What Does
Shaft Repair Mean?
Shaft repair refers to repairing of shaft when it is worn due to mechanical, hydraulic, or environmental reasons. A shaft may be damaged due to metal to metal friction. It may also be damaged due to effect of corrosive fluid. A worn or damaged shaft needs urgent attention and repairing, otherwise it causes loss of pump or machine failure. The reasons for a worn shaft may be examined through fatigue and overload mechanism.
A shaft may be repaired by laser cladding technology and spray process. Shaft repair kits are also suitable for repairing worn shafts. It help to avoid hardening a shaft.
Corrosionpedia Explains Shaft Repair
The repair of badly worn shafts prevents downtime and scrap costs. Shafts are badly worn when:
- Intolerance machining results in loose components
- Axial loading that is higher than original calculations
- Inadequate interference or inappropriate loads lead to spun bearings
- Use of shafts in adverse environments and at higher operating temperatures
Shaft materials are not fully brittle or ductile. Low or medium-carbon steels and relatively ductile materials are used in almost all motors, reducers, and fans shafts. Consequently, intolerant overload on these materials cause them twist and distort. Though brittle fractures of machine shafts are very rare, rarely will a part of a machine shaft be case-hardened to reduce the wear rate.
Now laser cladding technology is used to repair a wide variety of shafts. In laser cladding, it produces a metallurgical bond that won’t lift or spall under extreme operating conditions. In the past, shafts were repaired by a spray process that also has features of a “mechanical Bond”.
Shaft repair kits are helpful for the repair of worn shafts. These kits are thin-walled stainless steel sleeves. They do not require any modification to the existing seal sizes. Necessary tools are included in the kit for installation on the shaft.