Catastrophic failure at aluminum extrusion line - GIFs

[Jon]

Catastrophic failure at aluminum extrusion line.






Previously:

Pouring molten aluminum - GIF
Hydroelectric turbine catastrophic failure - photo
Explosive lens compressing an aluminum sphere - GIF

[IntheGroove]

It's Ok, I got my phone...

[txican]

I thought it was his lunch.

[hemmjo]

What ever it was, he placed a VERY HIGH value on it. Darn near paid for it with his life.

[Ed Weldon]

Next time use use more reliable fittings on that hydraulic cylinder line.

[marksbug]

I agree on the line, or the end of the cylinder poped of....either way I dont think the fan will be usable with all the **** on it.

[Frank S]

I wonder if the fitting was Parker or weather-head. compression sleeve or flared

[Ed Weldon]

My experience in the semiconductor equipment industry goes back 25 years to the process called oxide etch. The insulating layer in a chip was silicon dioxide, plain old, but very pure quartz. The only way you could cut the patterns in it was with hydrogen flouride based chemicals. Really nasty stuff. We used nothing but Swagelok fittings in all metal lines to feed the etch chambers. At the time that was the best of the best. I hope the engineer who designed that extrusion line had good liability insurance and will stick with more benign technologies for the rest of his career.
Interesting to watch the progress of the explosion as the liquid oil first burns as it lands on the hot metal and then having vaporized spreads out to a critical and contained volume of fuel/air mix that then explodes to destroy the building. I hope the workers involved sensed what was happening and were able to escape alive.

[marksbug]

it could of been any number of failures. not nessessarley enginer,or fiting.but it could of been either or both and the instaltion or just instlation...or somethen else.

[Ed Weldon]

Yes. There are very likely other factors in the failure. But the courts or even public opinion in the form of peer feelings seldom absolve the engineer's mistake even if corporate protection absolves them of legal liability. And then there are the effects of their own conscience. I can tell you as a former, now retired, licensed professional engineer that we mostly accept the responsibility for our own mistakes even if we aren't licensed. The engineer has the same moral obligation as doctors to design things, systems or whatever material object or outcome he creates or controls.