Failure of a stud bolt in a ring spinning frame textile machine

A failure investigation has been conducted on a stud bolt used in a ring spinning frame textile machine, which is made of austenitic stainless steel (AISI 304). The stud bolt has been found fractured after about 300 h in service. An evaluation of the failed stud bolt was undertaken to assess its integrity that included a visual examination, photo documentation, chemical analysis, micro-hardness measurement, tensile testing, and metallographic examination. The failure zones were examined with the help of a scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with EDX facility. Results indicate that the stud bolt fractured in rotating bending fatigue.