Repotenciación de los hornos de tratamiento térmico de la Facultad de Mecánica de la Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo

Abstract

This degree work aimed to upgrade the heat treatment furnaces of the Mechanics Faculty at Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo. The first step was to diagnose the existing failures and breakdowns in the heat treatment furnaces utilizing an observation sheet based on twenty-two items, determining the characteristics that must be considered to guarantee their adequate operation. Afterward, an investigation was made about the technical aspects that automation equipment in furnaces must have; with the above mentioned, we proceeded with the maintenance and its repowering in pieces, parts, or accessories. Tests were carried out with different thermal treatments employing Brinell Hardness tests (Hard Brinell HB) in AISI 1018 steel through three holes and other procedures such as oil, water, furnace, sand, and cementation where the highest HB index was obtained with water with a value of 242.46 and the lowest was 151.97 in cementation, this in comparison with the value of the steel in normal conditions which is 184.16. Additionally, an operation and maintenance manual is detailed for the type of furnace the Faculty of Mechanics has, focusing on instructions for use, precautions, commands and operation of the screen, and maintenance of parts and pieces. It is concluded that by identifying the existing failures or breakdowns in the heat treatment furnace using observation sheets, the required maintenance is carried out, and a manual is written so that the students of the Mechanics Faculty can develop heat treatment practices safely and efficiently and with more accurate results.