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You are here: Home / Failure Analysis / Failure Analysis Expert Examines a Plumbing Failure

Failure Analysis Expert Examines a Plumbing Failure

February 14, 2011 By Tom Read Leave a Comment

A failure analysis was performed on a plumbing failure. The line is a corrugated water line to a bathroom sink. The pipe failure occurred at a bend in the water supply line it was due to stress corrosion of the yellow brass line. Microscopic examination of the largest crack showed that there was also dezincification associated with the stress corrosion cracking. Upper left is an overview of the corrugated water supply line. It is cracked where there is a mechanical deformation of the brass tubing. The upper right photo is a 10X photomicrograph of the major crack. There are regions of the crack surface where the yellow brass has “red brass” regions. This indicates that there was selective corrosion of the zinc rich portions of the alloy. That is brass dezincification has occured at the crack tip.

 

Filed Under: Failure Analysis Tagged With: Brass Tubing, Corrugated Water Line, mechanical deformation, Plumbing

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Read Consulting Failure Analysis

Thomas L. Read, PhD,
1435 Fulton Road Santa Rosa, CA
Phone: 707-494-5089
email: info@readconsulting.com

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Read Consulting Failure Analysis

Thomas L. Read, PhD,
1435 Fulton Road Santa Rosa, CA
Phone: 707-494-5089
email: info@readconsulting.com

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