X-Ray Diffraction Determination of Metallurgical Damage in Turbo Blower Rotor Shafts

Abstract

AbstractStudies have been ongoing at Defence Research Establishment Atlantic on the evaluation of non-destructive techniques for residual stress determination in structures. These techniques have included neutron diffraction, x-ray diffraction and blind-hole drilling. In conjunction with these studies, the applicability of these procedures to aid in metallurgical and failure analysis investigations has been explored. The x-ray diffraction technique was applied to investigate the failure mechanism in several bent turbo blower rotor shafts. All examinations had to be non-destructive in nature as the shafts were considered repairable. It was determined that residual stress profiles existed in the distorted shafts which strongly indicated the presence of martensitic microstuctures. These microstructures are considered unacceptable for these shafts due to the potential for cracking or in-service residual stress relaxation which could lead to future shaft distortion.