Cracked Cast Iron Shaft...Opinon Needed

[MountainCat1M]

Hello...

I am not an engineer although I tried but my first Chemistry course did not go over very well.

http://home.thezone.net/~bpriddle/shaft.jpg

http://home.thezone.net/~bpriddle/shaft_closeup.jpg

This is a cast iron drive shaft on my new snowmobile. It is 1 inch thick. It cracked for no reason that I can see. But it has a weird centre core, that is actually off-centre. Can anyone explain or be able to determine by looking at it if this could have been a faulty shaft? The area circled in
the close-up pic also sticks out alittle.

Thanks for any help

 

[desertfox]

Hi MountainCat1M

I am surpised the shaft is Cast Iron, looking at the pictures its hard to tell for sure but it looks like a
fatigue failure to me.The area that you have ringed does it by any chance have small contours kind of circular a bit like you sometimes see on the beach when the tides going out. Another clue to the type of failure:- If you push the shaft back together do the two parts go together like a jigsaw piece or is there that much distortion they won't fit
snuggly.


regards desertfox

 

[MountainCat1M]

Helo again...I found a more appropriate forum for this topic...
thread330-87679 and Metallurgy Engineering.

Sorry for cross posting.