[TheForge] Super Quenched Dies?

[David E. Smucker]

Yep, rail will work harden, but not in the extreme.  Think about the 
pounding rail takes in service, and the head does not fracture.  We used 
standard 133 pound per yard rail for crane rail in Alcoa plants.  Typical 
service life was 40 years with very heavy loading (but not impact loading 
per say).  When we did have failure it was in the web.  If we had used crane 
rail section this would not have happen, but with 40 year life we could 
afford to replace it.  Some old rail does fail in service (rail service) and 
the railroads inspect for this with traveling inspection equipment.  Most of 
this can be traced to rail that had defects from the original cast steel 
ingot before rolling.  Rail in railroad service gets quite a bit of pounding 
from flat or out of balance wheels.  (Dad worked for the Association of 
American Railroads research group, I grew up around railroad stuff.)

Dave Smucker
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Carl Tappan" <carlt at bluetoad.org>
To: "Sponsored by ABANA" <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Wednesday, April 20, 2005 4:11 PM
Subject: Re: [TheForge] Super Quenched Dies?


> <Quoth Dave>
> Again for low cost tool steel I would use the head of a railroad rail
> (close to a 1080 steel), or a section of leaf spring.  Weld the leaf
> spring to a base of other steel.  Or keep checking around the "junk
> yard" there is a lot of 4340 and 4140 out there in lots of items.
> <So Spoke Dave>
>
> The concern I have about RR rail is the work hardening; Doesn't it do
> that to the extreme from all the Mn? I called a couple of machine shops
> today, and one guy thinks he has some 4140 in the size I want kicking
> around. I tried just superquenching a piece of the 1018 that I am
> thinking about for dies, and the hardness didn't go in far at all. If I
> can't get a hold of any good steel, I think I might try the leaf spring
> idea. That seems like it should work, barring incompetence on my part.
> Thanks,
> Carl Tappan
>
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