WCA September 2018

Technology news

Hardness, corrosion resistance and impact strength all a factor for Ugitech

low and their resistance to impact loads even lower. These properties have a direct effect on the quality and service life of wearing parts, such as cutting tools, valve seats and bending guides, as well as nozzles for flow control of liquids containing abrasive particles. With 57 HRC when tempered, Ugima 4116N has a comparable hardness value to that of the materials EN 1.4112/AISI 440B and EN 1.4125/AISI 440C. By adding nitrogen (0.1 per cent) Ugitech specifically improves the corrosion resistance of stainless steel containing carbon. Resistance to pitting has a potential of 200 mV/ECS (in NaCl 0.02 M at 23°C and pH = 6.6) in a quenched and tempered state and is thereby much more resistant to pitting corrosion than comparable products. In contrast to other martensitic steel grades, Ugima 4116N also has greater impact strength. The added sulphur content improves machinability and produces short chipping lengths during machining. Users profit from the quality and long-lasting wearing parts. Ugitech SA – France Website : www.ugitech.com

HARDNESS, corrosion resistance and impact strength are factors in the lifecycle costs of wearing parts made of steel bar such as valve seats, bending guides and nozzles for abrasive liquids. The material’s machinability, however, is just as relevant for quality and cost effectiveness. Ugitech has now introduced a stainless steel with values that meet all of these criteria. Ugima ® 4116N is extremely hard thanks to the addition of nitrogen and more resistant to corrosion than standard-grade steel as EN 1.4125 (AISI 440C) and EN 1.4112 (AISI 440B). Combined with improved machin- ability, designers, steel producers and users of parts subject to heavy wear and tear profit from a competitive advantage. “The rising demand for a special steel with good mechanical properties comparable to those of UGI 4116N and improved machinability was the driving force behind our development of UGI ® 4116N,” said Marc Marticou, business development manager at Ugitech, a member of the Schmolz + Bickenbach Group. In introducing this new development,

Ugitech expands the range of applications of special steel UGI ® 4116N developed for hard-edged cutting tools, and leverages improvements in productivity in steel processing. Ugima 4116N, a new corrosion-resistant steel, is a competitive alternative to the conventional martensitic steel grades commonly used such as EN 1.4112/ AISI 440B and EN 1.4125/AISI 440C. Both standard materials have high hardness values. However, due to their high carbon content (0.9 per cent and 1 per cent, respectively) they contain primary carbides and thus their corrosion resistance is comparatively ❍ A wearing nozzle highlighted by Ugitech

New software that can communicate and automatically control the cable engine and the DP system of cable laying vessels is being developed on the cable deployment control software MakaiLay. This software takes advantage of the new generation of installation hardware equipped with digital I/O mechanisms that make it easier to use measurements in real-time and to automatically control their operation. Smart algorithms are used in Makai’s Auto-Slack and Auto-NAV software to generate the next optimal sequence of instructions that the cable engine and the vessel DP should follow to accurately install the submarine cable with the target bottom tension/slack and along the desired route. Smart software tools are also being added to the engineering software MakaiPlan to automate processes and check for errors in some of the repetitive and tedious tasks that route planners have to perform. Examples include assigning cable types based on water depth, maintaining proper spacing between repeaters, Software getting smarter for cable laying

maintaining proper crossing angles, avoiding steep slopes, and dealing with buffer zones between the cable route and other assets and obstacles in the area. With the increasing computational power and decreasing data storage costs of the latest computers, it is possible to implement these checks in real-time as route planning proceeds. This makes the route planning process more efficient and, more importantly, significantly reduces the risk of errors. “Cable owners, installers and other industry partners are already showing interest in these new smart automated tools for new vessels that are currently being built as a means to lower costs and improve the quality of their projects,” said Dr Venkata Jasti, manager of submarine cable systems group, Makai Ocean Engineering Inc. “We anticipate that most of the existing vessels will also

adopt these tools in the next few years.” Makai Ocean Engineering Inc – USA Website : www.makai.com

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Wire & Cable ASIA – September/October 2018

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