The year-over-year U.S. inflation rate through February 2022 hit a 40-year high of 7.9%, eroding purchasing power especially for gas, food and rent.

Understanding the different hardness testing types and systems can be useful to determine an optimal solution. Hardness testing functionality has evolved, and now users can dial into world-class-caliber instrumentation that more closely aligns with their applications at hand.

The United States Air Force (USAF) awarded Wall Colmonoy Aerobraze Engineered Technologies Oklahoma City a five-year contract for the remanufacture of F-15 fighter aircraft fin and plate heat exchangers at Mountain Home Air Force Base. The Idaho base has a history dating back to World War II and houses the 366th Fighter Group. Aerobraze Oklahoma City developed the remanufacture process to support USAF clients who were seeking repair rather than new part replacement of their F-15 primary heat exchanger. The method includes complete replacement of the heat exchanger core, as well as inspection and testing in accordance with the USAF Technical Order. This is more cost-effective compared to new part replacement. Since 2013, Aerobraze Oklahoma City has manufactured more than 500 F-15 primary heat exchangers.

Here is a complete list of all the feature articles – by topic – that appeared in Industrial Heating in 2021. The month each article appeared in is included. All articles are hyperlinked for your convenience.

Industrial Heating will host a free webinar Thursday, Feb. 24 at 2:00 p.m. (EST). Sponsored by Struers, “Hardness Testing: Sample Preparation and Other Parameters That Influence Results” will last approximately 60 minutes. Attendees of this webinar will learn about: Vickers, Knoop, Rockwell and Brinell test methods; parameters influencing hardness test results, including indent spacing and level of surface preparation; and common applications of hardness testing, including case hardness depth, Jominy testing and hardness mapping.

Ipsen expanded its field-service capabilities to include ultrasonic wall-thickness testing for vacuum furnaces. The test helps customers verify the integrity of their chamber and determine its remaining lifespan. Vacuum chamber wall-thickness testing is a service provided using an ultrasonic inspection instrument. This nondestructive method requires only the removal of a small amount of paint at each desired test point. Ipsen’s service team works with the engineering department to determine the appropriate thickness for each chamber wall and whether it passes or fails to meet the ASME Pressure Vessel Code. When the test concludes, customers receive a detailed report charting the thickness of the chamber wall across a wide range of areas, as well as maintenance and repair recommendations.

If you’re at all like me, you wonder which articles get the most attention on our website. Every year we publish over 40 feature articles, and at the end of the year we gather statistics to see which ones get the most page views. So, without further ado, here are the five most-viewed articles on www.industrialheating.com based on page views in 2021. This ranking applies only to articles published in 2021.

The fourth industrial revolution – the revolution that ushered in the Internet of Things (IoT) and Internet of Services (IoS) – has come to be known as Industry 4.0. The initial goals of Industry 4.0 typically have been automation, manufacturing process improvement and productivity/production optimization. The more advanced goals are innovation and the transition to new business models and revenue sources using information technologies and services as cornerstones.

Industrial Heating is hosting three free webinars over the next three weeks, including two in the next couple of days. “Users of Industrial Hydrogen Look Beyond Delivered for Security of Supply” will be held tomorrow, November 30, at 11:00 a.m. (EST). “How to Help Your Customers Decide to Reshore” will be held Thursday, December 2, at 2:00 p.m. (EST), and “Grinding and Polishing of Sample Materials for Microstructural Analysis and Hardness Testing” will be held Tuesday, December 14, at 2:00 p.m. (EST). Registration for these webinars is free.

TÜV Rheinland opened its newest testing services laboratory in West Unity, Ohio. Specializing in nondestructive and destructive testing services for the automotive and aviation/aerospace industries, TÜV Rheinland of North America’s northwest Ohio facility is equipped to provide a full range of testing requirements. The facility includes a custom-built, fully automated magnetic-particle system that provides efficiency and accuracy not achievable with off-the-shelf systems. Production hardness testing and additional nondestructive testing capabilities will also be offered.