Failure analysis of a cracked diesel engine clutch spring plate

A diesel engine clutch spring plate used in a truck cracked when testing was being performed. The crack initiated from the middle of the thickness direction of the plate and propagated toward the front and the back of the plate. Fractographic studies indicate that brittle intergranular fracture was the dominant failure mechanism. Many parallel band structures were observed along the radial direction of the plate in the intergranular fracture region; a high density of secondary cracks and fine intergranular particles were found in this banded region. Metallurgical examinations indicated segregation of elongated MnS inclusions and the presence of granular vanadium carbides along the radial direction of the plate, at the location of the crack origin. Segregation of the elongated MnS inclusions leads to a reduction in toughness, and the combined segregation of inclusions and impurity elements at grain boundaries result in weakening of the boundaries. These conditions led to the intergranular brittle fracture of the clutch spring plate.