Shot peening system for gears

Citation

(2000), "Shot peening system for gears", Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials, Vol. 47 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/acmm.2000.12847bab.002

Shot peening system for gears

Shot peening system for gears

Keywords: Land Rover, USF Vacu-Blast, Shot peening

Land Rover has installed a USF Vacu-Blast programmable shot peening system at its Solihull plant to enhance the fatigue performance of gearbox components used in the "Range Rover", "Discovery" and "Defender" models.

This follows the installation of two almost identical Vacu-Blast automatic gear peeners at the BMW Group's Birmingham plant. The company has also supplied similar systems to other European car manufacturers, as well as to a number of Formula 1 and performance car transmission specialists in the UK. The techniques employed in the equipment were pioneered by the company in the aerospace industry.

The Land Rover peener has been specified to produce a consistent and repeatable residual compressive stress on identified areas of casehardened gearbox components, to increase their resistance to fatigue failure and improve torque performance. It can handle a production rate of 2,600 components sets, each comprising five parts, in a 108-hour working week.

The peener has a 1.8m x 1.8m x 1.5m high processing enclosure and includes an array of four pressure-fed nozzles, which use steel shot to achieve the required peening intensity and coverage. Peening is controlled and monitored by a programmable controller, with all processing parameters instantly selectable, according to component type. An in-cycle shot recovery, classification and recycling system ensures that shot size and shape is closely governed in order to maintain peening consistency. Reject shot is automatically replaced with virgin media.

Components are attached to purpose-designed vertical jigs on a six-station indexing turntable. This streamlines production throughput by enabling new parts to be loaded and finished ones off-loaded, whilst others are being processed. After peening, the components progress on a roller conveyor to a washing facility and then onto subsequent gearbox machining and assembly operations.

Details available from: USF Vacu-Blast. Tel: +44 (0) 1753 526511; Fax: +44 (0) 1753 538093; Web site: www.vacu-blast.co.uk