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Experimental and Computational Failure Analysis of a Compressor Pressure Regulator

Pressure equipment failures can have serious impact on structural integrity, safety and feasibility of industrial plants. Research on the causes of failures can help in avoiding such consequences, therefore experimental and computational failure analysis of pressure equipment proves to be valuable in design improvement process. Failure of a cracked pressure regulator mounted on an air compressor is investigated in this paper using experimental and computational analysis. Experimental analysis involved: visual inspection that revealed the location of the fracture ; optical microscopy was employed to determine basic microstructure of the fractured surface along with possible inclusions while detailed scanning electron microscopy examination revealed fine microstructure of the fractured surface and detected flaws that served as crack initiation points. Chemical composition of the material was detected using optical emission spectrometer with glow discharge source sample stimulation. Further, on the basis of hardness test values maximum tensile strength of the material was derived. Computational research comprised of finite element analysis of a pressure regulator with different crack configurations and loading options. Stress distribution and stress intensity factors were determined and this data was used to perform estimation of failure probability by failure assessment diagram. Analyzing experimentally and computationally obtained results, possible causes of failure are discussed. Further improvement of design and prediction of fracture behavior is possible using the given conclusions.

pressure regulator ; failure analysis ; fracture

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