Fatigue is a fact of life in high-cycle components. However, fatigue failure does not have to be.
Applied Ultrasonics’ team of engineering experts spotted the problem within seconds. The high-cycle component failed at a geometric stress riser. While many assume that fatigue failure is isolated to weldments, this component was consistently failing in base metal at a stress riser caused by design geometry.
Applied Ultrasonics’ Engineering Services personnel recommended a solution to the customer. This solution was a change to geometry and manufacturing process – very simple in retrospect, and it decreased the manufacturing cost while also improving the life – however, the complexity was in understanding the life-cycle issues and providing a workable solution.