Through macroscopic examination,composition analysis,metallographic examination,tensile property test and hardness test,the causes of tube explosion of the elbow of the platen superheater in a thermal power plant are analyzed.Due to long-time overheating,the burst tube section of the platen superheater has serious spheroidization and mechanical strength reduction,at the same time,the wall thickness of the outer arc side of the elbow is relatively thin,and there are pits on the inner wall of the tube,resulting in stress concentration.The superposition of multiple factors finally leads to the burst of the outer arc side of the elbow in this tube section.The corresponding suggestions and treatment measures are put forward in the paper.