Analysis of a Premature Failure of a Hub from a Diesel Generator of a High-Speed Motor Ship

Failure analysis is carried out on a fractured hub obtained from a diesel generator of a high-speed motor ship. Macrofractography, microfractography, standard optical metallography, material characterization techniques, and numerical modeling were used to verify the findings of the current investigation. Cracking initiation is attributed to fretting fatigue caused by a modification performed in the vicinity of the fractured hub. Operational vibrations contributed to the propagation of the cracks as typical fatigue cracks until final fracture.