Failure analysis of a centrifugal pump shaft experiencing plastic deformation using the exact and finite element method

Abstract

An eight-stage centrifugal pump that was used in the oil and gas industry had plastic deformation on the shaft because of the torque load. Thus, this study was aimed at analyzing the shear stress that occurred on the shaft by an exact and finite element method. The shaft, with a length of 1.5 m and diameter of 0.05 m, was made of SUS 304 material. From the exact and finite element analysis results, the shear stress that occurred on the shaft was higher than the shear stress of the shaft material. Therefore, the pump shaft became plastically deformed and twisted. The results of the finite element analysis showed that the torque, shear stress, and strain were increased when the twist angle on the pump shaft was increased.