×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Contact US

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

screw thread stripped out

screw thread stripped out

screw thread stripped out

(OP)
hi,
We have a screw-plug(forgive me my poor English) fractured after about one year in use. the location of the fracture is at the fillet . after disassemnlying the transmission, it was found that the screw thread was completely stripped out as the below photo shows(this is another failed part, and is similar with the fractured one).

Below photo shows you the fracture surface and the assembly schematic diagram.


The fractured part’s microstructure,HV and its tightening curve were all examined ,and all of them are OK. and also no decarburization was detected.
my question is how this failure happened and what made the screw thread stripped? Can anyone give me some light on it and request your suggestion.
thanks in advance.

RE: screw thread stripped out

The head is too thin, the hex too deep, and the radius too tight for my taste.
Those marks are clearly fatigue. You likely simply exceeded the limits for the material.
As cleanly as they striped I am guessing that it is rather soft, and that will also give it low fatigue resistance.
What does it screw into?
What load is on it?

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
P.E. Metallurgy

RE: screw thread stripped out

Both types of failure occurred in the same part ?

RE: screw thread stripped out

(OP)
@EdStainless (Materials)

What does it screw into?
motor shaft, and its surface hardness of the internal screw is about HRC60, nitriding processed.
What load is on it? tigtening curve below:
[img https://res.cloudinary.com/engineering-com/image/u... the max. torque is about 45N.m, and according to the supplier's expericence, the clamping force should be about 12KN.
and we also found that there is oxide defect(EDS test result) in the tip of thread, as shown below:

RE: screw thread stripped out

Could the threads have stripped during installation due to improper alignment or cross-threading? That would have prevented complete tightening (allowing greater cyclic stress initiating fatigue), and also increased loads on the remaining threads.

RE: screw thread stripped out

If those are high temp oxides then the cracks formed after threading and prior to or during heat treatment.
Are the treads rolled?
What HT is done after threading?

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
P.E. Metallurgy

RE: screw thread stripped out

(OP)
@mrfailure (Materials)27 Dec 19 15:39
Could the threads have stripped during installation due to improper alignment or cross-threading?
no, it was not happened duiring installation, it was happened one year after installation.

RE: screw thread stripped out

It looks a lot like the shaft broke at the shoulder, leaving the threads at the end carrying the load, but since the tension in a fastener is taken closer to the entry, those threads had no tension on them and eventually wore smooth. Lacking tension on it, the orange part was free to chew up the underside of the screw head.

If that's not the case then it was magic or a lot of other details have been left out, like pictures of all the other parts and what the load paths are.

RE: screw thread stripped out

It seems to me that if the fatigue cracking first occurred at the shoulder under the head (I think that is what I'm seeing in your photo), then load would be taken off of the threads as it all concentrated on the shoulder until fracture occurred. The example photo of another failed screw shows stripped threads but not a fractured screw, yes? It makes the most logical sense for the threads to first strip, reducing the total clamping load on the screw. This may allow the screw to start backing out, allowing higher cyclic loads under the head. Because fatigue is progressive, it would have taken you a year before fracture finally occurred after crack propagation.

RE: screw thread stripped out

Concur with input, so far. But I have a few questions.

What threads on the pin and hole? Have you go/no-go gaged these threads? How were the male thresds made: cut or rolled?

Have you verified the fillet radius. Is the fillet radius 'rolled'.

What is the Assy torque? Do you use lubricant or antiseize compound?

Is the pin internal hex made by forging/finish-broaching: or by drilling and then step-broaching? Have you validated the internal hex dimensions?

Caution: high strength steel must be heat treated and cool-machined to avoid blue-brittle condition. Is there any evidence of blue (blue-gray, blue-brown, blue-purple) coloration anywhere?

A shallow head pin like this requires a shallow drive recess: internal-hex, Phillips, Torx, etc. Some permanent installed pins like this could benefit from an integral/protruding 'stud-drive' designed to shear-off flush at a 'set-torque'... leaving the head 'solid'.

Regards, Wil Taylor

o Trust - But Verify!
o We believe to be true what we prefer to be true. [Unknown]
o For those who believe, no proof is required; for those who cannot believe, no proof is possible. [variation,Stuart Chase]
o Unfortunately, in science what You 'believe' is irrelevant. ["Orion", Homebuiltairplanes.com forum]

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members! Already a Member? Login


Resources

Low-Volume Rapid Injection Molding With 3D Printed Molds
Learn methods and guidelines for using stereolithography (SLA) 3D printed molds in the injection molding process to lower costs and lead time. Discover how this hybrid manufacturing process enables on-demand mold fabrication to quickly produce small batches of thermoplastic parts. Download Now
Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM)
Examine how the principles of DfAM upend many of the long-standing rules around manufacturability - allowing engineers and designers to place a part’s function at the center of their design considerations. Download Now
Taking Control of Engineering Documents
This ebook covers tips for creating and managing workflows, security best practices and protection of intellectual property, Cloud vs. on-premise software solutions, CAD file management, compliance, and more. Download Now