Insane Hydraulics

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When Bronze is Stronger Than Steel

This set of pictures displays an interesting axial piston pump failure - a steel piston split straight in the middle, with one half of the head breaking off and separating itself into a neat-looking "cutaway view".

Usually, when the spherical head of a steel piston reaches a breaking point the bronze slipper should be long gone, but in this case, the head split in half while "still wearing the shoe", therefore we can say that this time the bronze was really tougher than the steel!