Understanding Tool Failures

Tool Analysis

Working Environment
Areas of Tool Failure
Piston Impact Area
Blank firing
Fatigue
Seizures
Bending
Tool Tip
Brittle
Modifications
Manufacturing Defects
Extending Tool Life

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Working Environment
External
ExternalFactors:
Factors:

--Temperature
Temperature
--Corrosion
Corrosion
--Mechanical
MechanicalSurface
SurfaceDamage
Damage
--Wear
Wearand
andTear
Tear
--Dirt
Dirt

Impact loads
(from piston)

Seizures
Mechanical Surface
Damages

Axial Loads
(Compression)

Torsion
Bending

Pressure & Heat

2

Areas of Tool Failure

Top of Tool

Deformation
Chipped Edges

Retainer pin area

Fatigue
Seizures
Blank firing
Worn retainer pins
Excessive bushing wear

Working area
Fatigue
Bending
Mechanical damages
i.e. deep gouges

Bushing area - Upper

Fatigue
Seizures
Excessive bushing wear

Bushing area - Lower

Fatigue
Seizures
Bending
Excessive bushing wear

Tip of Tool
Tip breakage
Mushrooming
Wrong tool in application

Piston Impact Area

Piston damage
Deformation is caused by:
- Improper impact energy - oil flow and pressure.
- High working temperature (e.g. foundries)
Chipping or corner loading is caused by:
- Excessively worn bushings.
Common failure of pirate tools
Tools with a deformed or chipped top edge will cause piston failure.

Blank Firing

Blank Firing occurs where tool is not properly preloaded.

- Impact energy from piston is absorbed partially or fully by retaining pins.
- Prevalent in most applications: Bridge work,quarrying, or trenching.
Failure of tool in slot area is caused by:
- Worn lower tool bushing.
- Worn retaining pins - usually with chisel tool.

Fatigue -1

Common
CommonFailure
Failure

Beach marks

Starting point
Fatigue failure starts on surface from stress concentration points :
- Scratches or gouges on working length .
- Seizures in bushing areas or retaining pin slots.
Fatigue cracks are recognized by Beach mark patterns.
- Semi circular marks around failure point.

Working
WorkingArea
Area

Fatigue -2

Beach marks

Failure occurring on working area outside lower tool bushing.

Heavy gouges or scratches on surface create stress concentration
points, leading to fatigue failure.
Unexpected breakage can be attributed to:
- High frequency with low loads.

Most
Most Common
Common Failure
Failure

Bushing

Bushing

Tool
Friction heating

Tool
Welding

SEIZURES

3
Bushing

Tool
Crack

Over 50% of Fatigue Failures are seizures in lower tool bushing area.
Seizures occur as tool slides against bushings or retaining pins.
Seizures are caused by:
- Wrong working angle.
- Insufficient grease.
- Wrong type of grease
- Improper greasing interval.
Fatigue failure results from stress concentration once crack is formed.

#1
#1Failure
Failurecaused
caused by
byOperators
Operators

BENDING.1

Signature mark
(High lip)

Bending stresses exceed material strength.

Excessive bending is caused by:
- Prying with tool.
- Wrong working angle.
High lip formation occurs in or near lower tool bushing.

#1
#1Failure
Failurecaused
caused by
byOperators
Operators

BENDING.2

Combination of
Prying while
Lifting up
Inside bushing

Bending occurring inside lower bushing caused by:

- Operator lifting and prying on tool stuck in material.
High lip formation occurs on bearing surface of bushing.

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TOOL TIP
Mushrooming
Mushrooming

Mushroom affect

Hammering in one spot too long.

- No tool penetration.
- Produces higher heat loads on tip.
Wrong working method.
To small hammer for application.

Chipped
ChippedEdge
Edge
Chipping caused by:
- Improper contact with material.
- Wrong selection of tool for application.
Causes faster wear on retainer pins and tool slot.

11

Welding
Weldingon
onTools
Tools

MODIFICATIONS

DO NOT weld on tools

Welding produces cracks on tool surface leading to fatigue failure.

Resharpening
ResharpeningTools
Tools
Tools are thru hardened.
Resharpen :
- By milling.
- By turning on a lathe.
- By Sawing at low temperatures (Max 150 C / 300 F)

13

RESHARPENING

B
A min

Chisel
Model
H115

Moil
A
10

30

20

60

24

142

H120

18

30

20

60

24

172

H130

20

30

20

60

24

197

H140

20

30

20

60

24

225

H160

20

30

20

60

24

230

H180

20

30

20

60

24

257
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Manufacturing Defects
Anywhere

Inclusion

Failure starts under the surface and radiates out because of:
- Impurities in steel
- Weak spot in material.

Tools
Toolsare
areultrasonic-tested
ultrasonic-testedto
toprevent
preventsuch
suchfailures.
failures.

15

Greasing
Greasing
Lowers Owning & Operating Cost by:
- Extended Tool life.
- Extended Bushing life.

Extending Tool Life

Greasing
Greasing Interval
Interval
Every TWO hours of machine operation.
- Extreme conditions more often.
20 - 30 strokes from grease gun.
Optimum for hammers an Autolube system.

Grease
GreaseType
Type
CAT Multipurpose Molybdenum grease (MPGM)
- Molybdenum based grease.
- Dropping point over 250 C / 480 F
- Grade equal to an NGLI Number 0...2
- Water resistant.

Inadequate greasing

Using
UsingCorrect
CorrectWorking
WorkingMethods
Methods

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