Failure of second-stage compressor rotor blade of a typical Russian fighter-class aero-engine has resulted in few accidents and many incidents. Apart from this, during manufacturing stage there was high rejection rate of this rotor blade in vibrational fatigue tests. Metallurgical investigations of the failed rotor blade reveals that the mode of failure is fatigue. The various reasons of this fatigue crack are micro-inclusion, silica embedment and hydrogen attack. This was analysed from the three different approaches, namely; theoretical stress analysis, basic design and quality control. To contain the possibility of silica embedment and hydrogen attack, sand electro-corrundum blasting and measure-replaced blasting have been taken to control hydrogen embedment.
