Aluminum Tube Corrosion
Aluminum evaporator coils for an ammonia refrigeration system at a cold storage facility suffered a significant leak, destroying the entire contents of one of the storage rooms.
Drive Shaft Fatigue Failure
A six-inch diameter stainless steel shaft driving a vacuum pump rated at 3000 cubic feet per minute suddenly broke into two pieces. The broken shaft is shown in Figure 1; it was only in service for 11 months. Chemical analysis of the material revealed that it is an alloy of stainless steel – 410.
Hang Glider Crash
A rigid-wing hang glider was being piloted near Point of the Mountain, Utah when it suffered a catastrophic in-flight failure and crashed. The pilot sustained serious injuries but survived. An accident investigation found that the main wing spar completely fractured in two locations: one on the left wing 48 inches outboard of the aircraft centerline, and one on the right wing 83 inches outboard of the aircraft centerline.