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Thursday, June 10, 2004 - 8:30 AM
EIF2.1

Failure Analysis of an Aircraft ACS Ejector

H. N. Chou, Boeing Phantom Works, St. Louis, MO

The ejector assembly is a part of air conditioning system (ACS) that cools and conditions aircraft engine bleed air for use in the environmental control system. The Inconel 625 alloy ejector assemblies discharge bleed air into the ram-air exit duct of the heat exchangers for low speed and ground operation. A cracked ejector manifold causes a safety impact in that it could allow hot and high-pressure engine bleed air to leak against aircraft structure and wiring. An additional concern is that this leakage is unprotected by the bleed air leak detection system. The cracked ACS left-hand (secondary) ejector assembly was forwarded to Boeing Failure Analysis Laboratory for evaluation. Visual inspection identified the primary fracture in the upper manifold near the inlet end and FPI revealed four (4) linear indications. A leakage test was performed and a leakage flow rate of 19 scfm was obtained. The test verified the primary fractures were thru-thickness cracks but revealed no leaks at the locations that had suspect penetrant indications. A section of the ejector was tested for both conductivity and hardness and the results indicated that the Inconel 625 alloy ejector met the requirements of Boeing materials specification. The primary fracture and the four FPI linear indications were mechanically opened to expose the fracture surfaces. Fractographic analysis verified that the primary fracture and the four secondary cracks all initiated and grew in fatigue from multiple origins on the surfaces adjacent to weld beads. No material anomalies that would have contributed to fatigue initiation were observed. For the primary fracture, a crack growth plot of crack depth versus fatigue striation count was performed to determine the fatigue cycles needed to break through the thickness of the manifold.