Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Vol. 40, Nos.

5–6, 2004

MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY

STRENGTHENING AND REPAIR OF PARTS OF

ROTARY MACHINES BY ELECTROEROSION
ALLOYING

V. B. Tarel’nik and V. S. Martsinkovskii

One way of improving the quality of surface layers and reducing the machine repair cost is repeated restoration of
the shape of the part by applying metal coatings and making them interchangeable.
The most popular techniques for restoration of worn-out surfaces of parts are listed in Table 1.
It can be seen from the table that electroerosion alloying (EEA) technique [1, 2] is by no means inferior and in many
cases is superior to other techniques. The demerits of EEA can be eliminated by refining the EEA technology [3] itself as
well as by applying combined EEA technologies [4, 5].
In rotary machines (screw and centrifugal compressors, blowers, centrifuges, pumps, electric motors, etc.), a major
reason for loss of efficiency is wear of the working surfaces of the rotor shaft or its failure. The useful life of the shaft and
its sturdiness depend on the fatigue strength of the metal.
In addition to the variable forces and frictional torques operating on the shafts, it is also necessary to take account of the fric-
tional forces developed in the sliding bearings. Friction between the surfaces of the shaft journals (necks) and the bushings
of the sliding bearings causes wear of the journals, which depends on the friction conditions that are dictated by a multitude
of factors, such as physicomechanical properties of the shaft and bearing materials, shape and size of the parts, roughness of
the friction surfaces, speed, loading, and thermal conditions in which the friction pairs operate, and so on. During starting
up of the rotary machine, the shaft–bearing junction operates in semidry friction conditions, as a consequence of which the
metal surfaces come into contact, which causes increased wearing of the surfaces. Also, not infrequently the shaft surface is
subjected to wearing at the points where the impellers, couplings, half-couplings, ball and roller bearings, etc., are fitted.
Thus, in repairing shaft type of parts, the main surface that requires restoration and strengthening is the surface of
the shaft journal.
Strengthening and Restoration of Shaft Type of Parts. The technology for strengthening (hardening) surface
layer and restoration of shape of shaft type of parts is based on combining the mutually complementary electroerosion alloy-
ing (EEA) and surface plastic deformation (SPD) technologies. EEA is usable for applying layers of hard wear-resistant
materials on the shaft surfaces to be strengthened or on the worn-out shaft surfaces, whereas SPD, in turn, meets the essen-
tial requirements of the microgeometry of the surfaces being shaped and increases the fatigue strength of the material of the
article [6, 7].
For instance, due to breakdown at the Oddasdasdasdessa Port Works, eccentric scuffing of the surface of the shaft
journal of the electric motor (hereafter, rotor) occurred at the point of setting of the bearing on the half-coupling side, which
caused the armature to wobble as much as 5 mm when the rotor is mounted at the center.
To adjust the centers, the rotor end on the half-coupling side was secured in a four-jaw chuck of a lathe using cop-
per plates,DADASDA which allow the rotor to move relative to its axis without damage to the surface. The free end of the
rotor was adjusted by the center using a copper foil.

TRIZ OOO. Translated from Khimicheskoe i Neftegazovoe Mashinostroenie, No. 6, pp. 47–49, June, 2004.

0009-2355/04/0506-0371 ©2004 Plenum Publishing Corporation 371

TABLE 1

Method of restoration Layer

Merits Demerits Standard part
of part surface thickness, mm

Hard-facing Unlimited Possibility for altering chemical composition Crack formation, warping, Shafts, axles,
of surface layer in a wide range porosity, presence of slag casing parts,
inclusions, decrease in fatigue etc.
strength
Electrochemical Up to 1.5 Increasing hardness and wear resistance Poor adaptability to fitting Shaft journals (necks),
facing and wettability with oil; crankshaft pins,
decrease in fatigue strength stem pins, etc.
Metal spraying Up to 5 Possibility for altering chemical composition Porosity up to 10%; decrease Shaft journals,
of surface layer in a wide range in fatigue strength; poor crankshaft pins,
bonding (adhesion) of bearing liners
transferred and base metal, etc. (bushes)
Electroerosion 0.002–2.000 Raising heat, wear, and corrosion resistance Increase in roughness; Parts requiring
alloying of parts; strong bonding (adhesion) of decrease in fatigue strength; strengthening and
transferred and base metal; no warping or appearance of tensile residual restoration of
buckling; possibility for laying coats of stresses in the surface layer surfaces
pure metals and their alloys, metalloceramic
composites, high-melting (infusible)
compounds, etc.; execution of the process
on local sections without protecting other
surfaces; ease of “incorporation” into the
technological process; compact, reliable,
and portable equipment

The base wobbling taken was: 0.02 mm for armature wobbling, 1.2 mm for wobbling of the shaft journal with a
diameter of 95 mm, and 2.2 mm for wobbling of the shaft journal with a diameter of 75 mm at the point where the half-cou-
pling is fixed. Wobbling of the shaft journals with a diameter of 80 mm at the points where the bearings are set could not be
measured because of damage to their surfaces.
After centering of the rotor and finish-turning on a lathe of all the shaft journals their wobbling was not more than
0.02 mm. The diameters of the shaft journals after turning were 79.8 and 78.25 mm (on the half-coupling side) at the points
of setting of the bearings, 72.64 mm at the point of setting of the half-coupling, and 74.93 mm on the side of the free end of
the shaft.
To protect the keyway from damages, a false key was made.
The worn-out surfaces of all of the four shaft journals were restored to the original state employing the combined
EEA and SPD (by smoothing by a roller) technologies and with due regard for a grinding allowance of 0.4–0.5 mm in diam-
eter. In this case, the metal coating layers are applied alternately by EEA and SPD, i.e., roller smoothing was done after each
run of EEA, which was performed on an ÉIL-9 installation (Fig. 1). The electrode material used was high-strength stainless
steel VNS-2 that corresponds in composition to the steel 08Kh15N5D2T (08Cr15Ni5Cu2Ti).
To restore the dimensions of the shaft journal on the half-coupling side, use was made of maximal conditions in which
the operating current intensity Io of the generator was 20–30 A, which allowed the shaft journal size to be increased to 0.6 mm
in diameter and more in a single run. In restoring the dimensions of the journals on the free end side of the shaft, use was made
of milder conditions in which Io was 5–10 A. In this case, the thickness of the layer of the applied coating was up to 0.2 mm.
The roller smoothing was performed on a lathe by a spring-loaded rod device with a roller diameter of 40 mm and
a profile radius of 4 mm. The specific smoothing force was 3000 MPa. After each run of EEA and SPD, the surface of the

372
 Fig. 1. EEA of electric motor rotor.

Fig. 2. Rotor of an electric motor after repair.

shaft journal was thoroughly cleaned with metal brushes. After grinding of the journals to the measure, the keyway was
milled to a depth of 7.5+0.2 mm and the rotor was balanced.
The repaired rotor of an electric motor is shown in Fig. 2.
Repair of Screws of Screw Compressor. In the screw compressor operation process, in the screws mainly the sur-
faces at the points where the bearings are set and sometimes even the surfaces of the edges of the screw teeth along the outer
diameter (periphery) wear out. The wear generally does not exceed 0.3 mm in diameter. Since the gap between the screws
is at the 0.05 mm level, even minor wear of the edges of the screw teeth along the outer diameter causes a significant decrease
in compressor delivery.
At the A. F. Zasyad’ko Mine, due to breakdown of the compressor plant KU VV 50/8-UZ, the slave screw (the mate-
rial is steel 49 and the hardness is roughly 150 HV) of the compressor unit CF 246 G (factory no. 497457) suffered axial
shearing, which caused scuffing of its surfaces (the surfaces of the tooth edges along an outer diameter of 277 mm and the
surface of the shaft journal with a diameter of 70.03 mm at the point of setting of the bearings) on the suction side. The wear
of the outer surface of the tooth edges, gradually increasing toward the end on the suction side, reached 2.5 mm toward the
side. Wear of the surface of the shaft journal at the point where the bearing is set was 1.5 mm in diameter. These surfaces
were restored by combined EEA and SPD technologies on an ÉIL-9 installation.
Application of the ÉIL-9 installation for restoration of the outer surface of the tooth edges using electrodes made
from a variety of materials, such as steel 40, 12Kh18N10T (12Cr18Ni10Ti) and 08Kh15N5D2T (08Cr15Ni5Cu2Ti) steels,
bronze, brass, etc., under most drastic alloying conditions did not produce the desired result. Upon restoration of the outer
surfaces of the tooth edges their dimensions did not change by more than 0.2 mm.
The outer surfaces of the tooth edges were restored more effectively on an Élitron-52A installation with a manual
vibrator. The electrodes used were of the special tin-containing bronze O10Ts1.5N (Sn10Zn1.5Ni). After grinding of the
shaft journal surface at the point of setting of the bearing and of the outer surface of the tooth edges to the specified degree,
the compressor unit was assembled, tested, and delivered to the customer.

373
 Fig. 3. Rings of impulse end seals with combined eletroerosion
coating (CEC).

Strengthening of Impellers by EEA Technique. The difficulty and high cost of making impellers of centrifugal
compressors impose stringent demands on their wear-resisting capacity. In most cases, impellers go out of order due to ero-
sion wear of the blades.
Electroerosion alloying is a highly promising technique for extending the service life of impellers of centrifugal com-
pressors [8]. The technology for applying wear-resistant coatings on impeller surface was tested at the Azot Production Asso-
ciation in Severodonetsk on a Hitachi 2MCL-456 air compressor. The compressor was shut down because of erosion wear of
the blades of the impellers of the 1st and 2nd stages of the rotor. On the remade impellers the leading edges of the blades sub-
jected to maximum erosion wear were strengthened by EEA on a UILV-8 installation.
Electroerosion alloying of impeller blades is carried out on installations with a manual vibrator, such as UILV-8,
Élitron-14, Élitron-22, and Élitron-52, which make possible laying of wear-resistant coatings to a layer thickness of 0.08,
0.10, 0.12, and 0.15 mm, respectively.
Restoration of Worn-Out Surfaces of Rings of Impulse End (face) Seals by EEA. In high-pressure, high-speed
pumps and compressors, no-contact type of end seals is used widely. If there is a guaranteed gap of 0.003–0.004 mm in the
end pair, the sealing surfaces of the rings hardly suffer wearing and the seals work practically for an unlimited time [9].
Traditionally, rings of impulse end seals are made from silicified graphites, and this imposes some limitations on the
range of application of seals, slipping rate, and sealing pressure. The materials used for rings are quite costly, have low impact
strength, and are subjected to cracking under the impact of power and heat loads.
Application of impulse seals in technologies involving high operating conditions made it necessary to use new mate-
rials in the friction pair, such as base-coating type of composite materials, which combine the protective properties of the coat-
ings and mechanical strength of the base. This is a promising line for raising wear resistance of rings of impulse end seals.
For developing technology of coating deposition on sealing rings, extensive experimental work has been carried out
on multilayer EEA of steels and alloys of various compositions using electrodes from high-melting metals and their carbides
as well as from soft antifriction metals [10]. As a result of studies for strengthening steel backings, quasimultilayer coatings
formed in the sequence VK8 + Cu + VK8 were proposed. For instance, the chosen most suitable alloying conditions allow
formation on steel 45 (microhardness of the backing is 2800 MPa) of coatings with a roughness Ra = 0.6 µm, a layer thick-
ness up to 30–40 µm, a microhardness of 8740 MPa, and a uniformity (continuity) of 100% (Fig. 3).
The results of the studies of wear-resistant coatings consisting of the hard alloy VK8 and copper suggest that a ser-
vocoiled film, which reduces coefficient of friction several times, may form in the friction pair. In this case, when the sur-
face layer formed by EEA is a porous material impregnated with copper, conditions of selective transfer may develop in cer-
tain situations.
Combined electroerosion coatings (CEC) on specimens from the nickel alloy KhN58MBYuD (CrNi58MoNbAlCu)
applicable for work in cryogenic media are formed in the sequence Cu + VK8 and VK8 + Cu + VK8 and do not ensure the
desired microhardness in the surface layer.
In this case, the favorable results obtained upon hardening of the nickel alloy KhN58MBYuD (CrNi58MoNbAlCu)
ensure CEC formed in the sequence VK8 + VK8 + Cu and VK8 + VK8 + Ni. The roughness Ra in this case is 0.8–1.0 µm
and the microhardness is 9270 and 9850 MPa, respectively.

374
 The experimental studies of impulse end seals having rings strengthened by EEA were carried out on an experi-
mental stand of the Sumy State University.
Since maximum wear of the surface of the rings of the impulse seal occurs during the start and stop of the machines,
special attention was paid to testing of the rings in the start mode. For instance, with a start pressure drop of 0.5 MPa and
20 start and stop cycles of the seal in air, there was no trace of damage to the coating. Paying attention to the fact that at the
moments of start before formation of gas film the end pair operates in dry friction condition, it can be concluded that CEC
ensures the desired wear-resistance of sealing surfaces of rings of impulse seals.
At the Énergomash NPO, in the course of work aimed at creating a new class of efficient and reliable seals of rotors,
especially of turbopump units of liquid rocket engines, comprehensive experiments were performed to study impulse seal
units with CEC in media having diverse thermophysical properties (water, liquid oxygen, and liquid nitrogen) in a wide range
of operating conditions (n = 8400–22700 rpm and p = 0.8–12.2 MPa), which confirmed high performance of the seal under
these conditions [11].

REFERENCES

1. V. B. Tarelnik, V. S. Martsinkovsky, and V. G. Gritsenko, “Hardening and reconditioning of main compressor parts
by electroerosion alloying followed by plastic deformation.” in: 5 Intl. Symp. INSYCONT-98: Energy and Environ-
mental Aspects of Tribology, Cracow, 1998, pp. 179–180.
2. V. B. Tarelnik, Control of Quality of Surface Layers of Parts by Combined Electroerosion Alloying [in Russian],
Vidavnitstvo MakDen, Sumy (2002), p. 324.
3. V. B. Tarelnik, “Effect of electrospark hardening condition on the quality parameters of coatings,” Konstr. Proiz.
Transp. Mashin, No. 24, 103–107 (1994).
4. V. B. Tarelnik, Combined Electroerosion Alloying Technologies [in Russian], Tekhnika, Kiev (1997), p. 127.
5. V. B. Tarelnik, “Ionne azotuvannya kvazibagatosharovikh elektroeroziinikh pokrittiv,” Mashinoznavstvo, No. 6, 31–
33 (1999).
6. V. B. Tarelnik, “Microgeometry, structure, and properties of electroerosion-alloyed layers subjected to surface plas-
tic deformation,” Vestn. Kharkov. Gosudarst. Politekh. Univ., No. 77, 25–29 (2000).
7. V. B. Tarelnik, “Effect of surface plastic deformation on residual stresses and fatigue strength of steel 45 specimens
with electroerosion coatings,” Vestn. Kharkov. Gosudarst. Politekh. Univ., No. 80, 69–71 (2000).
8. P. E. Zharkov and V. B. Tarelnik, “Increasing the life of centrifugal compressors by electroerosion alloying of
impellers,” Khim. Neftegaz. Mashinostr., No. 1, 22–24 (2003).
9. K. V. Lesitsyn, V. S. Martsinkovskii, and N. V. Periderii, USSR Author’s Certificate 446695, ICI 23 P 1/12, “End
seal with controllable leakage,” Byull. Izobret., No. 7 (1974).
10. V. B. Tarelnik and V. S. Martsinkovskii, “Increasing wear resistance of rings of end seals by EEA of friction sur-
faces,” in: Trans. of the 9 Intl. Conf. “Leak-Proofness, Vibration Reliability, and Ecological Safety of Pumping and
Compressor Equipment,” Sumy, 1999, Vol. 1, pp. 254–265.
11. V. B. Tarelnik, “Development of technology for improving quality of surface layers of impulse end seals operating
in various media by electroerosion alloying,” Élektron. Obrab. Mater., No. 4, 3–11 (2000).

375