Hi Team,
We are seeing significant cracking on the metallic cylindrical core/housing of our T200 thruster, as shown in the attached photos.
The concerning part is the service life. The thrusters have been in use for approximately 6 months, but they have not been operated continuously. We have conducted only a few ROV trials each month, so the actual operating hours are relatively low.
The cracks appear to have developed progressively around the cylindrical section and are now clearly visible.
Our main questions are:
Is this type of cracking a known failure mode for the T200?
What are the most likely causes of this kind of cracking — for example, corrosion, thermal cycling, mechanical stress, overloading, water ingress, material degradation, or another issue?
What service life would normally be expected for this part under intermittent ROV use?
Could operating the T200 at higher voltage/current or repeated start/stop cycles contribute to this type of damage?
Is the thruster still considered safe to operate when cracks like these are present, or should it be replaced immediately?
Is there a recommended inspection, maintenance, or storage procedure that could prevent this from happening?
We would particularly appreciate input from Blue Robotics on whether this condition is expected, and whether there is a known root cause or recommended corrective action.
We can provide additional information such as operating voltage, current, approximate operating hours, water conditions, number of cycles, and test conditions if required.
Our Operating condition: operating at 16.5V
Photos of the cracked T200 are attached for reference.
Thanks,
