Lindberg MPH stackable box furnaces heat treat maritime equipment

September 13, 2017
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Lindberg MPH, Riverside, Mich., has shipped a Temperite box furnace and a Treet-All box furnace to a manufacturer of maritime equipment. The box furnaces are designed to be used in a stacked configuration or stand alone. They can also be used with a roller quench tank if needed. The box furnaces have work chamber dimensions of 12 x 30x12 inches. " H.

The Temperite and Treet-All are a modular, stackable, and space-saving line of box furnaces that meets and exceeds industry standards for heat-up rates and outer shell temperatures. The over/under box furnaces can be bench-mounted, stacked, or supplied with a furnace stand and quench thank. The optional split quench tank, mounted on wheels, is designed for use with water and oil. Removable work baskets are also included.

The Temperite Box Furnace has a high velocity forced convection heating system and three loading levels with two removable shelves. The work area temperature uniformity is ±1ten inches over the range of 600 to 1400°F. An empty furnace would take approximately 1.5 hours to heat up from ambient to maximum temperature.

The Treet All box furnace has a work area temperature uniformity of ±25°F over the range of 1400 to 2000°F. The furnace is equipped with nitrogen atmosphere capability with retort system.

"The stackable design minimizes floor space and allows for more efficient use of the customer's work space,"- says Kelley Shreve, Applications Engineer.

www.lindbergmph.com

Single-crystal shape memory CuAlMn bar produced by unique heat treating process

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Tohoku University, Japan, reports that its researchers and colleagues have found an economical way to improve the properties of copper-aluminum-manganese 'shape memory' alloys by a unique heat treating method. The method could make way for the mass production of these improved metals for a variety of applications, including earthquake-resistant construction materials.

The alloy is made of copper, aluminum, and manganese, and is a well-known shape memory metal that is easy to cut with machines. Increasing the size of the material's crystals drastically enhances its elasticity. Altering its shape also makes it quite strong. These combined features make it very attractive for building structures that can withstand earthquakes.

Most metals are made of a large number of crystals but, in some cases, their properties improve when they are formed of a single crystal. However, single-crystal metals are expensive to produce. Metallurgists have developed a cheaper production method that takes advantage of a phenomenon known as 'abnormal grain growth.' This process causes the metal's multiple 'grains', or crystals, to grow irregularly, some at the expense of others, when it is exposed to heat.

The team's technique involves several cycles of heating and cooling that result in a single-crystal metal bar 70 cm in length and 15 mm in diameter. According to Toshihiro Omori, the lead researcher in the study, this is very large compared to the sizes of current shape memory alloy bars, making it suitable for building and civil engineering applications.

To produce the large single-crystal bar, the alloy is heated to 900°C, then cooled to 500°C, five times. This is followed by four cycles of heating to 740°C then cooling to 500°C. Finally, the metal is heated one last time to 900°C. Omitting the lower temperature heating (740°C)/cooling (500°C) cycles does not lead to the single-crystal result.

"Since the present technique is advantageous for mass production of single crystals because of the simplicity of the process, this finding opens the way for applications of shape memory single crystals for structural materials, such as for seismic applications in buildings and bridges," conclude the researchers in their study published in the journal Nature Communications.

http://www.tohoku.ac.jp/en/press/improving_earthquake_resistance.html

Plasma-sprayed aluminum-titanium coating to protect U.K. aircraft carrier deck

February 4, 2017
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The Aircraft Carrier Alliance, U.K., reports that a plasma spray aluminum-titanium coating has been developed by British companies specifically to protect the flight deck of the new Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers from the heat that results from the immense thrust of the engines of its F-35B Lightning II fighter jets.  

The specialized thermal spray coating is being applied to sections of the vast flight deck of HMS Queen Elizabeth using a specially developed robotic spray that fires powdered metal through a jet of plasma at temperatures of almost 18,000°F. The molten droplets then flatten and quickly solidify, creating a tough but rough coating 2 to 2.5 mm thick that is bonded to the steel beneath. Approximately 2000 square meters of the 19,000 square-meter flight deck will be coated, with the work due to be completed prior to sea trials in early 2017.

The coating is made of a combination of aluminum and titanium powders, and can withstand temperatures of up to 2700°F. Developed in partnership with Monitor Coatings, based in Tyne and Wear, the material is expected to provide long-term protection through the 50-year life of the carriers. It is an important part of the work underway to prepare HMS Queen Elizabeth for sea trials this year and flight trials in 2018.

The QE Class ships, which include the Queen Elizabeth and the Prince of Wales, will each provide eight acres of sovereign territory to be deployed around the world. They will be versatile enough to be used for operations ranging from supporting war efforts to providing humanitarian aid and disaster relief.

According to Captain Simon Petitt, Senior Naval Officer of HMS Queen Elizabeth, "The new flight deck coating is one of the many 21st Century engineering innovations being incorporated in the Queen Elizabeth Class program. As the largest warships ever built for the Royal Navy, these powerful ambassadors will protect U.K. interests around the globe for the next 50 years."

The Aircraft Carrier Alliance has four members, three of which are industrial: Babcock, BAE Systems, and Thales UK. The fourth, the UK Ministry of Defence, has a dual role, acting as a member of the Alliance as the customer.

While both aircraft carriers will enter service under the white ensign of the Royal Navy, they will ultimately be utilized by all three sectors of the UK Armed Forces.

http://www.aircraftcarrieralliance.co.uk/media/latest-news