• TOPICS
    • Design
    • Manufacturing
    • Inspection
    • Heat Treating
    • Lubrication
    • Materials
    • The Gear Industry
    • Gears by Type
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Departments
    • Archives
    • Subscribe
    • Advertise
  • NEWSLETTER
    • Subscribe
  • VIDEO
    • Gear Technology TV
      • Ask the Expert Live
      • Revolutions
    • Industry Videos
  • BLOGS
  • BUYER'S GUIDE
  • NEWS and EVENTS
    • Product News
    • Industry News
    • Events
  • ADVERTISING
    • Brand Awareness
      • Print: Display Advertising
      • Online: Web Banners & Keyword Banners
      • Online: Native Advertising (Sponsored Content)
      • E-mail: Custom, White Papers & Webinars
      • E-mail: Newsletter Sponsored Content (Native Advertising)
    • Response & Lead Generation
      • Online: Sponsored Content (Native Advertising)
      • E-mail: Newsletters
      • E-mail: Newsletter Sponsored Content (Native Advertising)
      • E-mail: Custom, White Papers & Webinars
      • Online: Buyers Guide
    • Print Advertising
      • Print: Display Advertising
      • Print: MPT Expo Showstoppers
      • Print: Buyers Guide
      • Print: Manufacturing sMart
      • Print: Specifications
      • MPT Expo Show Guide Advertising
    • Online Advertising
      • Online: Web Banners & Keyword Banners
      • Online: Native Advertising (Sponsored Content)
      • Online: Buyers Guide
      • Online: Specifications
    • E-mail Advertising
      • E-mail: E-Newsletters
      • E-mail: Newsletter Sponsored Content (Native Advertising)
      • E-mail: AGMA Industry News
      • E-mail: Custom, White Papers & Webinars
      • E-mail: Specifications
    • Special Promotions
      • Print: MPT Expo Showstoppers
      • Print: Buyers Guide
      • Print: Manufacturing sMart
      • MPT Expo Show Guide Advertising
  • CONTACT US
  • AGMA
    • Membership
    • Events
    • Education
    • Emerging Technology
    • AGMA Media
    • Standards
Subscribe
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Home » QuesTek Innovations Wins Research Project

QuesTek Innovations Wins Research Project

December 9, 2010

QuesTek Innovations LLC has been awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project from the U.S. Army to demonstrate the application of QuesTek-designed Ferrium C61 steel to the forward rotor shaft of the CH-47 Chinook helicopter. The two-year contract is valued at $729,958. Working in conjunction with the Army, Boeing and key industry suppliers, the forward rotor shaft will be re-designed to be made of C61 and one or more prototype shafts will be produced. It is expected that the weight of this large shaft can be reduced by 15-25 percent, because the fatigue strength and key static mechanical properties of C61 core material are more than 30 percent greater than those of incumbent alloy 9310. C61 can also tolerate much higher operating temperatures (such as may occur in an emergency "oil-out" situation) because its tempering temperature is 600 degrees F greater than that of 9310. Manufacturing operations such as forging, thermal processing, and machining will be optimized for this part during this project. Total thermal processing and manufacturing operations are expected to be simplified because C61 was specifically designed to use modern vacuum carburizing technology and combine the carburization and austenization steps, thus eliminating numerous manufacturing steps. The very high hardenability of C61 also permits a mild gas quench, thus reducing part distortion and allowing less grind stock and subsequent machining. C61 is also highly resistant to grinding burn damage during production, due to its high tempering temperature. QuesTek's initial production and sales licensee for C61 is Latrobe Specialty Steel Company of Latrobe, PA. QuesTek anticipates awarding additional production and sales licensees for C61 as market demand builds. Applications for C61 beyond helicopter rotor shafts can include other integral drive shafts, gear assemblies and power transmission components in high-temperature, high-performance or weight- or space-sensitive applications, such as aerospace, racing, off road, commercial and military vehicles.

Charlie Kuehmann, president and CEO of QuesTek, commented: "We thank the Army for this Phase II award, and the opportunity to further demonstrate how our integrated, applied approach to computational materials design rapidly generates and inserts valuable new materials. We also thank our project partners for their active participation applying new materials to help improve the performance, capacity and durability of critical products and platforms such as the CH-47 Chinook helicopter."

Industry News
  • Related Articles

    QuesTek Awarded $1.1 Million for Small Business Innovation Research

    QuesTek Wins 2021 ASM International Engineering Materials Achievement Award

    Questek to Serve as Research Partner for ALMMII

Free Gear Technology Subscriptions
Subscribe
Free Gear Technology Subscriptions
Subscribe
FEATURED VIDEO
  • Helios1
    Forest City Gear Taps Helios Gear for Custom Cutting Tools
January 18, 2023
RECOMMENDED
  • Precision Equals Performance at ZPE GripTec

    October 12, 2022
    gt0922_Page_28_Image_0003.jpg
  • State of the Powder Metal Industry

    October 12, 2022
    gt0922_Page_30_Image_0001.jpg
  • The Afterglow of Furnaces North America 2022

    October 12, 2022
    gt0922_Page_20_Image_0001.jpg
  • Reigniting the Educational Infrastructure

    December 5, 2022
    gt1122_Page_20_Image_0001.jpg
  • Profile: Continuing Education and Training with the AGMA

    December 5, 2022
    gt1122_Page_26_Image_0001.jpg
  • Reigniting the Educational Infrastructure

    December 5, 2022
    gt1122_Page_20_Image_0001.jpg
  • Profile: Continuing Education and Training with the AGMA

    December 5, 2022
    gt1122_Page_26_Image_0001.jpg
  • Precision Equals Performance at ZPE GripTec

    October 12, 2022
    gt0922_Page_28_Image_0003.jpg
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • Contribute
  • AGMA
Powered byAGMA
Copyright © 2023 Gear Technology
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact