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CSB Investigation Report No. 2010-04-I-IL 2009 Safety Safety
NDK Crystal High-Pressure Vessel SCC Rupture with Offsite Fatality
NDK Crystal, Inc., Belvidere, Illinois
Related equipment → Storage tank (storage_tank)
1Fatalities
0Injuries
Corrosive ruptureMechanism code STD
Failure Mode · ISO 14224 Mapping
Damage mechanism (recorded in KB)
Corrosive ruptureSTD
ISO functional code (as recorded)
ISO 14224:2016 functional failure code
STD · Structural failure
ISO STD — Structural failure.
1What Happened

High-pressure hydrothermal crystal vessel: stress corrosion cracking (SCC) caused catastrophic rupture; steel fragment flew 650 ft striking a member of the public

2Root Cause

Undetected internal stress corrosion cracking (caustic environment + high stress) led to catastrophic rupture; a 100-lb steel beam flew 650 ft and killed a truck driver at a highway rest stop

3Reliability Lessons (from investigation root cause)
  • Undetected internal stress corrosion cracking (caustic environment
  • high stress) led to catastrophic rupture; a 100-lb steel beam flew 650 ft and killed a truck driver at a highway rest stop
4Associated Failure Mechanisms (Keywords)
pressure vessel stress corrosion cracking SCC rupture fragment projection offsite consequence
About the Failure-Mode Code (click to expand)

The recorded code STD is an ISO 14224:2016 functional failure code (describes what the equipment failed to do). The damage mechanism (how it failed) is shown in the Mapping block above. The two are distinct dimensions in ISO 14224.

5Evidence Source (transparent)
Authority:U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB)
Official Report:www.csb.gov ↗
Data Verification:verified_url_csb_case_page_curl200
Report No. 2010-04-I-IL · Data from CSB public investigation conclusions, compiled by Reliability AI, for reliability demonstration purposes only. This case is derived from public incident investigation reports for learning purposes only. AIM does not endorse or guarantee its accuracy.