N. Parida et al.

/ Engineering Failure Analysis 10 (2003) 733–744 743

Table 3
Hardness and impact toughness of heat-treated pulverizer shaft materials

SL Heat treatment Hardness (BHN) Impact toughness (J)

 
1. Austenitise at 830 C for 40 min, oil quench+temper at 200 C for 1 h, air cool 554 41
2. Austenitise at 830  C for 40 min, oil quench+temper at 300  C for 1 h, air cool 462 32
3. Austenitise at 830  C for 40 min, oil quench+temper at 620  C for 1 h, air cool 314 104
4. Austenitise at 830  C for 40 min+slow air cool 317 16
COAL MILL SHAFT AISI4140 SPECIFICATION SHALL INCLUDE MINIMUM HARDNESS & TOUGHNESS

Fig. 11. SEM fractograph of impact test specimen at 620  C temper condition showing 100% ductile fracture through micro void
coalescence.

Table 3 reveals that a tempering treatment at 620  C, following solution treatment, results in a high
impact toughness of 104 J while retaining sufficient strength, characterised by a hardness of 314 BHN. This
would, therefore, have been an ideal heat treatment schedule for the coal pulverizer mill shafts providing
them with adequate toughness to resist failure through fatigue. A fractograph of the impact fracture for the
620  C temper condition is given in Fig. 11. It is evident that the failure is ductile, through coalescence of
micro voids.
A normalizing treatment consisting of slow air cooling after solution treatment (Sl.4 in Table 3), resulted
in a very low impact toughness of 16 J, and reasonably high strength, represented by a hardness of 317
BHN. These values are very similar to the properties obtained in the as received shaft material. It can
therefore be; summarized that the pulverizer mill shafts had been put into service in a normalized condi-
tion. While the surface hardness achieved by this heat treatment was acceptable according to the specifi-
cation, the toughness obtained was extremely poor, resulting in rapid failure under a torsional fatigue
loading system.

5. Conclusions

From the studies conducted to understand the premature failure of coal pulveriser mill shaft of power
plant auxiliaries, it could be concluded that: