Compressor Disc Failures are also known as what?

• A. Cracking
• B. Spalling
• C. Peening
• D. Chunking

Answer: (D)

In a compressor disc failure, the key idea is fragmentation under high-energy conditions. Chunking describes the disc breaking apart into large pieces and being ejected as chunks—this catastrophic fragmentation is the defining outcome of such a failure. Cracking refers to the growth of cracks within the material, which can lead to failure but doesn’t specifically denote the disc breaking into chunks. Spalling means surface flaking or shedding of material, not the whole disc shattering into pieces. Peening is a surface treatment used to introduce compressive stresses to resist cracking, not a type of failure. So, chunking best captures the typical failure behavior of a compressor disc, where the disc shatters into chunks rather than merely cracking or flaking.