Failure Analysis of Guides Made of High-Strength AISI D2 Tool Steel

Guides of high-strength steel AISI D2 are used in forming operation of steel wires in the manufacturing process of flexible pipes. The steel was quenched and tempered to achieve high wear resistance, with hardness around 59–60 HRC. However, some of these guides prematurely failed, after few months of operation. The failure analysis conducted in two guides determined that the fractures occurred by fatigue. One determinant fact that accelerated the initiation and propagation of the fracture was the high stress concentration in edges where the fillet radius was half of the specified in the project. It is also recommended to change the design project of the new guides to increase the distance between the points of high stress concentration. © 2015, ASM International.