We were asked to perform a failure analysis on a pump used in fracking operations. The pump is driven by a transmission by a 2700 HP engine which varies in RPM. The transmission is connected to the pump by a universal joint to a flange and shaft assembly.
The assembly was made up of a flanged input hub, key, and pump input shaft. The flanged hub and input shaft had an interference fit reducing the overall load on the key. The original design incorporated a 4 inch diameter shaft, which, during testing, had failed. We not only determined the fatigue life of the 4 inch shaft, but also designed a 5 inch shaft to increase the expected design life of the new pumps.
We perform failure analysis on equipment for industries including energy, mining and oil/gas. Give us a call – Let’s talk about your engineering needs.
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