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ME108
Fracture of the Nozzle Clamping Bolt of the Main Engine Fuel
Injection Valve
Technical committee

1. Outline of breakdown

On this vessel outfitted with an RLA90 engine, failure of the sealing material between the cylinder cover
and fuel injection valve nozzle seat resulted in gas leakage. The leakage then corroded the fuel injection
valve nozzle clamping bolts and caused all 12 of them to fracture.

2. Breakdown detail

During regular maintenance work, replacement activities were executed but removal difficulty was
encountered due to fixation. As the diagram indicates, carbon material was adhering over the entire
surface of the valve unit and valve guide tube side. During overhaul maintenance when the valve was
rotated on a maintenance stage, all 12 nozzle clamping bolts (12 bolts, M12 x 100L, material SCM3)
broke and fell out.

3. Condition of the fracture surface

The breaks occurred at a point roughly 50mm from the base of the head. The periphery of the bolts
including the break areas were conspicuously covered with oxidization scaling over the entire surface
together with corrosion. Moreover, each break was occurring from the outer periphery and indicated stress
corrosion cracking.

4. Causes

The results of investigations and various tests indicated severe corrosion of the nozzle and clamping bolts.
As they were exposed to a conspicuously corrosive environment, it was surmised that they fractured due to
stress corrosion cracking owing to these conditions. In addition to gas leakage and cooling water leakage
resulting from faulty tightening of the cylinder cover and nozzle seat surface, tensile stress was applied to
the clamping bolts, fuel pressure was applied to the contact surface between the nozzle and main unit.
Furthermore, the clamping bolts may not have been tightened sufficiently. It is surmised that all of these
factors synergized in producing this outcome.

5. Countermeasures

1) During regular maintenance, perform nozzle clamping bolt inspection and checking of the nozzle
unit part.
2) Confirm the tightening torque during nozzle tightening.
3) Depending on equipment condition, reconsider the maintenance interval.
4) Sliding of the contacting surface of the fuel valve and cover shall be encouraged.

1
The Marine Engineer May 1989
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Fuel injection valve detail diagram

2
The Marine Engineer May 1989