On Mon, 15 Jun 2009 10:07:09 -0600, "SteveB"
wrote:


"RLM" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 12 Jun 2009 22:34:50 -0700, Calif Bill wrote:

Just the imagination to come up with the process is super.
http://presidentschoice.imeche.org.u...454/0/pr03.pdf


Some idea of the size.
http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/guides...turing_Process


My favorite pic is the flame cutting of the 12" plate. Wonder what the
torch settings were on that. I'd say 5 acet. and 120 O2.

Those look like pretty clean cuts. Machine looks a bit like the Linde
Camographs I ran for a couple years at IH. But that was an 8-torch
machine and used an electric eye following a heavy black line on
plastic templates rolled out on the template table.
Looks like his uses a hard pattern to follow.
Thickest I cut was maybe 4-5" inches. Dozer bucket arms.
The cuts always looked like crap, ridgy as hell, no matter what I did
with tips or height. Machines used NG/Oxy and had no pressure
adjustments. Those bucket arms had to be ground extensively to
get a fit/finish out of them.
Hated doing them. They always looked bad, no matter how diligent I
was.
Luckily most everything else was much thinner and could be cut well.
I've got other stories about IH not doing capital investment on
machines to get efficiency and a good product.
Easier to blame the autoworkers than to pony up some money for modern
machines, or even properly maintaining old ones.
F**k them. They joined the dodo where they belong.
I'd really like to see the volcano when he hits the oxy for those
penetrating cuts. Wonder how many tip changes he needs for that.
I sometimes needed a tip change and reheat to get through steel less
than half that thick. But maybe the acet does the job.
A better process might be to drill a hole first to get an edge to
heat.
I imagine they use lasers for such cuts now, but don't know.

--Vic