One Minute Mentor: Dimensional Stability in Through-Hardening Bearing Steels
June 27, 2019
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Dimensional stability is a bearing condition of great concern. This means heat treating is conducted to prevent excessive diametral growth in the bearing due to retained austenite transforming to martensite at elevated or subzero service temperatures, or shrinkage due to continued tempering of the martensite at high service temperatures.
Because the entire microstructure of a through-hardening bearing steel is intended to be uniform, it has a homogeneously distributed retained austenite content. If the retained austenite transforms to martensite in service, clearances between bearing rolling elements and raceways can be lost, and the bearing can “lock up,†leading to damage or failure of the machine. This is especially critical for larger diameter bearings, because the size change (diametral growth) is proportionally larger and consumes more of the clearances built into the bearing.
To prevent this, the amount of retained austenite must be carefully measured and controlled. Percent retained austenite in a bearing steel often is accurately measured using x-ray diffraction techniques.The heat treatment of 52100 bearing steel must be controlled to produce a level of retained austenite that the bearing can tolerate in service. This often is considered to be <10% for most applications (nonstabilized) and <3% (stabilized) for superprecision applications.
Figure 2 shows that austenitizing temperature and tempering temperature can be tailored to produce low amounts of retained austenite in the finished bearing. Indeed, the 232 °C (450 °F) A tempering temperature of 230 °C (450 °F) is particularly effective in transforming any retained austenite to tempered martensite. The international standard DIN 623 Rolling Bearings provides a guide for tempering 52100 to achieve adequate dimensional stability at specific service temperatures.
For more information, click on the link below (subscription required), then scroll down the Chapter Contents on the left of the page, and click on Dimensional Stability in Through-Hardening Bearing Steels.
https://dl.asminternational.org/handbooks/book/9/chapter/110017/Heat-Treatment-of-Bearings
Dimensional stability is a bearing condition of great concern. This means heat treating is conducted to prevent excessive diametral growth in the bearing due to retained austenite transforming to martensite at elevated or subzero service temperatures, or shrinkage due to continued tempering of the martensite at high service temperatures.
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Heat Treat 2019 paper abstract: High Pressure Gas Quenching Evolution
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This presentation from ECM USA, Pleasant Prairie, Wis., is a report on gas quenching technology, which has been involved in heat treating for years and has been considered by many heat treaters to be limited to single-chamber furnaces. These include 2, 6, 10, and 12-bar gas quenching systems with varying methods of introducing the gas through the load.
However, over the past 20 years, HIGH pressure gas quenching has evolved tremendously. This technology produces gas quenching that provides properly hardened carbon steels for many applications, including most automotive transmission products today.
Through the years the technology in high-pressure gas quenching has improved, and the amount and method of cooling has also improved. Along with new steels with higher hardenability, we will show the evolution of high pressure gas quenching in heat treating, and the systems available today, with data on various loads at various cooling rates.
Tuesday, October 15, 2019: 10:40 AM
Mr. Dennis Beauchesne , ECM-USA, Inc., Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin
www.ecm-usa.com
https://asm.confex.com/asm/ht2019/webprogram/meeting.html
This presentation from ECM USA, Pleasant Prairie, Wis., is a report on gas quenching technology, which has been involved in heat treating for years and has been considered by many heat treaters to be limited to single-chamber furnaces.
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Heat Treat 2019 paper abstract: The Future of the Integral Quench Furnace
June 26, 2019
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A presentation by Seco Vacuum, Seco Warwick, and the Herring Group covers progress in carburizing technology, in which atmosphere gas and low-pressure vacuum carburizing are well known, well-established, and distinct processes.
However, rarely do these two technologies compete in the same commercial space. Gas carburizing in integral (sealed) oil quench furnaces is the workhorse of the industry, while low-pressure carburizing produces the absolute best quality. Combining the best of both methods will result in a more competitive future!
The changing workforce and the demand for global competitiveness in manufacturing are the motivating factors behind combining the best of both atmosphere and vacuum carburizing technology into a single piece of equipment whose total cost of ownership makes the technology competitive.
Engineers have been struggling for years to find an alternative to the use of endothermic gas and/or nitrogen-methanol system to create and control a carrier gas atmosphere. The future demands that no endothermic gas be used.
After several years of research, a practical solution has emerged, been tested, and deployed. This paper provides some of the extensive results, features, motivation, and plans for the next generation of integral quench furnaces.
Heat Treat 19, Detroit, Mich.
Tuesday, October 15, 2019: 9:40 AM
Mr. Mark Hemsath, Seco Vacuum Technologies LLC, Meadville, Pa. www.secovacusa.com
Prof. Daniel H. Herring , The Herring Group Inc., Elmhurst, Ill. www.heat-treat-doctor.com
Mr. Tomasz Przygonski, Seco Warwick S.A., Swiebodzin, Polandwww.secowarwick.com
https://www.asminternational.org/web/heat-treat-2019
A presentation by Seco Vacuum, Seco Warwick, and the Herring Group covers progress in carburizing technology, in which atmosphere gas and low-pressure vacuum carburizing are well known, well-established, and distinct processes.
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Ipsen doubles the number of engineers in the field to boost heat treating furnace life
June 24, 2019
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Ipsen USA, Cherry Valley, Ill., recently embarked on an initiative to double the number of Regional Sales Engineers (RSEs) by year-end, with the objective of improving furnace performance and increasing service life.
"The North American market has proven the need for a strong and technically diverse field support team," said Ipsen President and CEO Patrick McKenna. "We believe that quality product designs are born from investment in supporting customers."
"We know the importance of helping our customers with aftermarket products and services on both Ipsen and non-Ipsen equipment," said Ipsen Vice President of Sales Pete Kerbel. The expanding group of RSEs will continue to include individuals with diverse skills and backgrounds, many with experience in engineering, machine repair, and metallurgical processes. They perform furnace inspections, develop system health reports, and offer solutions through their expertise in parts, service, retrofits, and repairs.
www.ipsenusa.com
Ipsen USA, Cherry Valley, Ill., recently embarked on an initiative to double the number of Regional Sales Engineers (RSEs) by year-end, with the objective of improving furnace performance and increasing service life.
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Seco vacuum temper furnace designed for tempering and stress relieving cutting tools
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Seco Vacuum Technologies, Meadville, Pa., announces that a global manufacturer of cutting tools has purchased an additional vacuum temper furnace for its North American manufacturing operations. The new furnace, which will be used for tempering and stress relieving metal parts, is part of the company’s growing manufacturing expansion and complements another commissioned earlier in 2019 at this facility.
The horizontal, front-loading furnace is purpose-built to accommodate the customer’s needs with an all-metal hot zone for clean vacuum processing. As with the earlier furnaces, one of which was installed at a different facility, the new furnace includes a convection fan and a pressurized gas quench for quick cooling.
Seco Vacuum provides consultation, project engineering, installation, and aftermarket support from its Meadville headquarters via the company’s Seco Visory team consulting service. This is a unique, cost-free service for qualified companies. It allows heat treaters to examine their needs, evaluate equipment options appropriate to those needs, and make an informed decision with the help of heat treatment experts.
www.secovacusa.com
Seco Vacuum Technologies, Meadville, Pa., announces that a global manufacturer of cutting tools has purchased an additional vacuum temper furnace for its North American manufacturing operations.
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Air Products develops gas density sensor to measure hydrogen in heat treating furnaces
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Air Products, Lehigh Valley, Pa., introduces its new gas density sensor, which helps heat treaters achieve production efficiencies in a variety of furnaces for hydrogen concentration measurement in the hot zone and cooling zone for nitrogen-hydrogen atmospheres.
The innovative gas density sensor continuously measures the hydrogen percentage of the furnace atmosphere, enabling heat treaters to optimize the hydrogen concentration needed to produce quality parts. By continuously measuring and controlling the furnace atmosphere, the sensor also helps heat treaters reduce costs and comply with regulatory requirements and industry standards such as Nadcap and CQI-9.
With its compact design, the gas density sensor can be installed in minutes in-situ or in sampling lines together with other sensors. The sensor also allows for additional capabilities, such as process advisor, local alarms on upset process conditions, and predictive maintenance.
With laboratories in Allentown, Pa., Air Products can perform metals processing research and applications development, as well as testing for simulating, troubleshooting and optimizing customer operations. Frequently used work tools include heat treating furnaces with a wide variety of atmospheres, metallurgical examinations, atmosphere analyses, thermodynamic equilibrium and diffusional calculations, as well as computational fluid dynamics modeling. Air Products provides customer support for ongoing operational efficiency, product quality improvements, and new process development projects.
www.airproducts.com/mp
Air Products, Lehigh Valley, Pa., introduces its new gas density sensor, which helps heat treaters achieve production efficiencies in a variety of furnaces for hydrogen concentration measurement in the hot zone and cooling zone for nitrogen-hydrogen atmospheres.
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Safran, Oerlikon to invest $9 million in R&D lab and tech platform for aerospace coatings
June 21, 2019
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Safran, Oerlikon, Limoges University, and the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) announced at the Paris Air Show that they have agreed to form two organizations to develop advanced surface treatments for aerospace applications.
"The planned creation of a joint Safran/Oerlikon/CNRS/University of Limoges research lab specializing in thermal spray coating technologies is the culmination of a long-standing partnership that started over 15 years ago with a number of research contracts and doctoral theses," noted Jean-Luc Moullet, Chief Technology Transfer Officer at the CNRS.
The collaboration will include a joint research laboratory called Protheis, and a technology platform called Safir, and both will be located at Limoges. With an investment of more than $9 million, this platform will be used to translate the joint lab's scientific work into concrete technologies, while also being available to work for other transport, energy, and electronics companies.
These two new entities will help Safran enhance its surface treatment capabilities, to make lighter and longer-lasting products capable of reducing noise and nitrogen oxide emissions. The lab's roadmap also provides for developing the numerical simulation of processes, in line with Safran Factory of the Future initiative, based on capturing, storing, analyzing, and exploiting production data to ensure control over product quality.
Oerlikon expects the collaboration to advance its already-strong support of the aerospace industry along the entire value chain. Oerlikon contributes to the partnership with deep and long-standing expertise in advanced materials, surface engineering, and high-end, industrial equipment to increase competitiveness in the industry.
https://www.safran-group.com/media/
Safran, Oerlikon, Limoges University, and the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) announced at the Paris Air Show that they have agreed to form two organizations to develop advanced surface treatments for aerospace applications.
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Lawrence Berkeley Lab develops map of possible stable ternary nitride compounds
June 19, 2019
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Lawrence Berkeley Lab, Calif., in close collaboration with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and other institutions, has developed a large interactive stability map of the ternary nitrides, highlighting nitride compositions. Stable phases are indicated on the ternary phase diagram shown by a blue square. So far, the map has yielded the prediction of 244 new stable ternary nitride compounds.
Formed by elements combining with nitrogen, nitrides can possess unique properties with potential applications from semiconductors to industrial coatings. But before nitrides can be put to use, they first must be discovered – and the odds of finding them in nature are slim.
“For ancient explorers, sailing into the unknown was a very risky endeavor, and in the same way, exploration of new chemical spaces can also be risky,†explained Wenhao Sun, lead author of the paper and staff scientist at Berkeley Lab. “If you don’t find a new material where you are looking, it can be a big waste of time and effort. Our chemical map can help to guide the exploratory synthesis of nitrides, just as maps helped to guide explorers, allowing them to navigate better.â€
https://newscenter.lbl.gov/2019/06/17/groundbreaking-study-maps-out-paths-to-new-nitride-materials/
Lawrence Berkeley Lab, Calif., in close collaboration with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and other institutions, has developed a large interactive stability map of the ternary nitrides, highlighting nitride compositions.
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Norsk Titanium completes Boeing Materials Allowables, 3D prints Questek titanium wire
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Norsk Titanium, Norway, announces the successful completion of the latest phase of Boeing’s rigorous Material Allowables Program, which characterizes the titanium alloys manufactured by the AM rapid plasma deposition process. This significant milestone, and the completion of all pre-production requirements, enables Norsk to begin long-term production of select structural titanium parts upon completion of contractual terms.
“We have prepared all necessary production operations facilities, equipment, and personnel to coincide with this Boeing milestone, enabling high-rate production following qualification. Our facility in Plattsburgh, New York, is truly a 21st century advanced additive manufacturing center of excellence, and the work of the Norsk and Boeing teams to prepare for this moment has been outstanding,†said Norsk President and CEO Michael Canario.
Following the successful qualification of the first additive-manufactured structural titanium component certified for commercial use, Norsk has been in continuous production for more than two years. During that time, Norsk and Boeing have continued to work to expand additive manufacturing applications. Furthermore, Norsk successfully qualified its Plattsburgh Development and Qualification Center (PDQC), demonstrating that the same parts could be successfully manufactured on multiple machines in multiple locations.
Norsk also announces that it has successfully printed QuesTek’s custom titanium wire in support of initial material properties testing. QuesTek thoroughly evaluated the microstructure and measured the properties in several heat-treated conditions, including various combinations of stress relief and solution treatment. Superior performance versus Ti-6-4 has been demonstrated.
The highest-performance condition was a basic one-hour solution treatment for which an average ultimate tensile strength of 147 ksi and an average elongation of 18% were measured. This represents an increase in both strength and elongation over standard Ti-6Al-4V, while maintaining fatigue performance.
The typical Ti-6Al-4V microstructure shows an alpha-beta structure consisting of packets of parallel alpha laths, while QuesTek’s titanium alloy is an alpha-prime martensitic structure with a “basket weave†morphology of martensitic-formed alpha-prime plates. The non-parallel and refined nature of the plate martensite structure in QuesTek’s alloy is believed to be responsible for the increased strength and toughness compared to coarser, parallel alpha laths of conventional Ti-6Al-4V. QuesTek’s alloying element contributes an enhanced response to heat treatment, beneficial for both strength and elongation properties.
www.norsktitanium.com
Norsk Titanium, Norway, announces the successful completion of the latest phase of Boeing’s rigorous Material Allowables Program, which characterizes the titanium alloys manufactured by the AM rapid plasma deposition process.
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EWI additive manufacturing projects include alloys, powders, processes, testing
June 17, 2019
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Edison Welding Institute (EWI), Columbus, Ohio, announces that its Additive Manufacturing Consortium (AMC) research projects for 2019 include studies of Inconel 625 and 718, powder measurement techniques, surface finishing, and more.
AMC member companies pool their membership fees to conduct pre-competitive research on high interest topics chosen by its members. In addition to receiving millions of dollars of research data each year, they are also able to take part in quarterly AMC meetings, learn directly from experts, and network with professionals who face similar challenges.
Projects for 2019:
--Study of Inconel 625 & 718 with a focus of looking at the creep and fatigue resistance of the parts
--Comparison of the various powder measurement techniques to identify what technology provides the best comparable data for a specific type of powder
--Exploration of the best parameters to use in Laser Power Bed Fusion (L-PBF) system for specific complex features (ie: bridges or thin walls)
--Evaluation of all of the melt pool monitoring systems on the market and comparing the results from each
--Examination NDE techniques work to see which are best for complex AM printed part geometries
--Study of surface finishing techniques, focusing on how they improve fatigue resistance
--Comparison of “new†AM technologies and existing AM processes.
www.ewi.org
Edison Welding Institute (EWI), Columbus, Ohio, announces that its Additive Manufacturing Consortium (AMC) research projects for 2019 include studies of Inconel 625 and 718, powder measurement techniques, surface finishing, and more.
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