Presentations by Purdue Materials Students -- William F. Shelley Jr. & Erica D. Cattanach
William Shelley and Erica Cattanach
Presentation #2: White Iron Flaking Rolls Utilized in the Soybean Processing Industry
Erica D. Cattanach
In order to extract oil from soybeans, soybeans are flaked to about 0.010 inches thickness between two rolls sping at about 300 rpm. Flaking rolls are made of white cast iron primarily for wear resistance and low cost. The wear and degradation of these rolls are the primary focus of this study.
A new series of white iron containing small amounts of niobium are under development for this application. Experiments are currently underway at Central Soya, Inc. Morristown, IN plant to directly measure wear resistance. This is the first systematic study which applies scientific principals toward understanding the industrial difficulties involved in flaking soybeans.
Primary emphasis of the project is the actual measurement of wear of existing rolls of the traditional "definite chill cast rolls" (0.625" or white iron exterior over grey iron interior), "indefinite chill cast rolls" (a structure between white and grey iron throughout) and the new "niobium enhanced" white iron. The rolls are being measured directly with a "pi tape" (temperature compensated using an infrared detector) at regular intervals (about 2 weeks) during service. Not all types of rolls have been placed in service yet, so no conclusions are available at this time. On rolls which have been monitored, wear has been detected and found to be quite linear with use.