Shaft Material

[smellyshell]

I'm part of a small engineering club team at a university that is working on designing and manufacturing a small jet engine. We ran into trouble machining our shaft since our lathes can't machine our desired material. We were told we could machine materials of a hardness of Rockwell C20, but in practice we could not. What shaft material would you recommend that is less than Rockwell C20 for a 170.5102mm long shaft rotating at a max 100,000RPM?

We tried 1045 Carbon steel but couldn't machine it. Something easier to manufacture but durable for our engine is what we need. 

[racket]

Have you checked out the GTBA www.gtba.co.uk

[wannabebuilderuk]

What tools are you using? Standard HSS cutters are around 60 rockwell and tungsten inserts are similar but are cheaper and don't have to be ground to shape. If you're struggling to cut something like 1045 which is only a 10 rockwell (so low its only measured in hrb not hrc) then something is not right and I suggest you check your setup i.e tool height to centerline of workpiece. What is the lathe you're using.

[jetjeff]

Hi,

Chrome Moly (41xx), is a suitable shaft material. A carbide tipped tool should cut either metal, a bigger radius on the insert will provide a better surface finish.

As per the above reply, something is not set up correctly on your lathe. Cutting oil needs to be applied during the process (or the insert won't last very long).

Regards

Jeff

[miuge]

What sort of lathe? If its something like a small desktop lathe that might struggle, but even any half-decent manual lathe should be able to cut basically any tool steel (not hardened). Otherwise its because of wrong tools or user error.

[ncjetengine]

Hello We can make and deliver this part to you. Please contact. You can communicate via our website or social media