Applied Failure Analysis

Service Training Meeting Guide 005 SESV8005

August 2000

TECHNICAL PRESENTATION

APPLIED FAILURE ANALYSIS

ENGINE VALVES
ENGINE VALVES FAILURE ANALYSIS
MEETING GUIDE SLIDES AND SCRIPT
AUDIENCE
Service, service support and administrative staff personnel who understand the principles of engine
operation, and who are or may be involved in determining root causes of failures of engine valves.

CONTENT
This presentation describes function, structure, operation, normal wear, abnormal wear and fractures,
parts problems and some root causes of failures of valves, seats, guides, springs, retainers and keepers.

OBJECTIVES
After learning the information in this presentation, the student will be able to:

1. describe functions of engine valves;

2. describe structural difference between, and correctly identify, one-piece and two-piece Caterpillar
valves;
3. describe the three principle types of loading that valves experience during engine operation;
4. identify road signs of high temperatures, misalignment, impact damage, and corrosion on engine
valves and list possible root causes;
5. identify common manufacturing or installation problems, including improper inertial welds, of
engine valves.

REFERENCES
Engine Valves Applied Failure Analysis Reference Book SEBV0551
Engine Valves Applied Failure Analysis Self-Paced Instruction CD-ROM SEGV8505

PREREQUISITES
AFA STMG 013 Failure Analysis Management SERV8013
AFA STMG 017 Basic Metallurgy SERV8017
AFA STMG 014 Principles of Fractures SERV8014
AFA STMG 015 Principles of Wear SERV8015

Estimated Time: 3 1/2 Hours

Visuals: 94 electronic images
Student Handout: 1 - Lab Worksheet
Form: SESV8005
Date: 8/2000
© 2000 Caterpillar Inc.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................5

FUNCTIONS ..........................................................................................................................7

STRUCTURE .........................................................................................................................8

VALVE LOADING...............................................................................................................25

NORMAL WEAR ................................................................................................................29

FAILURE ANALYSIS PROCESS .......................................................................................30

HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT................................................................................................33
High Temperature ...........................................................................................................34
Misalignment ..................................................................................................................44
Loose Adjustment ...........................................................................................................52
Improper Lubrication ......................................................................................................56
Impact Damage ...............................................................................................................57
Guttering .........................................................................................................................68
Corrosion.........................................................................................................................76

PARTS PROBLEMS.............................................................................................................81
Inertial Weld Failures......................................................................................................82
Handling Damage ...........................................................................................................84
Metal Strength.................................................................................................................86

CONCLUSION.....................................................................................................................94

SLIDE LIST..........................................................................................................................99

STUDENT HANDOUT......................................................................................................101
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INSTRUCTOR NOTES
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INTRODUCTION

This presentation covers applied failure analysis of engine valves.

Some basic information on valve seats, guides, springs, retainers and

keepers is also presented.
AFA STMG 005 -6-
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This presentation will first look at the function and structure of valves,
seats, guides, springs, retainers and keepers.

Operation and normal wear will then be reviewed.

The presentation will conclude with a review of abnormal wear and

possible root causes.
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FUNCTIONS

Valves perform six functions:

1. Control inlet and exhaust gas flow

2. Seal high combustion pressures

3. Withstand high temperatures and conduct heat to cylinder head

casting and to lubricants

4. Withstand acidic conditions

5. Withstand cyclic tensile loading

6. Provide replaceable wear surfaces

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STRUCTURE

Valve nomenclature includes stem, keeper grooves, inertial weld, fillet

radius, head and hardfacing.
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1
2

Caterpillar valves can have either one-piece or two-piece construction.

One-piece intake valves are used in 3200 and 3300 engines.

Most other valves in Caterpillar engines are two-piece valves, consisting

of a head and a stem.
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One-piece valves are made from mild, low carbon steel, as are the upper
portions, or stems, of two-piece valves. This steel has a hardness of
Rockwell C 30 to 40.

Grain flow is in the direction of the long axis of the stem.

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The keeper area at the top of the stem is induction hardened to Rockwell
C 48 to 58, to give increased strength and wear resistance.

This steel has a body centered cubic unit cell structure and is very
magnetic.
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On two-piece valves, the head is forged from a strong and heat resistant
austenitic stainless steel, which has a face centered cubic unit cell
structure and is not very magnetic.

A multi-stage forging process is used to form the head, which produces

grain flow that follows the shape of the part to give increased strength
against crack formation.

Minimum hardness of the head is usually about Rockwell C 24. The

maximum hardness, near the inertial weld or in areas where the valve was
roll straightened, is approximately Rockwell C 42.
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The hardfacing on valve heads is done by electric arc welding a high

nickel, chrome and molybdenum steel alloy (sometimes called stellite or
silten) onto the head.
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The hardfacing is about 1.6 mm (1/16 in) thick and improves resistance to
channeling and wear.
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11

The stem is inertial or friction welded to the head.

In this process a free spinning flywheel containing a fixed amount of

energy holds the stem which is then pushed against the valve head. The
energy of the flywheel is transferred into frictional heat and causes
melting and adhesion of the stem to the head. The weld is completed
when the flywheel stops.

All inertial welds are checked for soundness.

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This acid-etched two-piece valve stem shows the inertial weld more
clearly. These welds are as strong as the metals themselves.
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13

Because the stem is magnetic and the head is essentially non-magnetic,

inertial weld location can easily be found with a magnet.

If the magnet is placed on the stem, and pulled gently as it is slid along
the stem, it will come away from the valve when it reaches the inertial
weld.
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14

Inlet valve seat inserts are cast from a chrome alloy steel.

Most exhaust valve seat inserts are machined from a nickel cobalt base
chromium tungsten steel alloy that possesses excellent creep and
oxidation resistance. (Creep is gradual deformation under high
temperatures.)
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15

Valve guides are made from gray cast iron.

The cast iron has a large volume of free graphite that provides self-
lubrication and good wear resistance under conditions of limited
lubrication.

Many guides are also grooved or knurled in the valve stem bore to
increase lubrication without increasing clearances between the valve stem
and the guide.
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Valve springs are made from the highest grade of oil tempered, low
carbon, valve spring steel that has maximum resistance to fatigue
cracking.

The steel is carefully selected to avoid pipe and seams, and finished
spring surfaces must be free of seams, deep scratches or pits.

Spring ends are machined to be flat and perpendicular to spring

centerline.
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Valve retainers are often heat treated to improve strength and increase
wear resistance.

Valve keepers (locks) and retainers (rotators) are made from a mild, low-
carbon steel.
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When valves are installed, the inertial weld location is well within the
valve guide and only the head of the valve is exposed to the high
combustion temperatures.

The valve face and seat are ground at slightly different angles to improve
seating of the valve and to insure sealing of combustion pressures.

The stem (especially on exhaust valves) is exposed to exhaust leakage,

moisture condensation, and acid buildup. The valve stem depends on
additives in the lubricating oil to neutralize these acids.
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The failure analyst should always inspect the identification markings on

valve heads (and other parts) to be sure they are Caterpillar parts.

These valves display different date coding systems, but both have the
Caterpillar trademark indicating they are genuine Caterpillar parts.
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20

On occasion, the analyst will find that failed parts are competitive parts
that were assumed to be Caterpillar parts.

Competitors may use Caterpillar part numbers, but not the Caterpillar
trademark.
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VALVE LOADING

As engines begin operation, normal valve loading comes from the valve
spring, valve closing, and combustion pressure.
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When the valve is closed, there is a light tensile load between the valve
face and the keepers caused by valve spring force.

When the valve is off the valve seat, the spring exerts compressive load
between the keepers and the stem end of the valve.

These light loads seldom create enough stress to cause fatigue cracks.
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23

As the valve closes and reaches the valve seat, valve motion is suddenly
stopped, which generates a tensile shock load between the keepers and the
valve face. This cyclic shock load is directly influenced by valve
adjustment and engine RPM.

Loose valve adjustment allows excessive valve closing speed, increasing

valve momentum and cyclic tensile loading. Overspeed can increase the
frequency as well as the size of this tensile loading.

Since stresses concentrate at physical irregularities, the fillet radius and

keeper grooves are likely areas of crack initiation if cyclic tensile stresses
become too severe. Since the stem side of the fillet radius has less
material to carry abnormal loads than the valve face side, cracks will
usually develop at the stem side of the radius.
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24

Combustion pressure generates a heavy cyclic bending load on the valve

when the cylinder fires.

Peak cylinder pressures of approximately13,800 kPa (2,000 psi) in direct

injected diesel engines create tensile loading on the top side of the valve
head and compressive loading on the bottom side.

Tensile stresses on the top side of the valve head concentrate at the lower
part of the fillet radius. Under conditions of abnormally high combustion
pressures or temperatures, fatigue cracks may start at the bottom of the
fillet radius.
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NORMAL WEAR

Valves can normally be reused at overhauls if operation, application and

maintenance have been good.

There should be some carbon or ash buildup on the heads and some wear
on faces and stems. There should be no seizure or pitting on the stem, no
pitting or deep grooving on the face, and no thermal cracking, dishing,
pitting or heavy oxidation scaling on the head.

These intake and exhaust valves show typical wear.

Other related components, such as springs, guides and keepers are also
normally suitable for reuse after cleaning, inspection, and reconditioning.
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FAILURE ANALYSIS PROCESS

To identify the most probable root cause of failure the analyst should use
the eight steps of applied failure analysis, thinking logically with facts and
following road signs to the root cause.
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After disassembly, facts about adjustment, alignment and lubrication are

often distorted or destroyed, so it is important for the analyst to plan to
gather facts both before and during disassembly.

It is also important that the analyst follow a logical problem-solving

process (the eight steps of applied failure analysis), rather than jumping to
conclusions based on experience.

For example, high fuel settings caused a recent valve failure as a result of
high temperature. The analyst must resist the temptation to blame the
next high temperature valve failure on a high fuel setting. There are many
other possible root causes of high valve temperatures, including wrong
fuel, air inlet restriction, exhaust restriction, cooling system problems,
fuel or valve timing problems, or tight valve adjustment.
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When a valve breaks, the lower part is often physically destroyed by the
piston and cylinder head. Road signs on that part are lost, and analysis is
often restricted to the stem end of such valves and other circumstantial
evidence.

It is important that the analyst follow the available wear and fracture road
signs. These road signs will guide the fact gathering process and lead to
the most probable root cause of failure.
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HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT

Abnormal wear or fracture of valves is usually the result of hostile

working environment. Root causes of valve failures are often found in
these six hostile environmental conditions:

1. Valve temperatures above approximately 650°C (1200°F) that can

weaken valve metal, reduce lubrication, or cause interference fit

2. Misalignment between the valve face and seat that can concentrate
loading on one side of the valve head

3. Loose adjustment that can increase valve closing shock loads

4. Improper lubrication that can lead to excessive carbon buildup

5. Improper lubrication that can lead to valves sticking in valve guides

and being struck by pistons (impact damage)

6. Improper lubrication that can lead to damage from the corrosive

elements of the engine exhaust gasses
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High Temperature

Road signs of high temperatures are most often seen on exhaust valve
heads. If severe overheating has occurred, inlet valves can also be
affected.

Because of good heat conduction between the valve and the guide, high
temperatures rarely reach the inertial weld or stem of the valve. Valves
damaged by high temperatures often break and lose either the entire head,
or a part of the head.

High temperature road signs often seen on the head of valves include:

- Thermal cracks in the fillet radius

- Creep (distortion) of valve head metal which produces dished or

"tuliped" appearance

- Heavy oxidation and scale build-up

- Many valves with similar damage

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31

This valve head has severe thermal fatigue cracking in the fillet radius due
to temperatures well above 650°C (1200°F).

Cyclic thermal growth caused the cracks to develop.

The hardfacing, which is designed to withstand wear and heat, has not
been damaged.
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32

Dishing or "tuliping" of valve heads is greatly accelerated when valve

heads are heated above approximately 650°C (1200°F) during heavy
combustion gas loading.

The gas loading cyclically tries to push the valve through its seat, bows
the valve excessively, and slowly causes the metal to creep into a new
deformed, dished shape.

This condition is more commonly seen on one-piece valves than on two-

piece valves because the austenitic steel head on two-piece valves retains
greater strength under high temperature conditions.
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33

Heavy oxidation and scale build-up are the result of high temperature in
the presence of oxygen.

Here the scaling has almost removed part numbers that were stamped in
the head of the valve. Little dishing occurred on this two-piece valve
head because of the greater strength of the austenitic steel.
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34

If the entire valve shows evidence of high temperature, then a cooling

system problem may also have been present that allowed even the stem to
reach high temperatures.
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35

Heat weakened valve heads often break at the top of the fillet radius
where stresses are concentrated, and where cross-sectional area is
smallest.

The fracture is usually ductile with a rough and woody appearance.

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36

Heat weakened valves may also fracture at the valve face side of the fillet
radius.
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37

Closer inspection reveals a smooth fracture face with beach marks and
ratchet marks. A bending fatigue fracture originated at the top, tensile-
loaded surface of this valve head.

High temperature weakened the metal and allowed the head to bend
excessively under peak cylinder pressures. A fatigue crack began from
the point of highest stress concentration at the bottom of the fillet radius.

The fatigue crack traveled with the grain. Because grain flow follows the
physical shape of the forged head, the fatigue crack is rounded.
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38

The analyst should inspect both sides of a fracture. On this side of the
fracture the beachmarks are more visible and clearly originate at the top
surface. The final fracture at the bottom of this fracture face is rough and
grainy (brittle).

This valve operated only 1800 hours with high temperature present. The
root cause of high temperature was found to be a combination of air inlet
restriction and lug operation.
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39

A fracture that causes only a part of a valve head to come off is called a
chordal fracture. (A chord is a line that connects two points on a circle,
so “chordal fracture” simply describes the fracture location, not a new
type of fracture.)

Chordal fractures are often fatigue fractures, but may also be brittle
fractures.
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40

Misalignment

Road signs of misalignment between the valve face and seat include:

- Uneven wear on the valve seat insert

- Bent valves

- Worn valve guides

- Chordal fracture of valve head

- Rotating bending fatigue fracture just above the fillet

- Leakage, channeling or guttering at the valve face

- Only one valve damaged while others appear normal

Misalignment is a result, not a root cause. More facts will be needed to

identify the most probable root cause.
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41

Valves that break due to misalignment do not usually have high

temperature road signs, but the fracture location and type may be similar.

This valve has a chordal fatigue crack, but otherwise normal appearance.
High bending stresses from misalignment caused the metal to fatigue.
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42

Continued operation with a crack results in fracture. After one piece

breaks away, edge loading, misalignment, and cracking are accelerated in
the remaining valve head metal.
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43

Secondary fractures (1) are usually brittle and do not follow metal grain
flow lines.

The original fatigue fracture face (2) near the top is more rounded and
smoother than the flat, rougher secondary fracture face on the right.
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44

If broken valves are kept in service secondary fractures will occur. The
service technician may find just a stub where the head used to be.

The original, rounded fatigue fracture face is still identifiable on this

valve head, however. Some darkening of the remaining stem has
occurred, which may have resulted from operation without the head.

If other valves show no high temperature road signs, the analyst should
investigate possible misalignment root causes.
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45

Misaligned valves can fail from rotating bending fatigue fractures at the
stem end of the fillet radius. Misalignment can cause severe edge loading
that bends the valve in different directions as the valve rotates. This
bending can cause multiple cracks to form at the high stress area at the top
of the fillet radius.

Ratchet marks on the surface of this fracture face indicate multiple cracks
formed at the surface and grew inward until they joined. Final fracture is
in the center. The ratchet marks all around the stem indicate that the
valve was rotating properly.

The road signs here require investigation of possible causes of this

misalignment, which include worn guide, crooked guide, crooked seat,
build-up on seat, etc.
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46

Misaligned valves may also fail from simple bending fatigue fractures at
the top of the fillet radius.
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47

If the valve quits rotating, misalignment will bend the valve in the same
direction each time the valve is loaded. A bent valve or build-up stuck on
the hardfacing will bend the valve in the same direction even if the valve
continues to rotate. This bending load can cause a simple bending fatigue
fracture.

This fracture face exhibits the classic road signs of bending fatigue
fracture. Ratchet marks (1) at the surface show where the fracture started,
the beachmarks (2) track the growth of the crack, and the small shear lip
(3) marks the final fracture.
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Loose Adjustment

Loose valve adjustment causes high cyclic loads to be placed on valves

and valve train components. These loads include:

- Cyclic compressive load on valve opening components

- Cyclic tensile load on the valve stem between the valve face and
the keepers

- Cyclic shear loads on the keeper retaining ridges

Extreme loose adjustment can also lead to inadequate valve opening and
burned (guttered) valves.
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49

Valve camshafts are designed with a base circle, a valve opening and a
valve closing ramp. There is an acceleration and deceleration transition
from the base circle to the opening and closing ramps to decrease cyclic
stresses in the valve train. When valves are adjusted properly, valve
movement begins and ends in the transition zones.

Loose valve adjustment allows the valve lifter to begin travel on the valve
opening ramp of the valve camshaft before the valve begins to open. The
speed of the valve lifter is high while on the valve opening ramp, and
compressive shock loading of the valve train occurs.

Loose adjustment allows the valve face to contact the valve seat while the
valve lifter is still on the valve closing ramp of the valve camshaft. The
valve is traveling at high speed while on the valve closing ramp. When
the valve face strikes the valve seat, tensile shock loading of the valve
stem occurs.
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When valves experience high cyclic loading because of loose adjustment,

stresses are concentrated at the upper side of the fillet radius and at keeper
grooves. Over time, these stresses can damage the metal and cause cracks
at keeper grooves or at the top of the fillet radius.

This valve failed as a result of this high cyclic loading. The stem color
and wear both look normal and there is no evidence of high temperature
or corrosion.

Close inspection of the fracture face shows a rough, woody appearance.

Cyclic tensile overloading of the valve may have caused this fracture.

Since loose adjustment is a possible root cause when valves drop, the
service technician should gather facts about adjustment before
disassembling the valve train. Although there is no way to check
adjustment on this broken valve, the technician can observe and record
facts on the adjustment components and check adjustment of neighboring
valves.
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Cracks that develop in the keeper area will usually start at the lower
groove or at nicks or gouges in the groove area.

Failure to inspect this area for damage before installing valves may lead
to valve failure.
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Improper Lubrication

Improper lubrication is another hostile condition and can cause the stem
to stick or seize in the guide, leading to piston and valve contact and valve
bending or breaking.
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Impact Damage

When valves stick in guides, when they are held open at the wrong time,
or when foreign material is present, high impact loading can be exerted on
the valve by the piston.

Fracture is often at the top of the fillet radius and is rough and woody to
crystalline in appearance. Fracture faces are usually badly distorted from
secondary impact damage.

Although valve stems are usually bent when heads are struck by pistons,
there are times when they appear to be straight, as those in this photo
appear to be. When inspecting broken valves, the analyst should
concentrate on identifying fracture and wear types.
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This fracture face is bright and crystalline in appearance, and sparkles.

This fracture, at the top of the fillet radius, is a brittle fracture.

Impact damage may fracture valves at the top or the bottom of the fillet
radius.
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This valve has normal carbon and deposit build-up, has some face carbon
build-up and pitting, and has two fractures, one at each end of the fillet
radius.

The fracture at the top of the fillet radius appears crystalline and rough.
This fracture is a fast -- brittle or ductile -- fracture.

The fracture in the head at the bottom of the fillet radius is not clearly
visible and needs closer inspection.
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With magnification the lower fracture is clearly bright and crystalline and
is a fast, brittle fracture.

This crack started at the bottom of the head. Final fracture is at the fillet
radius. This fracture did not follow the curving grain flow of the head
because enough energy was applied to break the metal across grain flow.

There is also no evidence of high temperature such as oxidation scale,

thermal cracking, dishing, etc. These facts and road signs clearly indicate
that this valve failed because it was struck violently from the bottom. The
analyst should now determine how and why that impact loading occurred.
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To determine if this broken valve is a root cause or a result the analyst

needs a closer view.
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This fracture is a result, not a root cause. The fracture is rough (fast
fracture) and much other impact damage is visible on the edges and face.
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Inspection of the bottom of this valve shows clearly other impact

markings that suggest foreign material was present.

The analyst would inspect other valves and pistons, gather samples of any
possible foreign material in any cylinder, and gather operator facts to
determine the type and source of this foreign material.
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Other valve train components will also show results of impact damage.

When the valve is struck by the piston, compressive shock loading is

placed on the pushrod (1) and lifter (2).
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This 3200 valve lifter fractured in the center section as a result of impact
loading. The resulting brittle fracture face is bright and crystalline.
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62

Retaining ridges on valve keepers often have severe distortion caused by

impact loading on the valve. The keeper on the left (1) is distorted in
comparison to the normal used keeper on the right (2).
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63

It is also possible to cause impact damage to keeper retaining ridges by

using a hammer and a socket to remove valves from heads during rebuild
operations. The retainer on the left (1) has noticeable polishing after
being removed once with the hammer and socket method. The retainer on
the right (2) was removed with a spring compressor.

If keepers with a damaged retaining ridge are reused, the retaining ridge
may be sheared by normal cyclic loading, allowing the valve to drop into
the cylinder.

Service technicians should be careful, therefore, to inspect the keepers for

damage if any hostile loading has been applied by failure or by rebuild
operations.
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Guttering

"Burned" valves result when high temperature, burning combustion

gasses leak between the valve face and seat. This type of wear is also
called channeling or guttering.

Guttering has progressed through the head and into the shank of this
valve. Temperatures were so high that even the valve seat melted and
guttered.
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Guttering is started by leakage of high temperature gasses between the

valve face and valve seat. Leakage can result from foreign objects
wedging between the seat and valve face, from misalignment, or from
deposits on the face that are thick enough to allow leakage.
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As leakage increases, temperature of the valve and seat surfaces also

increases. Large volumes of burning gas escape and temperatures become
high enough to melt valve head material and remove it.
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As high temperature gasses continually escape, the valve head becomes

much hotter than normal. This valve stem above the inertial weld shows
temper colors and oxidation.
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This valve face has been guttered in several places. Since misalignment
will usually produce guttering in one area, this road sign indicates that
misalignment was probably not the cause of this damage.
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The bottom of the head on this valve has both the Caterpillar part number
and trademark, indicating the valve is a genuine Caterpillar part and not a
competitive part.
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Valves can also be pitted by corrosion that can lead to leakage and
guttering.

Corrosive environments can be caused by using diesel fuel with high

sulfur content, by extended oil change interval, by using the wrong type
oil, or by running engines too cool.
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Foreign material can wedge between the valve face and seat, or stay
within the cylinder and cause severe physical damage. Foreign material
left a particular "footprint" or road sign on the head of this valve.
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1
2

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Corrosion

Corrosive environments can accelerate wear of valves stems and guides,

especially on exhaust valves.

These two valve guides came from a 3500 gas engine working in a
sewage treatment facility with contaminated inlet air. Both valve guides
were damaged by corrosion resulting from the bad inlet air.

The guide on the left (1) has run for thousands of hours, while the guide
on the right (2) has run for several hundred hours.
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Rust and blistering are evident in the knurled grooves on even the low
hour guide. Coolant temperatures below approximately 80°C (180°F) can
accelerate corrosive wear by allowing combustion moisture to remain on
valve stems, guide, pistons, rings and liners.
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74

The valve guide with several thousand hours has extensive wear as a
result of the corrosive environment. The knurling is totally gone and rust
blisters and pits are present throughout the guide. Normally tight
clearances are worn to almost 6.4 mm (1/4 in) at the bottom of the guide.
AFA STMG 005 - 79 -
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75

Valve stems from the same engine show rusting, pitting and wear as a
result of the corrosive environment. The mild steel stem (1) is damaged
more severely than the tougher austenitic head (2).
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76

This valve seat and valve face show severe wear and grooving. Corrosion
products are easily removed by physical contact and since new corrosion
produces more soft surface material, wear progresses very rapidly.

If corrosive environments are continually present, low hour replacement

of parts and shortened oil and filter change intervals may be the only way
to prevent failures.
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77

PARTS PROBLEMS

Parts may cause failures if design, material or workmanship problems

exist.

- Weak inertial welds on valves can cause the head to separate.

- Handling damage such as bending, nicks and gouges can

concentrate normal stresses and lead to fatigue fractures.

- Metal strength can be reduced in many ways, including inclusions,

improper heat treatment, and processing errors.

Parts problems, once identified, should be referred to the appropriate

Caterpillar representative.
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78

Inertial Weld Failures

Inertial welds on valves should be strong and durable and should not
separate during service or reconditioning.

This weld was made with incorrect inertial energy, which caused poor
adhesion of the two different metals. After a few hundred hours of
service, the head separated from the stem and caused engine failure.

The visible swirling pattern was produced during the welding process as
the spinning head was forced into the stem.
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79

Weak welds may also fail from shock loads. This valve fell from a
workbench during regrinding and hit a concrete floor.
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80

Handling Damage

Rough handling can cause nicks and gouges that act as stress
concentrators. Valves should be carefully inspected for such damage,
especially in natural high stress areas such as fillets, tensile load areas,
etc.
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81

Parts can also be bent by rough handling, as has been done with this valve
during disassembly. A careful service technician checked valve
straightness by attempting to reface it, noticed the valve was bent and did
not reuse it.

Using a bent valve can create misalignment between the valve face and
seat, and could lead to a bending fatigue fracture at the top of the fillet
radius or to a chordal fatigue fracture at the bottom of the fillet radius.
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82

Metal Strength

A fatigue fracture at high hours with no road signs of hostile environment

may be the result of insufficient metal strength. Valves or related
components may have inclusions or heat treatment problems that weaken
the metal, or metal quality may not be sufficient to carry working loads.
Finally, insufficient metal strength may result from an incorrect design.
AFA STMG 005 - 87 -
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1 2

83

Metal strength problems were seen in early 3208 valve springs. After
thousands of hours of service, the high surface tensile and shear stresses
would cause fatigue fracture of the spring. Corrective action included
both a larger spring and different metal composition.

This fatigue fracture started at the left side of the fracture (1) and final
fracture (2) is rough and woody, on a 45 degree angle as a result of
torsional stresses present.
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84

Valve retainers may have heat treatment problems that produce fine
surface cracks in the metal. During service these cracks may slowly open
up on the bottom side of the retainer until the tapered keeper slips
through, dropping the valve into the cylinder. Corrective action is to
improve heat treatment.

There may be other root causes of broken retainers. The idea that every
broken retainer is a parts problem is a preconceived idea.
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85

For example, valve spring retainers may also crack and break if overloads
are applied.

Overloads may occur when tight valve adjustment causes the retainer to
push against a fully compressed valve spring (called full coil contact).

Engine overspeed may also fracture retainers. During overspeed, valve

mechanism opening speed is too great, and the valve opening mechanism
momentum continues to open the valve until the valve spring coils are
forced tight against each other. The retainer experiences high tensile
shock load forces across the bottom surface of the retainer. During the
valve closing cycle, camshaft speed is too great and the cam moves away
from the lifter before the valve spring can push the lifter down. There is
then no deceleration of the lifter, pushrod and valve by the camshaft. This
allows the valve to hit the valve seat at high speed, producing a tensile
shock load on the valve stem and on the retainer. This loading may cause
the retainer to crack and allow the valve to drop.
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86

The valve spring retainer fractured by overspeed has an appearance

similar to the retainer that failed from heat treatment problem.
Overloading results in a rough and woody texture on these fracture faces.
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87

Valve springs that have experienced significant overspeeding may show

evidence of full spring coil contact (360 degree contact between all spring
coils). The fretting between these coils indicates full coil contact.
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88

Magnification and improved lighting make fretting visible in the painted

area on this spring, and verifies that this spring has had full coil contact.

This road sign does not necessarily indicate overspeed. Full coil contact
only means that the coils have been forced together. Overspeed is one
condition that may produce this result, but tight adjustment is another
possible cause. Pushrods not in lifter pockets produce too much lift that
may also cause full coil contact.
AFA STMG 005 - 93 -
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89

The retainer on the left (1) broke due to metal strength problems. The
retainer on the right (2) broke as a result of overloading against a fully
compressed valve spring.

There are more cracks and lighter polishing on the left retainer, indicating
less severe loading against the spring. Many cracks indicate the
possibility of residual internal stress.
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90

CONCLUSION

Most valve failures are results, and very few are root causes.
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91

Valve failures, which are problems to the customer, may present an

opportunity to serve the customer. When customers have valve failures
there is probably a hostile environment that needs identification and
correction.
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92

The analyst must beware of preconceived ideas that lead to errors, and use
only the facts associated with each failure.
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The analyst should also GET THE PAYOFF with steps six, seven and
eight of the eight steps of applied failure analysis:

6. Communicate the root cause to the responsible party

7. Make repairs as directed

8. Follow-up with the customer to be sure:

- The root cause of failure was correctly identified

- Proper corrective action was taken

AFA STMG 005 - 98 -
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94

This concludes the presentation on failure analysis of engine valves.

INSTRUCTOR NOTE: Students should next participate in a

practical exercise. The instructor should select six (6) to twelve (12)
failed parts representing the abnormal wear and fractures discussed
in this lesson. Using the worksheet (Student Handout No. 1) in this
guide, students should record road signs they observe, what the road
signs mean, and where the analyst should next seek additional facts
for each failed part.
AFA STMG 005 - 99 -
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SLIDE LIST
1. Valves title slide 41. Valve with crack in head
2. In This Presentation 42. Valve with chordal fracture
3. Valve Functions 43. Chordal fatigue fracture face #1
4. Nomenclature 44. Chordal fatigue fracture face #2
5. Etched two-piece valve section 45. Stem fatigue fracture face #1
6. Stem 46. Valve with fracture at top of fillet radius
7. Stem cross section, showing hardening 47. Stem fatigue fracture face #2
8. Head 48. Loose Adjustment Results
9. Hard Facing 49. Camshaft Nomenclature
10. Head cross section, showing hard facing 50. Valve with fracture at top of fillet radius
11. Inertial Welding 51. Close-up of keeper grooves
12. Etched valve cross section, showing inertial 52. Improper Lubrication Root Causes
weld location 53. Two valves, one bent, one with fracture at
13. Magnet used to locate inertial weld top of fillet radius
14. Valve seat insert 54. Close-up of brittle fracture at top of fillet
15. Valve Guides radius
16. Valve Springs 55. Valve head in two pieces
17. Valve retainer and keepers 56. Close-up of brittle chordal fracture
18. Drawing of installed valves 57. Fracture at top of fillet radius
19. Valve heads, Caterpillar valves 58. Close-up of fracture at top of fillet radius
20. Valve heads, competitive valves 59. Valve head with bottom impact damage
21. Valve Loading 60. Bent push rod, broken lifter, valve spring
22. Spring Force 61. Close-up of broken lifter fracture faces
23. Valve Closing 62. Close-up of valve keepers #1
24. Combustion Pressure 63. Close-up of valve keepers #2
25. Two valves with normal used appearance 64. Melted valve and seat
26. Abnormal Condition/Failure Analysis 65. Valve with leakage, burn marks over hard
27. Eight Steps of Applied Failure Analysis facing
28. Follow the Roadsigns 66. Valve with guttering in one spot on head
29. Hostile Environments 67. Valve with guttering in several places and
30. High Temperature Roadsigns temper colors on stem
31. Valve head with thermal cracks 68. Close-up of valve head with guttering in
32. Valve head dished by overheating several places #1
33. Valve head with high temperature oxidation 69. Close-up of valve head with guttering in
34. Valve with high temperature road signs several places #2
35. Valve head ductile fracture face 70. Valve head with pitting on hard facing
36. Two valves, one with chordal fracture 71. Valve with severe impact damage
37. Close-up of fracture face on valve head 72. Two valve guides with corrosion
38. Close-up of fracture face on separate piece 73. Valve guide cross section #1
39. Chordal Fracture 74. Valve guide cross section #2
40. Misalignment Roadsigns
AFA STMG 005 - 100 -
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SLIDE LIST
75. Valve stem with corrosion 85. Overload - Full Coil Contact
76. Valve and seat with wear step in each 86. Fractured valve retainer
77. Parts Problems 87. Valve spring with paint on coils
78. Close-up of inertial weld (stem end) 88. Close-up of valve spring with fretting
79. Inertial weld (head end) 89. Portions of two fractured retainers
80. Close-up of valve head 90. Valve Failures are Usually Results
81. Valve head with grinder mark 91. Problem or Opportunity
82. Metal Strength Problems 92. Beware of Preconceived Ideas
83. Fractured valve spring 93. Get the Payoff!
84. Close-up of valve retainer 94. Valves title slide
AFA STMG 005 - 101 - Student Handout
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Applied Failure Analysis Laboratory Worksheet

What do you see? What does it mean? Where do you go next?

10
SESV8005 Printed in U.S.A.
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