XTEK Keeping Industry On The Move Rick isa company of environmentalheat, fiction, ceanlines, people and ideas. In the course of loading, and operator practices can all servingheavy industry foralmost 100 impact te life and safety of heavy duty years, the Company has earned a industrial wheels reputation for excellence built upon Only when specific application its willingness to accept the tough demands have been determined and assignment, to devise new techniques the desirable wheel characteristics iso- and processes when the old ways lated, can Xtek’s engineers prescribe ‘werent good enough, and to back up the best material selection, heat treat its manufacturing expertise with application assistance to assure a level of performance that is second to none. Over time, Xtek has become the first choice of managers responsible for in- creasing productivity for one simple reason. Reliable Xtek products perform as promised. And perhaps nowhere has Xtck’s dependability, product superiority and value been ‘more graphically demonstrated than in its family of heavy duty ing technique and wheel products, each custom optimum depthand designed to individual customer's location of case in-service requirements hardnesson the citi =—ss = cal surfaces of the Performance Proven hed. Thats the Xtek Wheels only way maximum Kick wheels ourper- sured, under any form all others because Xtek field ‘engincersfirstlisten to customer needs and concerns then take the time to Xtckisa company committed 6 investigate service conditions and excellence through the practice of con- uusige pattems and lear from their tinuous improvement, utilizing a observations ~and ultimately, to lead focused factory straregy to malian an the way with creative solutions based —_intense focus on wheel design and on a lifetime of wheel performance manufacture. Xtek encourages an tracking at customer facilites around ongoing dialogue between our staff the world. and our customers to keep that focus Xiek emphasizes the value of sharp and attuned to the specific on-site evaluation because variables needs of individual applications, such as rail hardness, track alignment, 1The Xtek Advantage © 6 6 6 0 oe Mi catlargical experi: Company has maintained its ence, ‘The key to Xtek’s performance number one ranking over the years by and productivity is the ability to select doing one thing and doing it very the best form of heat treatment from well: Giving customers a wheel chat an entire range of options — to select lasts longer under existing operating the precise metallurgical process that conditions in their facility. will impartall ofthe qualities required On the job, track wheels are by a customer's specific operating replaced because of lange wear, lange : conditions. ‘The result is optimum breakage, and mechanical overloads \, product life with minimum — characterized by pitting and spalling, : ‘maintenance. Each of these in-service factors must In terms of metallurgical _ be carefully considered before the \ expertise, Xtek is a master among combination of wheel design, apprentices. Xtekchas been honing its material selection, hardness pattern ‘metallurgical skills to suit operating and heat treating technology is conditions in steel mills, mines and selected. That's why every Xteke stiany other industrial environments track wheel is specially designed and for almost a eat treated to maximize its resistance century. By to the damaging forces at work in comparison, heavy industrial applications. ‘That’ most of the why Xtek whee perform as promised. Company's ‘competitors ‘mustbecon- sidered mere beginners when it ‘comes to applying the technologies of “deep case contour hardening Building The Perfect Track Wheel BB ccs metallurgical ‘superiority has made it the undis- puted leader in the manufacture of hardened steel track wheels, and theWie secret to sowing the flocs of abrasive wear isto reduce the coefficient of fiction between the ‘wheel and the rail upon which i rides. “Tess conducted by the Association of Iron and Steel Engineers (AISE) have demonstrated that the coefficient of fiction can be reduced by as much as 40% by hardening the track whee to 58-62 Re. Moreover, because hard surface tends to polish and become smooth with us, fictions further reduced and track wheel wear ates are lowered yen more. In a best case scenario, a hardened wheel on a hardened rail both wheel components, while ‘conversely, a soft wheel on a soft rail will fail soonest. Relative Wear Life “The leson is clear ~ if abrasive ‘wears causing maintenance problems in your tack installations, switching to Xtek hardened steel wheels will extend the life of both the wheel and nail and will reduce related mainte- nance and downtime. Pircing and spalling, a major wear factor limiting the useful life of track wheels on overhead cranes, can also be reduced by the choice of a wheel of proper hardness and heat creating technique to fit the applica- tion, Pitsing and spalling are forms of metal fatigue caused by the extremely 3 will optimize the life expectancy of Making The Hard Chioce high subsurface stresses generated when track wheels are heavily loaded. “Therefore, the heavier the load, the ‘more citcal wheel arciness becomes. of 35-39 Re, leided at 160,000 ‘began to show signs of metal fatigue, while wheels of 50-53 Re carried 260,000 psi, and wheels. of 60-65 Re ‘The implications for track wheel ‘customers are das. In mills; mines, cement plants, shipyards —in face, any- where heavy loads and high sresses are encountered, thehard choices thecasy choice. Xick.WHEELS Xtek Contour Case Hardened Wheels Over 40% of all wheel replacements are due © ex cessveflange wearand break- age. And while it has been demonstrated tha increasing surficchardnesswllimprove weit msisance, a hardness that i 00 deep in the ange areawillacnuilly increasethe probabil, of breakage and wheel fare: Just asa tough, ductile corebencatha hardened exe helps to prevent spalling and pittingofthe whe incad.aductlearen Backing up the hardened ese of a eee ange wal. FA, sina krack where Conant The ail compeiors ‘eon demon ‘ompetor whet sec fiom wb he ‘Teed oor ce ophiay rt Sr ci ar ef (58:6 Ry backed Spero rit oo ‘Gengh banded fone: span misalignment and badly worn joints berween ral sections. Shocks which can stress wheel flanges ‘© the point of catastrophic filure. All Xtek contour case hardened track wheels incorporate a differ: centially hardened flange designed tomaineain cri beneath che feature, which results from the ‘Company's contour case hardening, process, was developed over decades of metallurgical research and is vital ‘0 wheel flange toughness in sevice. Where flange breakage is a major cause of crane wi pplacement, it becomes extremely imporrant to specify a tough, ductile ‘eote as @ requirement for any new wheels. Operators’ needs are best served by insuring that all replacement wheels provide tis vital [protection — especially when high speeds, longer travel distances, and high loads are a factor. Make sure ‘every track wheel that goes on your job is Xtek rough ductile properties we. This valuableSatisfaction Guaranteed Many forsanate cus tomers receive Xtek wheels as OEM equipment when they take delivery of a new crane, tundish car, bucket loader or other piece of rail-borne ‘equipment. More often, Xtek track wheelsa specified by our customers as replacements for ordinary, low-tech wheels that have failed in some way usually because of fictional wear oF flange breakage resulting from soft weads and the inappropriate selection of through hardening technology: As we will se larer fon page 12, changing over to Xtek contour case hardened, forged steel track wheels ean have «significant, positive impact on reducing maintenance costs, replacement costs, andthe Inscallaton costs of new wheels. Over theyears, thousands of customers have recognized the superiority of forged steel track wheels, and they specify Xtek whenever a need arises. Other users become converts when they receive a rebuile track wheel assembly from the Xtek Service and Reconditioning Genter in Cincinnati, Ohio. Since 1995, our Bett Service and Reconditioning Center has en been supplying engineered solutions orn and ier to customers’ chronic component cae problems, as well as providing 24/7 emergency service. Rebuilding wheel assemblies thar come to us with inferior track wheels,amongother problems, has become a large part ofourbusiness All rebuilt wheel assemblies leaving Xtek’s Service and Reconditioning Center ride on our own contour case hardened, cones forged si < . swindling forged ste track wheels, Performance ee ishow we gain new customers. Specify ‘hee om the obo al Xtek track wheels for your next ana replacement project orassembly rebuild 5Xtek, The Single Source Hilla satinion to replace assembly. The result is the perfoc ment wheels, Xtek can furnish wheel forthe assembly, and the per- ‘complete wheel assemblies with the fect asiembly forthe job. ed value of unified design, quick ‘Xtck also manufactures thefin- “change capability and superior bear _cstaxls, shafts, bearing housings ae Xtek engineers routinely mounting blocks available anywhere © design solutions problems inherent in the world. Moreover, when Xtek : wheel assemblies are fitted with AP-stylebearings originally developed for railroad use, these asscmblis will perform millions of cycles without requiting lubrication, "That means wheel required no bearing lubrication sytem, No for a particular downtime, Reduced maintenance. And most importantly, reduced cos a: Day after day, year after year, Xtck wheel assemblies continue to sueceed in the same hostile environ- ments where others have failed. The inds of Xtek contour case hardened wheel assemblies are hard at work in steel mils, cement plants, mines, shipyards, docks and many other tough industrial settings around the work When reliability isa prior- iy, make Xtek your single source suppler for total whee assemblies. 6ee Brake Wheel Basics Wicion. whenyoute the surface, one with an alloy pouring 300 tons of molten steel ina chemistry matched to the rigors of melt shop, you need it to hold your job-specific operating conditions, and ‘overhead crane in position to avoid one properly heat treated to with- disaster. Friction enables port cranes to unload valuable cargo from a fieighter’s hold and deposit it safely conto the dock. In these and many other industrial applications, the friction between brake wheels and brakeshocs noconly brings equipment to a stop where it’s needed, but also holds. it in position so that important work can be completed. While in virally every manufactur- stand thermal fatigue cracking, will significantly ourlast “off-the-shelf generic whee designs. ing system, fiction is viewed as an enemy to be oiled, lubricated and polished out of existence, in critical braking systems, friction becomes a powerful force that can be harnessed to benefit production. In the design of brake wheels for any lifting and holding applic- ation, the side effects of friction ‘wear, thermal fatigue and cracking ~ must be considered and overcome. The heat generated by the pressure of metal to shoe contact can produce *vepharanh Themiootininese soar Sadr thermal fatigue and cracking, ul- ae preci etc aeein mately causing the wheel to fail. Saewnai”™ cere aes persia Alternate heating and Sn cooling isthe culprit — ee a phenomenon which conga dete at first produces minute _ cracks in the wheel _ "2 surface, and then 2 y J grdullycancsthemio — widen andl deepen until” % fracturing results. A 10M 100m 00M To0ow 10,0009 ‘wheel properly designed pees To Fattre to dissipate heat fromWHEELS Xtek Reliability A n Xtek for; wheel is superior to all others = because the balance of desig metal chemistry n elements, and heat treatment is specifically matched to indi- vidual operating conditions. ‘That means every Xtek brake wheel will Aik forged sel rn he ofr sar retin and inmpection, ready fr provide unsurpassed resistance to the effects of both frictional wear and thermal cracking. What's more, cach Xtek brake wheel is dynamically balanced to minimize vibration. ‘The result is longer product life and in- creased value. And because they are stronger, tougher and run truer, Xtek brake wheels are safer as wel All Xtek wheels are manu factured from steel forgings, never from cast iron, a material proven to be prone to rapid, brittle and catastrophic thermal fatigue. High resistance to thermal fatigue, excellent abrasive wear characteristics and high fracture toughness are the qualities designed into every Xtek forged steel brake wheel. Qualities that give operators confidence that with Xtek, the brake wheels they place into service have absolutely the best chance of survival in hostile environments. Xtek brake wheels. Tough Strong. Reliable.SHEAVE Sheave Wheel Synergy Therearetwovery good reasons for specifying Xtek TSP® carburized sheave wheels to the exclusion of any other. Noconly do “Xtek sheaves last longer and require less maintenance, but wire rope used in tandem with Xtek wheels shows remarkable gains in longevity. In fact, on overhead cranes in the merals industry and oon shipyard cranes, port cranes and in vatious mining applica- tions, Xtek sheave wheels have been shown to increase wire rope life by as much as 5 times. The benefits of this synergistic effec are De cael so apparent that over the years, many Jn toe eee eee aie compe” Bye fact of 10 ar mere manufacturers of chosen to recommend Xtek hardened steel sheaves to their customers as an economic way to prolong the life of their own products Wear Resistance Compan of Sees and Hardness Aven enpliccs roWHEELS The Case for TSP Phe TSP® carburizing process imparts a deep case hardness of greater than 64 Re to the working surfaces of Xtek sheave wheels. This extremely hard, smooth finish effectively eliminates the effects of crushing and imprinting usu found on softer sheaves. Imprinting, caused by the compressive forces of wire rope under heavy loads, is the rapid development of strand im- pressions in the groove of ordinary sheave Asa rope stretches, or wheels used (Above) A itor’ wheel ‘owing evoepragation afer few my src. when a new ropeis installed, the helix of the wire strands ceases to match the syp,attern imprinted in the groove of the Wire wheel. As a result the sharp MEd impressions begin to cut individual strands of the wire rope, (Right An Nickie bee! arene 1 64 Ril om the jb fier 3 yuri a doa s , progressively weakening tunel ifils and mustbe replaced. In comparison to the comruga tion usually found in competitors’ wheels after a tour of duty, the grooves of a forged steel Xtek TSP: hardened sheave wheel will actually become polished with use, further reducing friction and contributing to an average product life several timesthacof ordinary sheave wheels In this way, Xtek’s proprictary deep case ‘TSP® carburization pro- cessprolongsthelife ofboth dements of a cable carrying system, reduces the costs of downtime, extends the intervals between the cost of replace: mentand increases productivity ‘ck shave ees rewmend ‘hei oer with rperion preformance, ven th ow bate caironments 101h addition to track brakeand sheave wheds for cranes and other operations, Xtek mar acomplete line of related components, including rope drums, trunnions and rollers. Xtek wheel products are being used to retract the roof of Torontos Skydome; to focus huge radio tele- scopes in Central America; to provide the rolling motion of large kilns and onall ypes of conveyors; and even on San Francisco’ historic cable cars. Xick rope drums can be found 1¢ used sry, including metal process- on virtually every type of cr by in ing, shipyards and mining. Xtek’s TSP® carburized rope drumsaresimi- Jaro heavewheds in both their physi- cal properties and customer benefit Drums and rope both last longer, defer and reducing the costs of downtime the costs of replacement and intenance. Xtek trunnions provide addi tional support to huge rotating kilns in the chemical, cement and food pro. cessingindustries. And like otherXtek wheel products, the Company trunnion assemblies, each manulac- tured to application specifications, produce a synergistic effect by Xtek rollers are used on conveyors, mining shovels and for ‘many other types of equipment. Xtek uses the latest in CNC technology to produce matched sets of rollers, iden- tical teach other in heat 1 and in mechanical tolerances, for years of smooth, trouble free operation. u . Above And Beyond ick cerburized and Iavdened forged tel rape dram ouperorm inl in deeraing cae age hls and ners rata on stard dara Hiab raionFocusing Bo on Wheel Value BB... activity at Xtek Wheel Economics begins with an awareness of our customers’ need for value. ‘That’ WR took at Xtcks track ‘why every whed shipped from Xtek wheel product line providesa graphic is cusrom designed and heat treated example of how Xtek saves main 10 succeed in individual customer tenance costs for customers every day applications. Wich a legacy of five eon the job, And in every case, + genctations of dedicated problem installing high performance track Solvers, Xeek’s mievallurgists don't wheels also makes sound economic shavew rely on one or two technolo- sense, because the cost of wheels oy pies gies toanswer every customer need. —_ypically averagesonly 20% ofthe tral wo 1h Xtekcwill apply the best technology cost ofan assembly (actually aslowas © for the job, delivering wheels that 12% of theinstalled cost). That means working track wheel must Jascat least as longas other replaceable components if customer so receive fill value from his purchase. Looking tthe problem another way, the cost to recondition a damaged or worn out wheel assembly can exsly amount 10 75% of the cost ofa brand new Seca one. And that doesn't lesiaailWheds include the very real cost ofmaintenanceand downtime. That’ why Xtek stresses the importance of custom designing each wheel foreach application. Its the only way we can assure customers that Xtek track wheels will perform as promisod. Its Xtcks way of providing customers with both lower operating costs and greater peace of mind. will outlive competitive products while reducing maintenance, down- timeand cheirattendant ooss, With every wheel Xtck manufactures, Xtek produces value.‘Aypical overhead crane provides a prime example of how Xtek wheel products perform in ser- vice, The only components that can stop a hard working crane from per forming its tasks are the motor, me- chanical and electrical drive systems, and its wheel products. Track wheds, (Gand the rails chey ride on), brake™ wheels (and the brake pads), sheave \whedsand ropedrums (and their wire rope) ~all benefit from Xtek’s practice of on-site evaluation prior to final de- sign. Environmental conditions, load factors and operator practices vary fiom installation to installation, plac- ing very different demands on cranes designed vo serv very similar purposes. Your Xtek representative can play aun integral par in helping to reduce both the actual costs of component replacement and the imputed costs of downtime when consulted early in the proces. A Case In Point Armedwithan accurate assessment of operating conditions, Xtek’ engineering staff can artacke a customer's wheel problems and provide cost effective solutions. Recently, a New Zealand ship= yard submitted concept foran inno- vative track wheel design for theit mobile cranes to Xtek engineers for study. Applying the technique of fi- nit element analysis tothe tsk, Xtek ‘wasableto producea computer model that revealed several shortcomings in the customer’ original design. An alternative Xrek design was substituted, and the wheels have been performing flawlessly in that challenging application ever since. B Xtek At Work Worl -ESEDEPRODUCTS In Conclusion Rrck’s customer files nected products. In effect, Xtek Aas contain hundreds of similar case reinvented the wheel. And what’ histories, thersultofalong-esablished more, we'e proud oft teadition of turning competitors ‘When you install an Xtek track, failurcsimosuccessstoris. sheave, brake wheel or wheel ‘Xtek has become indus- assembly ~ or for that matter, any trys number one supplier of hardened steel wheels for overhead cranes and other applications by taining and developing field service engineers who take the time to listen 10 heavy duty, engineered component J rom the shops of Xtek: gears, the variables /fOM the shop & paricasrotie <2upings: universal joints, mill Specific installation before making a recommendation ‘Whed products are not ‘commoditiesarXrek. Juse pinions or mill 1olls~ youre installing more than just a solution co immediate needs. Youre installing lasting performance, reliability and value, Ina name, Xtek as much care and effort support the de metallurgy and manu turing of this most basic mechanical form as is expended upon the Company's other engi-