Taking the Difficulty Out of Working with Abrasion Resistant Steel for Auger Flight

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Falcon Industries, Inc., Medina, OH

Abrasion resistant steel fends off wear and tear better than almost any material thus making it especially ideal for auger flighting. But that capability is not without its drawbacks. Indeed, steel’s abrasion resistance makes it very hard to work with in forming flight, be it helicoid flight, sectional flight, ribbon flight or shaftless flight.

Falcon Industries Inc. has developed production methods that counteract this issue. The company’s ability to form flight from abrasion resistant steel, in spite of the material’s difficulty to work with, enables those customers who need heavy-duty auger flighting to take advantage of all that abrasion resistant steel has to offer. As a result, mining/quarrying, conveying, material handling and construction, and earthmoving tasks can be accomplished with the peace of mind of knowing that the auger flight behind them will enjoy a long service life despite the harsh conditions it is subjected to.

Abrasion resistant steel inherently has higher tensile and yield strength. Again, great when you want your flighting to endure the rigors you put it through; not so great when you’re working the steel.

Most abrasion resistant steel is quenched and tempered to achieve the desired properties; the steel is heated for higher hardness, thereby producing a higher yield strength. The steel can be annealed to improve formability; however, this is done with the risk of losing some of the steel’s original integrity. If it is annealed, it will lower the strength and hardness.

Falcon Industries Inc. has the capabilities of forming abrasion resistant steel. The new process the company employs allows a larger range of auger flights than previously possible to be formed without having to first anneal the steel to soften it.

This is an important distinction for the company since some of its competitors have had to anneal some grades of abrasion resistant steel. Steve Sogor, Falcon's General Manager in Ohio explains, “This new capability allows us to keep the AR steel’s original strength, properties and integrity. If the steel is annealed to soften it to allow for forming, it would need to be quenched and tempered after forming to restore the steel’s original properties. All of this adds time and cost to the finished product.”

Learn more about Falcon Industries’ products made from abrasion resistant steel. Visit our website at: www.falconindustries.com