Abstract
The failure of a bidet under conventional operational conditions led to serious injuries for the individual concerned, and prompted the need for a detailed failure analysis. This paper describes this failure analysis from a fracture mechanics point of view, since there was a large pre-existing cast-in and glazed defect in the box rim section, which was believed to have been the main cause of failure. Slow crack extension developed from this defect as the result of environmentally assisted crack growth, probably under the combined effect of cyclic loading, together with high (measured) residual stresses. A linear elastic fracture mechanics analysis, using measured fracture toughness values, and realistic estimates of the stress, indicated that the cast-in glazed defect was the most plausible explanation for the failure.
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