Failure Analysis and Fractography of Two Failed Garage Door Torsion Springs

Two failed garage door springs were analyzed to understand the mode of failure. One spring was in service for approximately 30 years prior to failure and the other was in use for about 10 years. The presentation aims to explore failure modes associated with garage door torsion springs and investigates what effect spring metallurgy and fabrication may have had on the mode and time to failure.

The results of inspection and analysis of the failed springs will be presented. Visual inspection and optical microscopy of the fracture surfaces was used to characterize the macroscopic fracture features. SEM analysis was used to image fracture surface morphologies to understand fracture initiation and progression. EDS, microhardness, and metallography were used to characterize the steel composition, mechanical properties, and microstructure.