Can you elaborate on the " torsional or radial " failure?
Radial= the static load on the shaft
Torsional= twisting load
Simple commentary- you didn't come close to either in terms of overloading an axle
Can you elaborate on the " torsional or radial " failure?
Seems like the simplest explanation is the lug nuts came loose over time, here is yet another gem, this is a frequent occurrence. But I get you point about the rest of it.
Take some more pictures of the wheel well, specifically the brake line, what does the end look like?
If it had a caliper rotor and pads when you left ....and got ripped off on the road .... all the fluid would have leaked out when you pushed the brakes the first time, or when you pushed the brake to shift into drive to move it off the trailer.
I also find it hard to believe that if you retraced your steps and didn't find a wheel. Ok but how about the rotor, caliper or pads?
Also take a picture of the hub with a piece of paper that has TODAYS DATE on it just so we know you aren't full of it.
Lug nuts "working loose" ( when tensioned properly) is a virtual impossibility and anecdotal articles and claims wont change that.
In this case specifically, the "evidence" is sketchy, somewhat contradictory and incomplete at best.
The rotor had to be removed due to the caliper retaining it.
The remaining lugs APPEAR to indicate that the nuts were already at the end of the thread or even totally missing based on a blow up and seeing the deep corrosion and scarring. ( emphasis on "appears" as the pictures are not of the best quality and totally conclusive)
Also, if you accept where the snapped one was, it indicates it was tightened. If that's the case then one could reasonably say that when it snapped, the rim "walked" ( wobbled) outward till it went out on its own. ( whether it backed off nuts or they were not present will forever be an unknown)
If we accept that picture as evidence they were there- those pictures don't address if they were tight or there was enough thread integrity ( lug or nut) to hold tension if they were properly tightened.
Lots of circumstantial and speculative "evidence" but very few facts to draw a conclusion from.
But to state that an "overload" on a trailer caused this is total unadulterated BS.
Can you write several paragraphs of your report? Rewriting the report in a format that's coherent towards the owner.
Such as:
I am an independent contractor mechanic,... based on the evidence I reviewed based on photos of the crash, I came to this conclusion. considering x, y and z, this is my understanding of what happened. The axle is not broken. This is I think what happened. Include your torsional and rotational stuff in it.
Ping me your paypal address and I will bounce you Starbucks/beer type funds.
I am not going to sue the owner, nor does it appear he will sue me, he got no grounds and neither do I but just in case, and I really want to state I am not at fault here.
Any mechanical engineering firm could do this easily should you need the service.