kb0fhp Posted December 10, 2010 Share Posted December 10, 2010 As you can tell, I have been absent a lot lately - I have been doing a lot of traveling all over the world working with heat treaters and forge shops. I just thought I would post a few pictures..... All these parts are forged so should be of interest. D. Scott MacKenzie, PhD Heat Treating (Aluminum and Steel) Quenching (Water, Polymer, Oil, Salt and Mar-Tempering) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter johnsson Posted December 10, 2010 Share Posted December 10, 2010 Those are just a little bit bigger than can fit in my long drum furnace... Thank you for showing! Thought provoking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Mayo Posted December 10, 2010 Share Posted December 10, 2010 Cool photos Scott it's neat to see how they heat treat the big stuff. Thanks for posting the pics. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jake cleland Posted December 10, 2010 Share Posted December 10, 2010 awesome. Jake Cleland - Skye Knives www.knifemaker.co.uk "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." "Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe." Albert Einstein Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Sexstone Posted December 10, 2010 Share Posted December 10, 2010 Holly crap Scotty!!!!! beam me with some heat!!!! are those windmill gears do you know? Very cool .... thanks for showing ... jaw dropping Dick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howard Clark Posted December 10, 2010 Share Posted December 10, 2010 Nice to get some size perspective about "big" parts for quenching. Are the gears case hardened and quenched with martensite on the surface, and pearlite cores ? Or is it something different ? I would think martensite hard to get with that large a mass unless it is a special alloy ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Hanson Posted December 10, 2010 Share Posted December 10, 2010 Very cool... Don Hanson lll My Webpage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Price Posted December 10, 2010 Share Posted December 10, 2010 I want to know how they do something that big, with precision gears already cut, without any warping whatsoever. I would have thought the blank drums would be HT'd, and then cut. Respect. The Tidewater Forge Christopher Price, Bladesmith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kb0fhp Posted December 11, 2010 Author Share Posted December 11, 2010 I want to know how they do something that big, with precision gears already cut, without any warping whatsoever. I would have thought the blank drums would be HT'd, and then cut. Respect. Typically the gears are forged then machined. They are then austenitized and caburized for a case of 0.18 to 0.25 inches deep. The cycle takes up to 7 days. The parts are then quenched and tempered. Distortion is an issue - that is why they take care with the type of agitation and racking. Usually they are ground slightly after tempering - but it is kept to a minimum because it is so expensive. The case is martensitic with a pearlitic core. D. Scott MacKenzie, PhD Heat Treating (Aluminum and Steel) Quenching (Water, Polymer, Oil, Salt and Mar-Tempering) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kb0fhp Posted December 11, 2010 Author Share Posted December 11, 2010 (edited) Holly crap Scotty!!!!! beam me with some heat!!!! are those windmill gears do you know? Very cool .... thanks for showing ... jaw dropping Dick Yes - they are the gears for the windmill transmission. These are 1.5MW wind turbines - the 5MW wind turbines are larger. The diameter of the blades is typically about 6+ feer in diameter - I can stand in the middle of the blades - they are also about 90 feet long. The pod at the top of the mast is about the size of a tractor trailer. Typical quench tank size is about 40,000 gallons, with many of the quench tanks being 60,000 gallons. These pictures were taken in the US, Brazil and China. One of the problems is that there is a shortage of qualified heat treaters with knowledge of quenching and control of distortion. One thing I saw was quenching a 800T part into 1,000,000 gallons of quench oil - very impressive. The forges are amazing from the basic shaping of the billet to the actual forging of the blank. Typical weight of the hear treated gears is 25,000 pounds each. Ring rolling is used extensively for the large bearings used for yaw and pitch of the turbine blades. I have more pictures if anyone is interested. But I thought you would be interested in seeing how forging a small blade is related to larger industrial applications. Edited December 11, 2010 by kb0fhp D. Scott MacKenzie, PhD Heat Treating (Aluminum and Steel) Quenching (Water, Polymer, Oil, Salt and Mar-Tempering) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kb0fhp Posted December 11, 2010 Author Share Posted December 11, 2010 Nice to get some size perspective about "big" parts for quenching. Are the gears case hardened and quenched with martensite on the surface, and pearlite cores ? Or is it something different ? I would think martensite hard to get with that large a mass unless it is a special alloy ? That is basically correct - they use special alloys - think 4320 for the core, and carburized. Distortion can be an issue but is generally controlled by racking and control of agitation (they also use our oil for precision quenching). It is very cool to see them quenching these gears, bearings and big shafts. It is the reason why I love heat treating. D. Scott MacKenzie, PhD Heat Treating (Aluminum and Steel) Quenching (Water, Polymer, Oil, Salt and Mar-Tempering) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Sexstone Posted December 11, 2010 Share Posted December 11, 2010 Cool Scott. Yes , I'd like to see more... Do you have any shots of them being forged? Thanks for showing ... it is really nice to have an industrial expert add his two cents to a bunch of bladesmiths.... we really appeciate your input and insight... it's invaluable.... Thanks, Dick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.Arthur Loose Posted December 11, 2010 Share Posted December 11, 2010 Can you do me a favor and stick a few blades inside one of those things when no one's looking? Thanks for posting that. I'd love to see a video of the actual quench. I bet that's exciting! jloose.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kb0fhp Posted December 11, 2010 Author Share Posted December 11, 2010 Can you do me a favor and stick a few blades inside one of those things when no one's looking? Thanks for posting that. I'd love to see a video of the actual quench. I bet that's exciting! Next time I am there I will try and take some video. Lots of flames and stuff. D. Scott MacKenzie, PhD Heat Treating (Aluminum and Steel) Quenching (Water, Polymer, Oil, Salt and Mar-Tempering) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kb0fhp Posted December 11, 2010 Author Share Posted December 11, 2010 Cool Scott. Yes , I'd like to see more... Do you have any shots of them being forged? Thanks for showing ... it is really nice to have an industrial expert add his two cents to a bunch of bladesmiths.... we really appeciate your input and insight... it's invaluable.... Thanks, Dick I have the pictures on my work PC - I will try loading some from work. D. Scott MacKenzie, PhD Heat Treating (Aluminum and Steel) Quenching (Water, Polymer, Oil, Salt and Mar-Tempering) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Salvati Posted December 12, 2010 Share Posted December 12, 2010 Scott, thank you so much for sharing! I am very jealous of your journey! Let not the swords of good and free men be reforged into plowshares, but may they rest in a place of honor; ready, well oiled and God willing unused. For if the price of peace becomes licking the boots of tyrants, then "To Arms!" I say, and may the fortunes of war smile upon patriots Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deker Posted December 12, 2010 Share Posted December 12, 2010 Wow, just amazing Scott! I'd love to see more pictures and any video you can capture. Thanks for sharing. -d Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polarbearforge Posted December 12, 2010 Share Posted December 12, 2010 Holy cow. That is cool. I'd also love to see more pictures. Thanks for sharing! Jamie Jamie Boley Polar Bear Forge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Sexstone Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 Scott, Hope you can scrape together some of those pics... Perhaps you can't show some cause of info protection? but we'd like to see ones that you could show.... Time flies and I understand how busy you must get with your traveling.. I thought I would bump this to see if it jogs your memory.. Thanks, Dick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Furrer Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 (they also use our oil for precision quenching). Scott, What is the personal and company (as a rep expert) pucker factor when you have gone all that way to "watch"? Ric Richard Furrer Door County Forgeworks Sturgeon Bay, WI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kb0fhp Posted January 3, 2011 Author Share Posted January 3, 2011 Scott, What is the personal and company (as a rep expert) pucker factor when you have gone all that way to "watch"? Ric There is always a "pucker" factor - Hopefully whenever I do a fill like that I have looked at all the mitigating factors like quench rate, part alloy, thickness, agitation, quenchant used - and how to control the concentration (if polymer). Luckily I have only had one failure and that was because of agitation issues. I thought it was stronger than it was - after we corrected it, it worked like a champ. Regardless of what you are doing - there is always a risk - that is why they pay me the big bucks - to minimize risk to the company; the customer, and to the part. One I get to the actual load - it is more of excitement and celebration than anything else. BTW, I am trying to put together some additional pictures. But to give you an idea of the size of the wind turbines - here are some small blades for 1.5MW turbines: Now each of these blades has a yaw and pitch bearing - that means numerous parts from rolled rings that bust be heat treated (typically either 52100 or carburized 9310). The rings, races and bearings (the balls) must be heat treated. D. Scott MacKenzie, PhD Heat Treating (Aluminum and Steel) Quenching (Water, Polymer, Oil, Salt and Mar-Tempering) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Mayo Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 Those are cool pics Scott. A friend of mine that is an iron worker erects these wind turbines he has some amazing pics. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Sexstone Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 Thanks Scott, looking forward to seeing more that one is a "small one" eh? It's cool to see how fast the technology has ramped up both in size and the "tech development" side of it... Dick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kb0fhp Posted July 8, 2011 Author Share Posted July 8, 2011 Thanks Scott, looking forward to seeing more that one is a "small one" eh? It's cool to see how fast the technology has ramped up both in size and the "tech development" side of it... Dick Wind turbines are really a favorite of mine. They have to be forged, machined, heat treated and then assembled. Good solid manufacturing work. It is really cool when they are quenched and knowing that you had a part in it when you see them erected. D. Scott MacKenzie, PhD Heat Treating (Aluminum and Steel) Quenching (Water, Polymer, Oil, Salt and Mar-Tempering) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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