Investigation of shaft fracture of EPX vacuum pump

Abstract

This Bachelor thesis deals with the problem of occasional shaft thread fracture of EPX vacuum pump. The theoretical part briefly introduces EPX vacuum pump and its operation principle, describes the problem and the critical place and outlines possible causes of failure. The experimental part deals with the investigation of possible causes and is focused mainly with assembly method, shaft design and workmanship, tooling and material properties. The investigation identified a few critical features in shaft design, manufacturing and usage which should be corrected to improve the shaft thread strength.