• International Journal of Safety
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.6-9
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• 2009

The crack in a J85 engine V.G. actuator arm shaft for a bell crank on the engine compressor was investigated. The crack was observed in twenty two shafts during the inspection of 238 shafts. The failure analysis of shaft cracks was performed by chemical composition analysis using ICP(Inductively Coupled Plasma) and by fracture surface and microstructure analysis using FE-SEM and optical microscope. The crack initiated from the top and bottom and propagated to the center along the grain boundaries. From the chemical composition analysis, the fractography of the fracture surface and the microstructure, it was found that the failure mechanism of the shafts is the inclusion-related intergranular decohesion crack. The inclusion was found out from MnS particle by EDS(Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy). The crack initiated MnS inclusion in the grain boundary and propagated with the increase of applied shear stress during long operation. In order to prevent the fracture, NDI(Nondestructive inspection) is needed periodically as recommended.