Engineering

A man with extensive experience in farming, logging and mechanical engineering has taken the first steps to secure his family’s future and serve his local area, by becoming a Hydraulink Owner Operator.  Tyler Gilchrist says he’s had a lifelong interest in mechanical engineering, and started picking up tools as early as thirteen, to find out how things worked.  Now, after using his skills through a broad range of industries, he’s ready to give back to his local community in Hororata, New Zealand, about 60km west of Christchurch.  Tyler joins more than 400 Hydraulink hydraulic service points across New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific Islands, all dedicated to maximising uptime and providing efficient hose replacement services that ensure high quality products and reliable services.  “I’d been working in forestry for many years, and I really wanted some additional flexibility and stability for my young family, so the self-employed nature of Hydraulink’s Owner Operator arrangement really appealed to me,” said Tyler, who runs GILK Mechanical with his wife Pam. The couple have a four-year-old and another child on the way, so financial freedom and flexibility were high on their priority list.  “As one of the latest to join the Hydraulink family, GILK is set up to provide 24/7 mobile service to Hororata, Darfield and surrounding areas, so there’s a lot of farming, agriculture, logging, forklift, tractor and digger work out there for a hydraulic hose supplier, plus the breakdown and regular maintenance work,” he said.  “Customers value reliable service, and knowledge of machinery and safety standards. Whether it’s a small forklift or a massive digger, they are looking to maximise uptime and get their machine producing profits again, so we aim to provide quick and knowledgeable service.”  As a self-described “motorbike enthusiast”, Tyler’s other passion is fixing bikes and engines. “Tinkering with motorbikes from an early age gave me a foundation for the work I do today. Knowing the ins and outs of engines, plus the general mechanical skills have both been useful attributes when working with the larger machinery that has been my focus for the last several years,” he said.  Hydraulink New Zealand Development Manager, Craig Sumpton, says Tyler is an ideal candidate for the expanding Owner Operator programme. “Tyler’s strong mechanical background, combined with his customer-first approach make him just what we’re looking for as an Owner Operator,” he said.  “Tyler wanted to be in control of his own future, and Hydraulink was delighted to be able to help make that dream into a reality. We support all our Owner Operators, from exploring the option, to initial set-up, through to regular ongoing support – they are all considered part of the Hydraulink family,” says Craig. Best Under Pressure  Hydraulink’s “Best Under Pressure” customer service ethos aligns beautifully with the Kiwi Initiative, for which the country’s best and most versatile mechanical engineers are famed.  Tyler describes the Kiwi Initiative as “a catchcry for jobs big and small, from the smallest but most vital hydraulic service to the huge and sophisticated projects such as winning the America’s Cup.”  In the most recent America’s Cup, Hydraulink was the hydraulics suppler to defending champion, Emirates Team New Zealand (ETNZ), which exclusively used Hydraulink hoses and couplings, including those actuating the complex “Foil Cant System,” which was subject to a “One-Design” rule which meant all the challengers also used Hydraulink products for this system.  “Watching ETNZ win that race really showed what performing ‘best under pressure’ looks like, as well as showing how valuable hydraulics are to all moving machinery. It’s that sort of ‘can-do’ attitude I strive to bring to my Hydraulink Owner Operator business every day,” said Tyler. 

Lateral restraint blocks made of an engineering plastic that typically retains most of its strength over 100 years are being produced by Hercules Engineering to safeguard suburban and highway concrete bridges against earthquakes and radical structural movement.   The custom-fabricated high density polyethylene PE 100 blocks are used as sacrificial elements so concrete components will remain preserved instead of grinding on one-another, says bridge bearing producer Mr David Booty, Manager of Hercules Engineering (a division of Cut To Size Plastics).  Apart from minimising sliding wear, HDPE blocks can also minimise the impact of shock by deforming and absorbing the kinetic energy that could otherwise fracture or destroy single span beam bridges spanning creeks, hollows and smaller obstacles, potentially causing accidents, human casualties, disrupting vital communications and costing time and money to restore, says Mr Booty.  An earthquake exceeding magnitude 7 occurs somewhere in Australia every 100 years or so, according to Australia’s Seismology Research Centre, while nations on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” earthquake zone (including New Zealand, SE Asia, Japan and the American West Coast) experience them far more regularly, sometimes several a year. Even relatively smaller earthquakes – such as the magnitude 5.6 Newcastle earthquake – can cause extensive damage. The 6.3 magnitude Christchurch earthquake was one of New Zealand’s worst-ever disasters, because it also struck close to a populated area. “Bridge builders – including public works and private enterprise – are very aware of their Duty of Care to safeguard their structures’ safety so we had approaches to see what we could recommend as the best long-term, simple and cost-efficient solution. It turned out the PE100 blocks were not only the best polymer available for the job, but also one of the least expensive,” said Mr Booty, whose company produces a range of bridge bearings that are in strong demand as bridges cope with the expanded loads they have to carry on public and private roads, including those serving resource, construction and civil engineering sites.  The easily handled and installed PE100 virgin grade HDPE blocks – the latest order for which was 200x200x40mm blocks for a Sydney suburban bridge – are made from the same long-life material from which HDPE water pipes are made.   This well researched long-life material has been tested by the International Technical committees responsible for ISO and EN standards. HDPE can be welded, does not absorb moisture, does not crack when water is frozen solid inside and can tolerate deformations without cracking. PE 100 can retain 60 per cent of its mechanical strength at average ambient temperatures of 20oC for up to 100 years and potentially more, depending on the application.   Even higher performance composite materials are available from Hercules Engineering, which also produces Stainless Steel–PTFE–Elastomer Bearings to enable concrete and steel structures to flexibly, quickly, and cost-efficiently cope with internal movement and stresses caused by changing loads, vibration, thermal expansion, and other common additional factors.  One solution developed by Hercules Engineering comprises the range of no-maintenance, cost-efficient Herculon Type D Bearings (HLD/SG, HLD/FF & HLD/FX), which are widely proven on applications complementing the PE100 blocks, ranging from steel and concrete beam engineering structures through to materials handling and processing facilities. Herculon HLD bearings are part of a comprehensive range of Hercules composite sliding joints and structural bearings incorporating high performance combinations of engineered composite materials and stainless steel facing surfaces. 

Mr John Tawadros with BES’ new automated journal bearing polishing machine. An automated journal bearing polishing machine that delivers superior raceway finishes and extended service life in railway journal bearings produced using innovative new processes has been introduced by Bearing Engineering Services (BES, a division of Schaeffler Australia). In a first for the Australian bearing reconditioning industry, BES recently finalised commissioning of its Automated Journal Bearing Polishing Machine, capable of handling all metric and AAR sizes, says BES Railway and Reconditioning Manager, Mr John Tawadros. The new machine, designed in-house and built by local contractors, enables BES to deliver bearing raceway quality levels closer to that of new, increasing whole-of-lifespan efficiencies for BES clients including those in light and heavy passenger rail, as well as freight and heavy haul operations throughout Australia, New Zealand and the Asia-Pacific. BES customers also extensively cover heavy haulage rail including iron ore, coal and other mining industries, bulk handling, sugar, transport terminal and port loading infrastructure users of railway equipment. Benefits of the new automated machinery include: Superior raceway finish as compared to traditional manual polishing methods. Improved quality control through greater accuracy and consistency. Improved service life, reducing bearing life cycle costs. Improved WHS+E outcomes to staff, with reduced manual handling and reduced intensive repetitive manual operations. Better environmental outcomes, with improved dust and contamination controls and collection. “By introducing this equipment into our system, it allows our highly trained and skilled staff to spend more time focused on the critical areas of the reconditioning process that deliver higher value and returns to our clients,” says Mr Tawadros. “Maximising our time where it is needed most, not only further refines and improves our ability to make decisions of benefit to clients, but give our staff a greater sense of focus and purpose. Our inspectors can utilise their skills and experience in a far more proactive manner as compared to the manually intensive methodologies of the past.” Local knowledge BES and Schaeffler Australia are part of the global Schaeffler Group, a world leader in rolling bearing design and manufacturing with around 84,000 employees in approximately 170 locations in 50 countries. The company’s commitment to Australian industry includes locally based rolling bearing assessment and reconditioning services that bring Schaeffler’s extensive skills and technology to Australian industry. BES operates a high technology bearing reconditioning and services facility in Auburn, Sydney, where it reconditions rolling bearings from all bearing manufacturers, providing industrial and railway solutions that combine local knowledge and service with world-leading technology. “Our new journal bearing polishing machine is a great example of BES-Schaeffler looking to the future, taking advantage of ever-improving technologies, combining them with our local knowledge and implementing these into deliverable actions,” says Mr Tawadros. “Our objective with this new technology and with the broad range of our services, is to deliver reconditioned bearing solutions in closer alignment to the standards of new-build bearings. “Providing further evidence of the level of technical and commercial capabilities BES brings to our markets, we are delighted to have designed and commissioned this unit in-house and to have had it built utilising local contractors. “We are proud yet again, to introduce innovative world leading technology and processes to our clients throughout Australia, New Zealand and the Asia-Pacific.”

Paul Sly – quality governance is a key issue in successfully sourcing form China Even little quality control problems can have big consequences for manufacturers serving demanding markets. The failure of the tiniest, comparatively inexpensive O-ring, gasket, seal or machined part can result in recalls, refunds and the rupturing of business relationships founded on total quality control and the highest safety standards. The problem can infect and paralyse entire distribution chains in key industries such as construction and engineering, mining and energy, oil and gas, manufacturing, metals and materials handling, transport and automotive, medical, defence and marine. “The issue of quality governance is magnified by distance from suppliers – both geographic and cultural distances and differences,” says manufacturing component specialist supplier Mr Paul Sly. “If, like so many Australian manufacturers, you are sourcing from China to compete, then being unaware of what causes even small quality variations can be devastating,” says Mr Sly, who is General Manager of one of Australasia’s leading specialist suppliers of seals and gaskets, CSGtech. CSGtech works closely with manufacturers and end-users to source the most suitable and most cost effective products available in Asia in general and China in particular, where it has its own staff overseeing quality control in different production plants. It is currently opening an office in China to provide even closer supervision of the quality focus and governance required for doing business in China, which recently become the world’s top manufacturing country by output, ending the United States’ 110-year run as the largest goods producer. Chinese exports of all types are estimated to have exceeded $ 2,000,000,000,000 last year. “China just can’t be beaten for value on its output. And the initial batches of product are usually excellent – exactly to spec. But as time moves on, these initial standards can change for reasons non-Chinese customers don’t understand – particularly where these customers are not careful to ensure they are communicating constantly and clearly with their supplier in China. “One of the big reasons for quality and product variations is that Chinese suppliers generally are great at dealing with huge quantities of production – big orders where margins of a few cents are critical. They have to be flexible and responsive to cost in such a vast commodity market and will change suppliers accordingly. “Down the line this can have unforeseen consequences n Australia, where our biggest orders often amount to an hour’s production in China – but where quality control, not cost, is the critical issue to us. So Australian companies have to look out for what happens if suppliers substitute something different and just a fraction cheaper – but something that ultimately doesn’t work when it arrives Down Under and then the situation gets ugly. “We know of a manufacturer of plumbing products, for example, who bought components from China worth about $30 of the input into a product of an eventual retail price of $300. His supplier substituted a different type of O-ring to save a few cents – destroying totally the value of a container load of the product sitting on his doorstep, worth tens of thousands of dollars. “The poor fellow was stressed right out – his best customers, whom he had spent years building up, were demanding answers. It’s an awful feeling when your best customers start ringing you up to say an entire batch has failed – and you’ve got hundreds more of the same sitting in your inventory. “He was very quick to sort out the issue through his representation in China, and ensure it never occurred again. But potentially this sort of situation can destroy relationships right down the market chain – not to mention the legal and safety issues. “We had an instance ourselves of a quality-focused global company seeking to source a coupling for use in mines in cold regions where the temperatures descend to minus 50 deg C. One potential supplier suggested standard materials it had used for a product designed for a totally different climate. It looked similar and was cheaper – but it would have failed badly in service, regardless of cost. “The lesson from this is to ensure you properly manage the whole selection, acquisition and quality assurance process, from factory floor to customer’s door,” said Mr Sly, whose company has shown its own commitment to national and global standards of quality assurance processes by gaining ISO 9001: 2008 Quality Management Systems – Requirements certification. ISO 9001 certification is invaluable to customers in demonstrating that the organisation involved can consistently provide quality processes that meet the requirements of customers and of any applicable regulations relating to them, says Mr Sly, whose company sources componentry for manufacturers and end-users serving industries such as construction and engineering, mining and energy, oil and gas, manufacturing and materials handling, transport and automotive, medical, defence and marine. Products CSGtech produces and subjects to world standards of quality control include: Gaskets and O-rings in all materials and sizes Castings, including high pressure, gravity and sand Silicone products, including extrusion and moulding Machining and stamping, including fasteners and custom work Extrusions, including plastic and rubber Mouldings, including rubber, plastics and custom Plastic shim from 025-1.5mm Viton and Teflon custom work “The Chinese are among our best suppliers in Asia and we love their “can-do” attitude,” said Mr Sly. “Through our network of internationally accredited manufacturers in China and elsewhere, their competitiveness means we can supply an exceptionally high level of product at exceptionally competitive prices. “But sourcing from China is a case where the devil is in the detail: the difference between a raging success and a flaming failure can be proper time and effort invested in understanding your market and having in place the highest standards of quality control. If you don’t understand the quality governance issues in dealing with China, you might as well butt your head against the Great Wall.”

F/A18 Aeronaut testing Cost-efficient use of simple industrial actuators has helped Australia’s Defence Science & Technology Organisation to implement a programme designed to achieve tens of millions of dollars worth of extra lifespan for the RAAF’s F/A-18 fighters. Air Spring Airstroke pneumatic actuators (fabric-reinforced rubber bellows designed for long life and rapid-cycle operation) were used to produce stresses on a test airframe at the Melbourne laboratory. The Air Springs, mounted against the airframe, were cycled to reproduce the enormous G-forces generated as a supersonic F/A-18 was put through its paces. Engineer Mr Rob Boykett led the programme developing the huge computerised testing rig which enfolded the F/A-18 fuselage and subjected it to diverse forces generated by the air springs and by other electric, hydraulic and pneumatic actuators developed or adapted by the laboratories. The rig – larger than many two-storey apartments – was equipped with hundreds of electronic sensors to measure each fluctuation in the airframe as its actuators duplicated the buffeting and shuddering felt as the F/A-18 exercised its phenomenal manoeuvrability, which includes the ability to maintain a 45-degree angle of attack. Australia has 71 F/A-18s, which collectively cost billions of dollars. If testing can extend their lifespan by even 10 per cent, the potential savings amount to hundreds of millions of dollars, said Toolern Engineering Pty Ltd, Victorian distributors for Air Springs Supply Pty Ltd, which supplied air springs for the project. “Australia’s F/A-18s are subjected to greater stresses than their American counterparts because they are used for a greater variety of missions,” said Toolern Engineering Manager Mr Paul Butler. “Because the aircraft represent a huge investment to countries such as Australia, we have to look after them very carefully.” Structural fatigue test The Defence Science & Technology Organisation’s lessons in high precision stress testing are also applicable to Australian industries with more down-to-earth stress testing needs. “The problem of metal fatigue and material failure is widespread across a broad range of engineering and manufacturing industries,” said Mr Butler. “Programmes such as this, which anticipate problems and prevent premature breakdown, can save producers a fortune and increase the safety of their products. “It is a great example of a Government service developing unique technology which is saleable nationally and internationally.” Air Springs have previously been used in such high technology projects as weapons testing and sonar research. Their exceptional vibration isolation efficiencies (more than 99 per cent in many applications) complement their ability to rapidly apply between 40 and 40,000kg of actuating force. When they are not being used to test the airframes of supersonic aircraft, the durable Air Springs are used to provide actuation in such applications as stamping presses, conveyor lines, materials handling equipment and process engineering machinery.

Pronal Lifting Bags used to position pipelines Australia presents many challenges when lifting, shifting and engineering pipelines to ensure safety and security of supply. A huge variety of terrain has to be crossed as they run over hundreds of kilometres, often between States, carrying substances as widely varied as water, petroleum and gas. Between the source of production and the eventual destination (be it processing point, export point or final market) they encounter situations that can potentially impose huge strains on the structure, including hills, gullies, bridges, subsidence and trenches in muddy or sandy locations – often with restricted space in which to engineer the lift. One company with huge experience in this highly specialised field is the international Nacap group, which over the past 40 years has laid more than 40,000 km of underground pipelines ranging in diameter from 250 to 1,500 mm (10” to 60”) and reaching lengths of 2,000 km, for the transmission of oil, gas, water and chemicals. Its projects range from a crossing of the Po river as part of the Snam Rete Gas DN750 (30”) pipeline Mortara – Alessandria in North Western Italy, to the contract for Epic Energy to construct the Queensland to South Australia/New South Wales Link to deliver coal seam gas to southern markets. Australian projects also include the Dampier-Bunbury natural gas pipeline, the Magnet slurry and return water pipeline, the Tallawarra gas pipeline project, the Wimmera-Mallee Water Supply system, and numerous other oil, gas and water projects. Nacap is helping to ensure safety and security in Australia by using an innovative method of de-stressing piplines as they are shifted and lifted to overcome and circumvent obstacles, obviating risks that could rupture the pipelines and create safety and supply problems. It is using advanced elastomer lifting cushion technology developed by the French company Pronal, the company that provided the enormously strong lifting bags to raise artifacts from the ocean liner Titanic 4km down on the Atlantic ocean floor. Pronal lifting bags, distributed in Australia by Air Springs Supply Pty Ltd, are now being used in groups of up to a dozen to gently raise and position sideways pipelines from 8-32in in diameter. Guided by strain gauges located along the sections of pipeline, they are precision inflated to provide shifts down to a millimetre or two when this is all that’s required –or much bigger steps when these are needed. One NSW project, the Mallaty Creek gas pipeline, involved horizontal movements up to 1.4m using Pronal lifting bags braced with geofabric sandbags. Nacap’s Construction Managers Hugh Boyd and Roger Vouges worked with Alinta engineering consultant GHD on that project. While the CLP 67 cushions can each provide up to 67 tons of lifting capacity (enough to hoist a decent size locomotive or truck) they spread this force evenly over a broad area of the pipeline and give minute control. This fine lifting capability was employed on another gasline project, Simpson’s Creek, which involved vertical movements only, says Jack Walsh, Nacap Construction Superintendent on this major project, for which Frontier Engineering Solutions was Alinta’s engineering consultant for Phase Two and GHD for Phase Four. “The reason we use them is they give absolute control of the lift and therefore great safety and security of supply. Hydraulics might provide a half an inch of concentrated movement, when we only need one millimetre.” One of Mr Walsh’s larger lifts, using five bags, involved 238 metres of pipeline passing through a gully, “So there was quite a lot of weight involved,” he says. Using a diesel 180cfm compressor, load sensors and the gauges and valving provided with the bags, the pipeline was repositioned to obviate the effects of slope and ground subsidence. “In that job, and indeed in all jobs, safety is number one priority, absolutely. That’s what we are all focussed on – the whole team, the load control system people, the stress gauge people, the engineers, the client – we are all focussed on security of the workforce, the infrastructure and the supply of the contents of the pipeline. “Nothing happens, nothing moves until everyone is happy with the process step by step and until it is signed off, step by step. Risk management, risk elimination, is paramount. “That’s one of the reasons why the Pronal lifting bags are so good – they treat the lift with kid gloves. They are very central to the task. “With them the lifts become a relatively straightforward two-man job, one each side of the pipe. The bags are easy to position and extremely robust,” said Mr Walsh. Air Springs Supply National Sales Manager Mr Simon Agar says the compact lifting ability of the Pronal bags can be a major asset in mining, petroleum, gas and infrastructure applications. “Especially in remote, rugged and sometimes muddy or sandy locations – including trenches – it can be difficult to provide crane access overhead or to obtain sufficient clearance and a firm foundation for a lift from underneath. “These tough, seamless and versatile lifting cushions can delicately raise loads ranging from pipelines of all types to trucks, tracked vehicles, beams, bridge components, building components, machinery and resource development structures,” he says. Pronal’s newest cushions range from ultra-thin bags (just 20mm thick deflated) that can lift weights of up to 67 tons each, to powerful spreading cushions that can exert hundreds of tonnes of force to part plant and machinery components for servicing, or to extract quarried material. Complementary low-pressure CPB Maxi-Lift cushions can be used on land and under water, offering greater strokes of up to 700mm (or 1400mm where a pair are employed). “These are superbly engineered lifting cushions developed for industrial, military and civil tasks by the French elastomer specialists Pronal, “says Mr Agar. “The materials used are so tough and durable that they are used to recover immobilized aircraft, for example, or to lift tanks or split rocks in quarries. “In addition to the standard models – such as the workhorse 920X920mm square cushion – a major