Shot Peening Operator Tips by Kumar Balan

The Shot Peening

I
n the current manufacturing world where identifiable during inspection, and their possi-
quality assurance carries more value than ble causes and effects.
quality control, it’s important that you, the
shot peening operator, apply this concept to Oil leakage: Leakage of oil from a gearbox
your shot peening processes. that’s part of the media reclaim system could
In this article, I’ll review four key “quality indicate future motor and gearbox failure,
assurance” equipment inspections that every thereby disrupting machine operation. Needless
shot (and glass bead) peening operator should to say, oil leakage is a safety hazard.
conduct on a regular basis. The underlying
assumption is that we are shot peening, not Media leakage: Assuming that the general
blast cleaning. To refresh, the purpose of clean- housekeeping of your work area is acceptable,
ing is to remove contaminants like rust, scale, any media spillage that’s above the routine
or sand from the surface of a metallic part, or must be investigated. In addition to being a slip
to impart a profile (roughness) on the surface hazard, a media leak indicates several things
to facilitate better coating adhesion. Peening, waiting to go wrong. Most of the time the
on the other hand, induces compressive stress location of the media leak will point you
into the surface of the component. Induced com- towards the source. However, sometimes the
pressive stresses counter the tensile or working source of the leak isn’t obvious, especially in a
stresses during the component’s work life, neu- wheelblast machine with a leak on the ground
tralize the detrimental effect and prevent failure. below the storage hopper. In this case, the
The degree of cleanliness is subjective. In source of leak could be one of the flow control
comparison, peening results are objective and valves, a worn hose, or a leak from the blast
measurable. Peening performance is assessed cabinet being deflected by a machine compo-
by monitoring the intensity and coverage. nent onto the floor below the hopper. The fix
Further, monitoring process variables, such as for each of these is based on the source.
blast media size and shape, media velocity,
media flow rate, etc., determine the repeatability PEENING TIP
and consistency of the peening operation. If the leakage isn’t significant, it may not be
Centrifugal wheel- visually noticeable. However, your intensity
style media propulsion
values and saturation curve will tell the true
systems and compressed
air nozzles are typical story. In an airblast machine, after the media
shot peening machines. flow is registered by your flow control valve to
Our discussion will start be 10 lbs/minute (for example), but not all of
with a very common the media is propelled onto the part due to
exercise that should be
the leak, your results will start straying.
routine for every opera-
tor. I’ll then offer com-
Coverage will not be complete for the same
mon inspection points cycle time as before.
for both types of shot
peening machines. Damage to hoses in an airblast machine:
Kinks in an airblast hose will lead to premature
#1 CONDUCT GENERAL MACHINE INSPECTIONS wear of the hose and potential leakage of shot.
Kumar Balan As mundane and obvious as this sounds, Premature wear not only happens on the out-
is a Product Engineer general machine inspections will help you side of the blast cabinet, but could also take
with Wheelabrator identify issues before they can negatively affect place inside the cabinet when the moving
Group and a presenter the peening process. This exercise won’t take carriage rubs the hose against the cabinet wall.
at the Electronics Inc. more than 10 to 15 minutes, and it should be
Education Division carried out at the start of every shift. Listed Access panels: Open access panels, without
workshops. below are some of the conditions that are safety interlocks, are safety hazards and invite

6 The Shot Peener Summer 2010

the entry of contaminants that could result in foreign plug the holes due to their shape. In such cases, a ball tray
object damage. or other self-cleaning mechanism should be installed with
the classifier unit. Classifier units are built sturdy enough
Limit switches: Loose limit switches could indicate the for peening applications.
incorrect position of a nozzle carriage, risking damage to Common issues with the
the workpiece. classifier almost always
involve the screen itself.
Work handling equipment: If you have an inline machine Three such situations are:
with conveyor rollers, verify that the rollers are turning
properly and in the right direction. Slippage in roller move- 1) Your peening machine is
ment could leave a light part stranded inside the blast discharging a lot of good
cabinet and damage it due to the continuous intense blast. media into the trash container,
I suggest that you run a dry cycle (without blast robbing the system of useable
media) for a few minutes after your inspection, before media. This translates to
running your Almen test strips for the shift. Running a dry frequent machine shut-
cycle will help you find problems before an expensive downs due to lack of media.
landing gear or engine component is loaded into the A possible cause is the top
machine for processing. screen (in a two-deck classifier) is plugged (holes blinded),
preventing media drainage and classification at the next
level.
PEENING TIP
Degree of wear on the blast hose is usually seen in the 2) Your intensity values fluctuate drastically, prohibiting the
form of a ‘soft spot’ on the hose and, in some cases, the plotting of a saturation curve. A possible cause is the
blinding of the bottom screen preventing proper media
damage is clearly visible. A hose wearing on the inside
classification. Right-sized media, along with fines, make
may gradually disintegrate and their way to the blast tank, resulting in incorrect results.
small pieces of rubber
3) The top screen develops a tear or a hole. Replace the
contaminants plug the blast
screen before large contaminants reach your blast tank,
nozzle. The effect of a plugged plug the tank opening, or reach the blast nozzle. This
nozzle on intensity and situation could result in serious foreign object damage.
coverage needs no elaboration.
Respect your classifier and inspect it at least once a week
Therefore, the first sign of such if it’s in a continuous production environment.
contaminants inside your hose
should be an indicator to check PEENING TIP
the hose condition. Use your ears. A good operator is conditioned to recognize
\
unusual sounds. This could be the noise from a loose
#2 WATCH FOR WEAR ON FIXTURES AND MOUNTING component in a blast wheel, a plugged nozzle, a rattling
BLOCKS bucket in the bucket elevator, etc. These irregularities will
Your peening test fixture is blasted more often than the have a detrimental effect on your peening results and lead
actual part and subject to more wear than any other to part damage.
component of the machine. First and foremost, manufac-
ture the fixture from wear-resistant material. The cost of #4 LOOK FOR CABINET WEAR
faulty and incomplete peening results due to fixture wear Though not a common occurrence in an airblast machine,
can be very high. wheelblast machines used for peening undergo gradual
The condition of Almen blocks, their position on the wear. Typically, these machine cabinets are fabricated from
fixture and holding screws for the Almen strips should be wear-resistant alloys such as manganese steel and lined
regularly inspected. with wear-resistant material. However, the travel path of
blast media inside the cabinet is not predictable and a
PEENING TIP single piece of shot could find a gap through a worn liner
If, at the beginning of your shift, you have an insufficiently and start eroding the cabinet wall, eventually leaking out
covered strip, drastically different intensity values, or an of the machine. Cap nuts used to fasten liner plates on to
the cabinet wall also wear and sometimes get dislodged. A
absence of coverage, check the position and condition of
loose cap nut, if not captured by one of the reclaim system
the Almen blocks. components, could reach the blast wheel with disastrous
results. Also, inspect the cabinet wear plates that are
#3 RESPECT YOUR MEDIA CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM directly in line with the blast nozzles as these areas
The media classification unit in your peening machine is experience greater wear. Internal parts of the blast cabinet
an important part of the process. Proper consideration should be inspected on a regular basis, at least once a week.
should be given to the media type before selecting the Watch for more operator tips in the next issue of The
classifier unit. For example, glass bead has a tendency to Shot Peener. l

8 The Shot Peener Summer 2010