TABLE 1 FRACTURE MODE IDENTIFICATION CHART

METHOD INSTANTANEOUS FAILURE MODE(A) PROGRESSIVE FAILURE MODE

DUCTILE OVERLOAD BRITTLE OVERLOAD FATIGUE CORROSION WEAR CREEP
VISUAL 1 TO 50 NECKING OR LITTLE OR FLAT GENERAL GOUGING, MULTIPLE BRITTLE-
(FRACTURE DISTORTION IN NO PROGRESSIVE WASTAGE, ABRASION, APPEARING FISSURES
SURFACE) DIRECTION DISTORTION ZONE WITH ROUGHENING, POLISHING, OR EXTERNAL SURFACE
CONSISTENT FLAT BEACH MARKS PITTING, OR EROSION AND INTERNAL
WITH APPLIED FRACTURE OVERLOAD TRENCHING GALLING OR FISSURES CONTAIN
LOADS BRIGHT OR ZONE STRESS- STORING IN REACTION-SCALE
DULL, FIBROUS COARSE CONSISTENT CORROSION DIRECTION OF COATINGS
FRACTURE TEXTURE, WITH APPLIED AND MOTION FRACTURE AFTER
SHEAR LIPS CRYSTALLIN LOADING HYDROGEN ROUGHENED LIMITED
E, GRAINY DIRECTION DAMAGE MAY AREAS WITH DIMENSIONAL
RAYS OR RATCHET CREATE COMPACTED CHANGE
CHEVRONS MARKS WHERE MULTIPLE POWDERED
POINT TO ORIGINS JOIN CRACKS THAT DEBRIS
ORIGIN APPEAR (FRETTING)
BRITTLE SMOOTH
GRADUAL
TRANSITIONS
IN WASTAGE

SCANNING MICROVOIDS CLEAVAGE PROGRESSIVE PATH OF WEAR DEBRIS MULTIPLE

ELECTRON (DIMPLES) OR ZONE: WORN PENETRATION AND/OR INTERGRANULAR
MICROSCOPY, 20 TO ELONGATED IN INTERGRAN APPEARANCE, MAY BE ABRASIVE FISSURES COVERED
10,000 (FRACTURE DIRECTION OF ULAR FLAT, MAY IRREGULAR, CAN BE WITH REACTION
SURFACE) LOADING FRACTURE SHOW INTERGRANUL CHARACTERIZ SCALE
SINGLE CRACK ORIGIN STRIATIONS AT AR, OR A ED AS TO GRAIN FACES MAY
WITH NO AREA MAY MAGNIFICATIO SELECTIVE MORPHOLOGY SHOW POROSITY
BRANCHING CONTAIN AN NS ABOVE 500 PHASE AND
SURFACE SLIP IMPERFECTI OVERLOAD ATTACKED COMPOSITION
BAND ON OR ZONE: MAY BE EDS(B) MAY ROLLING
EMERGENCE STRESS EITHER HELP IDENTIFY CONTACT
CONCENTRA DUCTILE OR CORRODENT FATIGUE
TOR BRITTLE APPEARS LIKE
WEAR IN
EARLY
STAGES

METALLOGRAPHIC GRAIN LITTLE PROGRESSIVE GENERAL OR MAY SHOW MICROSTRUCTURAL

INSPECTION, 50 TO DISTORTION DISTORTION ZONE: USUALLY LOCALIZED LOCALIZED CHANGE TYPICAL OF
1000 (CROSS
SECTION) AND FLOW EVIDENT TRANSGRANUL SURFACE DISTORTION OVERHEATING
NEAR INTERGRAN AR WITH LITTLE ATTACK AT SURFACE MULTIPLE
FRACTURE ULAR OR APPARENT (PITTING, CONSISTENT INTERGRANULAR
IRREGULAR, TRANSGRAN DISTORTION CRACKING) WITH CRACKS
TRANSGRANUL ULAR OVERLOAD SELECTIVE DIRECTION OF VOIDS FORMED ON
AR FRACTURE MAY RELATE ZONE: MAY BE PHASE ATTACK MOTION GRAIN BOUNDARIES
TO NOTCHES EITHER THICKNESS IDENTIFY OR WEDGE-SHAPED
AT SURFACE DUCTILE OR AND EMBEDDED CRACKS AT GRAIN
OR BRITTLE BRITTLE MORPHOLOGY PARTICLES TRIPLE POINTS
PHASES OF CORROSION REACTION SCALES OR
INTERNALLY SCALES INTERNAL
PRECIPITATION
SOME COLD FLOW IN
LAST STAGES OF
FAILURE

CONTRIBUTING LOAD LOAD CYCLIC STRESS ATTACK FOR GOUGING MILD OVERHEATING
FACTORS EXCEEDED THE EXCEEDED EXCEEDED THE MORPHOLOGY OR ABRASIVE AND/OR MILD
STRENGTH OF THE ENDURANCE AND ALLOY WEAR: CHECK OVERSTRESSING AT
THE PART DYNAMIC LIMIT OF THE TYPE MUST BE SOURCE OF ELEVATED
CHECK FOR STRENGTH MATERIAL EVALUATED ABRASIVES TEMPERATURE
PROPER ALLOY OF THE PART CHECK FOR SEVERITY OF EVALUATE UNSTABLE
AND CHECK FOR PROPER EXPOSURE EFFECTIVENES MICROSTRUCTURES
PROCESSING PROPER STRENGTH, CONDITIONS S OF AND SMALL GRAIN
BY HARDNESS ALLOY AND SURFACE MAY BE LUBRICANTS SIZE INCREASE CREEP
CHECK OR PROCESSING FINISH, EXCESSIVE; SEALS OR RATES
DESTRUCTIVE AS WELL AS ASSEMBLY, CHECK PH, FILTERS MAY RUPTURES OCCUR
TESTING, PROPER AND TEMPERATURE, HAVE FAILED AFTER LONG
CHEMICAL TOUGHNESS, OPERATION FLOW RATE, FRETTING EXPOSURE TIMES
ANALYSIS GRAIN SIZE PRIOR DAMAGE DISSOLVED INDUCED BY VERIFY PROPER
LOADING LOADING BY OXIDANTS, SLIGHT ALLOY
DIRECTION DIRECTION MECHANICAL ELECTRICAL LOOSENESS IN
MAY SHOW MAY SHOW OR CORROSION CURRENT, CLAMPED
FAILURE WAS FAILURE MODES MAY METAL JOINTS
SECONDARY WAS HAVE COUPLING, SUBJECT TO
SHORT-TERM, SECONDARY INITIATED AGGRESSIVE VIBRATION
HIGH- OR IMPACT CRACKING AGENTS BEARING OR
TEMPERATURE, INDUCED ALIGNMENT, CHECK BULK MATERIALS
HIGH-STRESS LOW VIBRATION, COMPOSITION ENGINEERING
RUPTURE HAS TEMPERATU BALANCE AND DESIGN MAY
DUCTILE RES HIGH CYCLE, CONTAMINANT REDUCE OR
APPEARANCE LOW STRESS: S ELIMINATE
(SEE CREEP) LARGE FATIGUE PROBLEM
ZONE; LOW WATER
 CYCLE, HIGH CONTAMINATI
STRESS: SMALL ON
FATIGUE ZONE HIGH
VELOCITIES
OR UNEVEN
FLOW
DISTRIBUTION,
CAVITATION

Source: Metals Handbook, 9th ed., Vol 11, p 80

(A) FRACTOGRAPHERS OFTEN REFER TO "OVERLOAD FRACTURE" AS A WAY TO DISTINGUISH THE FAILURE FROM FATIGUE OR STRESS-CORROSION CRACK GROWTH. HOWEVER, A TRUE
OVERLOAD FAILURE IS RARE. INDICATION OF OVERLOAD FRACTURE MAY JUST INDICATE AN UNDETECTED CRACK OR DEFECT LEADING TO FRACTURE.
(B) EDS, ENERGY-DISPERSIVE SPECTROSCOPY.