Effects of non-symmetric non-uniformly distributed welding residual stress on fatigue failure initiation and propagation in a hydropower generator shaft

PurposeThis article aims to investigate and model the effects of welding-generated thermal cycle on the resulting residual stress distribution and its role in the initiation and propagation of fatigue failure in thick shaft sections.Design/methodology/approachExperimental and numerical techniques were applied in the present study to explore the relationship(s) between welding residual-stress distribution and fatigue failure characteristics in a hydropower generator shaft. Experimental techniques included stereomicroscopy, optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), chemical analysis and mechanical testing. Finite element modelling (FEM) was used to model the shaft welding cycle in terms of thermal (temperature) history and the associated development of residual stresses within the weld joint.FindingsExperimental analyses have confirmed the suitability of the used material for the intended application and confirmed the failure mode to be low cycle fatigue. The observed failure characteristics, however, did not match with the applied loading in terms of design stress levels, directionality and expected crack imitation site(s). FEM results have revealed the presence of a sharp stress peak in excess of 630 MPa (about 74% of material's yield strength) around weld start point and a non-uniform residual stress distribution in both the circumferential and through-thickness directions. The present results have shown very close matching between FEM results and observed failure characteristics.Practical implicationsThe present article considers an actual industrial case of a hydropower generator shaft failure. Present results are valuable in providing insight information regarding such failures as well as some preventive design and fabrication measures for the hydropower and other power generation and transmission sector.Originality/valueThe presence of the aforementioned stress peak around welding start/end location and the non-uniform distribution of residual-stress field are in contrast to almost all published results based on some uniformity assumptions. The present FEM results were, however, the only stress distribution scenario capable of explaining the failure considered in the present research.