Failure of a swing pinion shaft of a dragline

The causes of failure of a swing pinion shaft of a coal handling dragline have been investigated in the present work. Along with the failed shaft, a small piece of material from the tooth of another shaft that rendered design life in service has also been analyzed. The chemical composition and general heat treatment of the shafts were as per recommendation. The microstructure of both the shafts was tempered bainite, which is usual for such pinion shafts. The mechanical properties met the requirement for such applications. The investigation included metallography, microscopy (SEM), hardness and fractography. Analysis revealed fatigue cracks initiated at a number of places along the length of the tooth, and grew to a considerable depth. Improper surface hardening of the pinion teeth is believed to have rendered the teeth susceptible to bending fatigue failure. Other factors like lubrication and impact loads in the tooth roots might have aggravated the failure.