FAILURE ANALYSIS OF CONNECTING RODS (PART 1)

Before discussing the failures that the connecting rods may have, it is advisable to review the
"indicators" of the most common fractures and damages:
Fatigue fracture
Ductile/brittle fracture
Impact cutting

FRACTURE DUE TO FATIGUE

In the session on fractures of this Seminar, we learned that fatigue fractures
due to cyclic loads and the presence of stress concentrators. The surface is
smooth, does not show
plastic deformation (reduction or distortion); there may be "beach marks", "teeth",
ductile final fractures and cutting lips. These fractures are normally associated with the
original cause.

DUCTILE FRACTURE
Ductile fractures occur due to violent overload. They develop quickly and
they have cutting lips of considerable size. The surfaces are generally dark,
rough, woody and with plastic deformation. These fractures are almost always a result, not
the main cause.
CUT BY IMPACT
Impact cutting occurs when one part strikes another with great force. This
create a smooth and silky surface. The force can also be seen in the adjacent surfaces,
where there are dents, bumps, and sometimes discoloration due to heating.

To see the details, the fractures must be cleaned properly and observed under good light.
This is important to determine the location and specific condition of the starting point.
what could have caused the fracture.

The best way to clean the faces of the fractures is by using a solvent of
rapid evaporation. To remove grease or oil, apply the solvent to the fractured surface and
Dry it with a cloth or with air.

FAILURES
The rods can break as a result of abnormal operating conditions or because
they sometimes have problems with materials or labor. Whatever the cause, it is
it is important to use the Eight Applicable Steps for Failure Analysis, follow the procedures
learned in the ocular inspection and make use of the basic knowledge about types of
wear and fractures. All of this will help us think logically in the face of the data and continue
the clues that lead us to the main cause.
Most of the connecting rod failures are not due to material or workmanship, but rather
they arise from abnormal conditions of use. The most common abnormal conditions are:
External forces that bend or break the rods;
2. Bearing failures that cause damage to connecting rods;
3. Reconditioning errors (such as reuse of damaged parts);
4. Broken or loose bolts.
Let's look at some examples of rod fractures due to these abnormal conditions.

EXTERNAL FORCE
Here we see a bent rod. Generally, if the rod is bent, it is due to a force not
common, applied directly by another heavy moving piece or by movement
restricted from the piston. In these cases, there were signs of impact on the connecting rod or damage to the
pistons that explain the failure. All the pieces of this slide are in perfect condition.
conditions, except that the connecting rod is bent. The shaft has no dents or other indications.
of direct external force applied to the connecting rod.
A detailed inspection of the top of the piston reveals a normal appearance. There has been no
direct contact with the cylinder head or with the valves.

The lower half and the upper half of the bearing, where the forces are applied, seem normal.

How is it possible for a connecting rod to bend without leaving a trace?

BEARING FAILURE
As mentioned earlier, the connecting rods can be damaged due to bearing failure.

Look at this set of parts that was returned to the factory. The report said that the connecting rod was ...
it had broken in the middle of the shaft and had damaged the other parts.

All the faces of the fractures at the bottom of the piston are rough and opaque, which
indicates that the fracture is ductile/brittle. The piston was damaged because other parts failed first.
Here you can see the face of the broken stem: the surface is smooth, even, and with very little deformation.
plastic. In addition, it is polished, which indicates that the connecting rod was cracked for some time before
to break

Looking at the hole for the bearing, we see that it slipped, but there is only a slight
discoloration in the upper section at 120° where the load is higher. This indicates that
there was enough oil to cool the bearing while it turned. The hole for the crankshaft
warmed only in the final stages of the failure.

After the bearing broke, the crankshaft thudded against the walls of the hole, scratching them.
and considerably chipping them. Also note that the edges of the walls
they rounded where the piston rod was in contact with the fillets of the crankshaft stub. To
Disassemble, no bearing was left in the hole. The bearing was found in the oil collector.
in small pieces, of scant thickness and flattened
The faces of the joint between the connecting rod and the cap were very chipped, as seen here, but the
The mechanic reported that the nuts were well tightened on the bolts. Also note that
the hole for the bolt is cracked towards the outside of the connecting rod, which indicates that the bolt
was twisted by the impact of a high force.

The
After significantly reducing the thickness of the bearing, the impact of the crankshaft against
the walls of the hole caused the bearing cap to swing violently, producing
chipping of the joint faces between the cover and the connecting rod, even though the nuts were in place
tightened. That cyclical knocking probably overloaded the connecting rod and this caused a
fatigue fracture in the stem.
It is important to take all the "clues" into account to find the main cause of the failure.
In this case, it is easy to come to the false conclusion that the connecting rod or the piston failed first.
As a general rule, a broken connecting rod does not cause as much damage to the bearing. But a bearing failure,
which considerably increases the free space, can overload the connecting rod, as in this
example, and 1. produce fatigue fractures in areas of stress concentration of the connecting rod or
of the bolts and/or
2. make the nuts vibrate and loosen them.
Therefore, it is advisable to investigate the circumstances related to the bearing and its installation;
for example, to look for evidence in the other bearings of temporary loss, but restored, of
oil supply, examine the profiles of the crankshaft journals, see in what condition
cleaning was carried out on the reconditioning (if applicable), etc. All of this leads us to
find the main cause of the bearing failure.
RECONDITIONING ERRORS
Reconditioning errors (for example, not following the procedures of
recovery or improperly reusing worn or damaged parts produce with
frequency of failures in the connecting rods.

This connecting rod failed in the hole for the crankshaft and ended up breaking near the seat for the
head of the bolts. The bearing seems to be in good condition, except for the damaged area.
This indicates that the oil supply was good and that the cause is not in the bearing.
Note that the contact surface of the lid indicates that crushing has occurred in the
opposite place to the fracture. From this clue, it is possible to determine which side of the
lid that is
It came out first. The side opposite to the one that loosened first will show the crushing.
We call this 'abisagramiento'; in other words, the piston rod broke and subsequently
it "hinged" (like a gate) to the other side, swinging toward the outer edge of the
contact face and breaking the bolt with a ductile fracture. Later we will see more.
similar examples. The contact face of this connecting rod has a slightly different appearance.
Factory turning generally leaves cross marks. The marks that appear
here you can indicate that the connecting rod cover has been resurfaced.

If this happened, it is possible that the crankshaft hole has also changed size.
to accommodate the bearing.

What are the signs we find on the back of the bearing? (discuss) Note
that the bearing is 1.27 mm smaller than it should be and that there is corrosion due to
deterioration near the contact surface between the connecting rod and the cap; furthermore, as the
The bearing was coming out of the hole, impact marks were starting to form. The part
behind the bearing has no signs of overheating, therefore, the supply
the oil was adequate.

Here we can see the face of the fracture. What are the most obvious signs? What caused the
failure? (to discuss) The fracture surface is smooth and has 'beach marks' that start at
a point located at the upper right of the inner diameter of the hole. As we saw in
the session on fractures, fatigue fractures that begin in a single location are due to a
abnormal stress concentrator. The surface of the hole shows corrosion due to
chipping at the top left and bottom left of the slide, near the face of the
fracture and at the initiation point. Spalling corrosion is probably the
stress concentrator that caused the fatigue crack.

To get to the main cause, the observer of the pieces also needs to see the others.
bearings and the connecting rod holes, check how the reconditioning was carried out, etc. The
The failure may have been the result of corrosion due to chipping, which existed when it was made.
the reconditioning or produced after reconditioning, perhaps originated by returning to
bore the oversized hole, within which the bearing was loose.

It is very important to see if the surface of the hole for the bearing has corrosion.
chipping, or has been damaged during refurbishment; any irregularity will
must correct before returning
to assemble it, following the guidelines 'Cat Guidelines for Reusable Parts and Salvage Operations'

LOOSE OR BROKEN BOLTS

Broken or loose bolts can break the rods.

Look at this group of broken pieces.

The connecting rod broke at the head of the bolt seat.
A bolt broke. The other one is bent and all the threads are very damaged.
3. The connecting rod cap was "hinged" at the bottom of the contact surface, indicating
that broke after failing on the other side. There is no wear from adhesion, which
test that the bearing did not slip.
4. The bearings are worn, but they did not slip or fail due to lack of lubrication.

Here is an enlarged image of the 'abysmal' side of the lid. Notice the outer edge.
smoothness of the joint face and that the fracture of the pin is ductile (rough, woody, and deformed), which
which indicates that there was overload and that it broke during a charging cycle.

Here we see the part of the connecting rod that goes above the contact surface. There is no
chipping due to abrasion at the joint face, but there is damage on the inner edge, which
indicates that the crankshaft hit her after the pin came out of the hole. Remember that this is
the side of the union that opened first.

This is the other end of the same piece. What type of damage did it suffer? (discuss) The damage was
impact cut, according to the indications (there are no 'beach marks', the surface is smooth and
silken, the dents and damage come from the high external force, applied after the
perno came out of the hole). As we saw earlier, the impact cut is a result, not the
cause of a failure.

The above leads us to examine the bolt. The inspection of the bolt and the nut reveals that
this one retreated. Note that:
The threads of the bolt are very damaged from moving in the hole without a nut.
installed,
2. the last threads of the nut were stripped due to overload when the nut backed off until
where they got stuck, and
The flat face of the nut that serves as a washer is very battered and even thrown in the
hole of the pin. The hole of the connecting rod apparently was not overloaded by the
excessive free space of the displaced bearing; the bolt probably loosened due to not being
properly adjusted.

Now we need to know who was the last one to tighten the bolt. What was the mileage or
service hours? Had the engine been refurbished or had bearings been replaced?
new?
These additional data may lead us to the main cause, which was not a defect of the connecting rod.
or the bearing, but rather the labor to install the bolts.