| dc.description.abstract | Pumps are an essential component of most industrial processes. Reliability is a major concern of pump manufacturers and users, since unexpected shutdowns can have serious and costly implications, including loss of production. Pump manufacturers strive to build rugged and durable equipment. Improvements in design and technology are recognized as major contributors to enhance reliability. Metallurgical analysis plays an important role in this effort, because it provides insight into the actors that are critical to pump performance and longevity. Pumps, in common with other types of rotating machinery, will experience gradual degradation of critical components. Clearances will open, bearings will wear, and performance will gradually be reduced, so that it eventually becomes necessary to disassemble and overhaul the pump. This type of maintenance is expected and predictable. With proper planning, it can be handled with minimal impact on production schedules. High performance machines, however, also experience sudden and unexpected failures either during test or in service unless they are so over designed as to be noncompetitive. These failures provide a very valuable, albeit costly, source of engineering information. Sharing this information benefits the entire pump community, in that is contributes to improved designs, materials selection, quality control, and service engineering. Most importantly, the knowledge gained will prevent additional failures and improve reliability. | en |
