Equipment that is used in the oil and gas, energy, and chemical industries requires serious investment. Then, the industrial parts used in heavy-duty equipment experiences considerable wear and tear from prolonged use, introducing even more cost concerns.
That’s why protecting your equipment’s critical parts to extend their durability and longevity is a smart move for these industries. One way to support this objective is through the shot peening finishing treatment.
Why Take Advantage of Shot Peening?
Shot peening is a type of cold-working process that is capable of treating industrial parts without causing damage.
Many commercial metals such as carbon steel, aluminum, and copper tubing can be put through the process. And, by using different shot peening methods, you can achieve desired results improving the composition of the part.
This shot peening process has many benefits, which you may already be familiar with. The common advantages of shot peening include:
- Increases the fatigue strength of industrial parts.
- Improves fatigue life of equipment such as in bearings and shafts.
- Improves gear teeth bending strength.
- Prevents common damage such as cracking, galling, and fretting.
- Increases strength and longevity of metals.
It is without question that shot peening is beneficial to industrial parts in any heavy-duty equipment. But, there are other advantages to shot peening that you may not be aware of.
Additional Shot Peening Advantages For Critical Parts
Consider these three shot peening advantages that you may not have considered.
1. Reduced Waste or Replacement Costs
You may not have considered that shot peening treatment helps reduce waste and replacement costs.
For example, consider a shaft. An initially-straight shaft can become deformed and bent from prolonged use. Damage often occurs during operation or rigging. And, the first thought for many professionals in the field is to get rid of or replace the damaged or worn part. However, shot peening can solve the problem through straightening.
Straightening helps return shafts back into tolerance after being bent during operation. Instead of throwing out the part, keep the part, use shot peening to restore the part, reduce the amount of waste your company produces, and avoid an unnecessary cost from replacing the part.
2. Expose and Eliminate Hidden Corrosion
One of the most important advantages of shot peening is addressing the costly and frustrating effects of corrosion on metal parts.
Corrosion is the slow destruction of refined metals. This undesired process happens when a part experiences a chemical or electrochemical reaction with the surrounding environment.
This gradual deterioration of metals is something that any supervisor or professional in the field does not want to see. Corrosion is known to cause these disadvantages to both the parts and the equipment that uses the parts:
- Changes to the physical appearance of metal
- Decrease in the efficiency of machines
- Decrease in the life span of metal parts
- Loss of metal from the surface
- Change to the chemical property of parts
One problem with corrosion is that it is not always visible to the naked eye. For example, metal that surrounds metal fasteners, nails, and screws is often subject to sub-surface corrosion. When corrosion happens beneath the surface, it can produce spongy rot, causing the top layer of metal to be forced up into different shapes.
That’s where shot peening comes into play helping address problems throughout the part. Spot peening can help strengthen the metal, while at the same time removing any hidden corrosion in suspected problem areas of the industrial parts.
3. Enhance Lubricity of Metal Parts
Another important advantage of shot peening is enhancing the lubricity of metal parts that interact with other metal parts in equipment.
Metal-on-metal can cause considerable friction. Oftentimes, a lubricant is needed to help with a surface’s sliding contact. Lubricity reduces the amount of friction between metal parts and other materials, making shot peening invaluable to improve a metal part’s lubricity.
When metals go through the spot peening process, they are bombarded with tiny, spherical media. This process not only relieves the metal stress and strengthens its surface, the process also creates small pores on the metal’s surface. These pores then encourage the accumulation of lubricant.
For example, shot peening certain metal parts such as engine pistons, cylinder walls, or spiral bevel gear can help with the retention of oil in gears.
Also, lubrication helps reduce friction and the heat that is created between two surfaces. This keeps the two surfaces apart to prevent wear and tear.
By enhancing lubricity in your equipment’s parts through the shot peening finishing treatment, you are reducing wear and tear in your machinery as well as enhancing its performance.
Consider Shot Peening from Our Company
Superior Shot Peening & Coatings is an industry leader in shot peening commercial parts to enhance durability and performance in heavy-duty equipment.
We will help your company improve the performance of your machinery by shot-peening critical parts. This will increase efficiency, reduce costs from avoiding replacement, and prevent costly downtime in the field.
Let’s take care of the parts used in your equipment to get the most out of your machinery. Contact us today to find out more about our shot peening services and schedule service on your parts.
