TY - JOUR AB - Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to identify a failure mechanism of an industrial tube and recommend corrective actions to improve the reliability of the entire unit.Design/methodology/approach– Metallurgical failure investigation process included mainly stereo‐, light optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) as the main analytical tools for material characterization and root cause analysis.Findings– The investigation findings, obtained by fractographic and metallographic evaluation, suggest strongly that the failure was caused by the operation of low cycle fatigue (LCF) mechanism initiated from the inner side and propagated towards the outer tube surface, assisted by the superposition of applied and residual stress fields.Originality/value– This paper deals with an industrial case history, providing the findings of failure investigation of a compact refrigeration system, presented principally from structural material/component standpoint and highlighting recommendations for improvement and failure prevention. VL - 4 IS - 1 SN - 1757-9864 DO - 10.1108/17579861311303627 UR - https://doi.org/10.1108/17579861311303627 AU - Pantazopoulos George AU - Zormalia Sylvia AU - Vazdirvanidis Athanasios ED - Sp. Pantelakis PY - 2013 Y1 - 2013/01/01 TI - Failure analysis of a copper tube in an industrial refrigeration unit: a case history T2 - International Journal of Structural Integrity PB - Emerald Group Publishing Limited SP - 55 EP - 66 Y2 - 2024/03/29 ER -