Seco Vacuum dual-chamber hybrid furnace provides low pressure carburizing/hardening

September 16, 2019
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Seco Vacuum Technologies, Meadville, Pa., is supplying its signature CaseMaster Evolution dual-chamber vacuum oil quench furnace to an aerospace equipment manufacturer to improve lead times and quality objectives. SVT is working with the company to bring its low-pressure carburizing and hardening work in-house.

“We developed the CaseMaster Evolution to help customers in aerospace and other critical industries solve some of the more challenging issues with traditional integral-quench furnaces, as well as to produce clean parts typical of vacuum furnaces,” says Maciej Korecki, VP Vacuum Heat Treatment Furnaces, Seco Warwick. “So, the CMe is a hybrid combining the best of both worlds, resulting in clean parts from a nontoxic work environment, providing greater repeatability of workloads, with no CO/CO₂ emissions, exhaust hoods, or endothermic generators.”

The CaseMaster Evolution vacuum oil quench furnace is uniquely positioned to improve efficiency in many heat treatment operations by providing multi-chamber capabilities. These include a sealed oil and gas quench chamber that opens new processing opportunities for heat treaters. The CMe utilizes one chamber for vacuum heat treatment, and a second chamber for oil or gas quenching.

In contrast to the company’s current procedure – brining in vacuum LPC and hardening – the CMe’s vacuum LPC heating and quench chambers produce uniform, bright, and high quality parts at high-speeds for an economical workflow, all while using very low consumption of processing media.

www.secovacusa.com  

ASM member George Durfee to receive the ITA 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award

August 12, 2019
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The International Titanium Association (ITA), Denver, Colo., announces that metallurgist George L. Durfee has been named the recipient of the ITA’s 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award. A member of ASM International, Mr. Durfee is a metallurgist who built his career around pioneering applied research projects for the titanium industry at forging company Wyman-Gordon Co. He will be honored at the ITA’s 35th annual Titanium USA conference and exhibition, which will be held Sept. 22–25 at the SMG Mobile Convention Center in Mobile, Alabama.

In the nomination form, Max Schilenger, the president of Flight Rail Corp., Ukiah, Calif., praised Mr. Durfee for “pioneering Ti-6-Al-4V alpha-beta processing knowhow in forging and flow forming.” He pointed out that through Mr. Durfee’s insights and efforts, press and hammer optimal forging of titanium alloys—ceramic and nickel-plated—were critical in producing parts on the legendary Lockheed SR71 Blackbird, the high-speed, long-distance reconnaissance jet. The SR71 was an iconic aircraft that played a key role for the U.S. Air Force during the Cold War era of the 1960s.

Born in 1929 and growing up on a farm in Falls City, Nebraska, Dr. Durfee was fascinated by the welding and repair of metal farm equipment—what he referred to as “blacksmith work.” He received a scholarship to Michigan Tech (today known as Michigan Technical University in Houghton, Mich.) and graduated in 1951. As a student at Michigan Tech, his research on thermal analysis of metals and ceramic coatings used in forgings would prove to be essential as a foundation for his career in the titanium industry. 

Hands-on, applied research became his calling when he joined Wyman-Gordon on Aug. 1, 1954. Initially, his assignments at Wyman-Gordon involved micro-polishing and heat treating to improve the in-service performance of high-temperature alloys and large aluminum forgings used in aerospace programs. In April 1955, he was assigned to a high-priority project: develop Ti-6Al-4V forgings and present a plan for the approval of Pratt & Whitney for the production of compressor disks, which would be used in the J57 engines to power the Boeing B52 long-distance bomber, another iconic military aircraft.

In order to reduce friction and minimize surface defects of the forged titanium compressor disks, he developed the use of ceramic coatings for the starting metal before the metal was heated for forging. The ceramic coatings significantly improved uniform part geometry. Pratt & Whitney, in November 1955, approved Ti-6Al-4V as the bill of material for jet engine compressor discs used on the J57 turbo-jet engines.

In another important project at Wyman-Gordon, Mr. Durfee created procedures for chemically applying a nickel coating on a proprietary titanium aerospace alloy used for forged aerospace parts. As a result, he received a patent for the electroless nickel plating of titanium. In a separate effort, he pioneered flow forming Ti-6Al-4V and, along with co-inventors, was granted a patent.

www.titanium.org

https://titanium.org/page/AchievementAward

Aeromet aluminum A20X additive manufacturing alloy exceeds 500 MPa ultimate strength

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Aeromet International Ltd., United Kingdom, announces that A20X, the aluminum alloy developed and patented by Aeromet, has cemented its status one of the strongest aluminum additive manufacturing powders commercially available after surpassing the key 500 MPa UTS mark.

As part of a recent research project involving aero-engine giant Rolls-Royce and additive manufacturing equipment specialist Renishaw, heat-treated parts produced of A20X powder have achieved an ultimate tensile strength of 511 MPa (74 ksi), a yield strength of 440 MPa (64 ksi) and elongation of 13%. This places the powder at the forefront of high-strength aluminum additive manufacturing. Crucially, parts additively manufactured with A20X powder maintain high strength and fatigue properties even at elevated temperatures, outperforming other leading aluminum powders.

According to Mike Bond, Director of Advanced Material Technology at Aeromet, “Since bringing the A20X alloy to market for additive manufacturing five years ago, we have seen significant adoption for high-strength, design-critical applications. By working with Rolls-Royce, Renishaw, and Phoenix Scientific Industries Ltd. (PSI), we have optimized processing parameters that led to record-breaking results, opening up new design possibilities for aerospace and advanced engineering applications.”

The HighSAP project, backed by the UK’s National Aerospace Technology Exploitation Programme (NATEP), was led by Aeromet and involved Rolls-Royce, Renishaw, and atomization expert PSI.

The A20X powder for additive manufacturing is derived from the MMPDS-approved A20X casting alloy, the world’s strongest aluminum casting alloy, which is in use by a global network of leading aerospace casting suppliers.

www.aeromet.co.uk

www.a20x.com

www.natep.org.uk

Exactatherm awarded Nadcap Merit accreditation for heat treatment from PRI

August 6, 2019
Source: ASM International

Haynes Ni-Mo-Cr-W alloy designed for low thermal expansion at 1400°F in gas turbines

July 31, 2019
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Haynes International, Kokomo, Ind., announces that it has new alloy data for Haynes 244, a new Ni-Mo-Cr-W alloy developed for static parts in advanced gas turbine engines that require low thermal expansion at temperatures up to 1400°F.

Alloy 244 offers a higher maximum service temperature than other low thermal-expansion alloys currently available, including a 100 to 200°F improvement over Haynes 242 alloy. The alloy is age-hardenable by formation of Ni2 (Cr,Mo,W) domains, which are structurally similar to the strengthening domains in 242 alloy. Judicious alloying with tungsten increased the thermal stability of these domains and lowered the coefficient of thermal expansion. Other important properties such as oxidation resistance and low-cycle fatigue performance are comparable to or better than those of the 242 alloy.

The 244 alloy exhibits very good oxidation resistance at temperatures up to 1400°F, and should not require protective coatings for continuous or intermittent service at these temperatures. The alloy is not specifically designed for service at higher temperatures, but can tolerate short-term exposures.

To view Haynes data, please click here.

www.haynesintl.com