Failure analysis of conveyor chain links

Failure of engineering components due to presence of defects in the material is common. These defects are either present in the material from the casting stage or get developed during subsequent hot working and thermal treatment operations. Identification of the origins of defects is an important task while analyzing failures where preexisting defects in the material are the causative factors. Systematic failure analysis can identify their origin and thereby corrective measures can be initiated to prevent the recurrence of similar defects in the final products. A case study on failure of conveyor chain links is presented in this paper. It was determined that the failure was caused by defects related to the metal processing. These defects were identified as surface defects in the billet, which got translated into lap or fold like defects in the final products. It was recommended that the billet be properly dressed and the surface defects are removed prior to forging operations.