel of less than 0.05 wt.%
carbon stabilizes the material against chromium carbide precipitation, thus preventing sensitization and
intergranular corrosion [2,3,6]. The manufacturer might chose austenitic stainless steel 316L, which has a
carbon content of 0.03 wt.% as shown in Table 2 [3]. Sensitization may also be prevented by controlling
the heat input during welding. Although it would be more costly, a different welding process such as elec-
tron beam or laser welding may decrease the possibility of sensitization because these processes have a very
rapid heat input. A simpler remedy is to quench the part after welding. This would reduce the amount of
time the part is exposed to temperatures within the sensitization temperature range. Finally, a heat treat-
ment after welding can be used to dissolve the chromium back into the matrix.

6. Conclusions

Although there are many possible causes and contributions to the fatigue failure of the trunnion shaft,
such as stress corrosion cracking, sensitization, low ductility in the HAZ, the evidence points to defects in
the weld joint resulting from poor welding procedures prior to and during welding. The defects in the weld
joint included porosity, the presence of slags, incomplete fusion, and cracks in the heat-affected zone.
Certain procedures in the welding process, including cleaning the base metal, filler m~tal, and electrode,
proper control of the heat input, and proper control of the weld materials, should be considered to reduce
the defects that occurred. The flange should also be more accurately machined to prevent misalignment
with the shaft. The combination of the weld joint defects and the possible cyclic bending stresses from the
412 T. Nguyen et al./ Engineering Failure Analysis 11 (2004) 401-412

m i s a l i g n m e n t c a u s e d the shaft to f a t i g u e f r a c t u r e f r o m the flange. I f possible, it is f u r t h e r r e c o m m e n d e d

t h a t the t r u n n i o n shaft be r e d e s i g n e d to r e d u c e the high stress c o n c e n t r a t i o n at the weld j o i n t .

References

[1] Kearns WH. Welding handbook: metals and their weldability, Vol. 4.7th ed. Miami, FL: American Welding Society; 1981.
[2] American Society of Metals. Metals handbook: welding and brazing, Vol. 6. 8th ed. Metals Park, OH: American Society of
Metals; 1971.
[3] Society of Automotive Engineers. SAE Handbook: metals, materials, fuels, emissions, threads, fasteners, and common parts, Vol.
1. Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers; 2000.
[4] Kearns WH. Welding handbook: fundamentals of welding, Vol. 4.7th ed. Miami, FL: American Welding Society; 1981.
[5] Hertzberg RW. Deformation and fracture mechanics of engineering materials. New York, NY: John Wiley and Sons; 1989.
[6] Callister WD. Materials science and engineering: an introduction. New York, NY: John Wiley and Sons; 1997.