Timken® Steel Included in Collider Project for Giant Physics Lab(Pic)

Timken® Steel Included in Collider Project for Giant Physics Lab (Pic) The Timken Company¡¯s steel technology helped Superbolt, Inc. provide equipment to the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) and its large particle physics laboratory located near Geneva, Switzerland. Timken® quality alloy steel was used in CERN¡¯s flagship project, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), which is located underground along the Franco-Swiss border. Experts have said the LHC, a particle accelerator, will be the world's largest and most complex scientific instrument when it is scheduled to be switched on in May 2008. Superbolt, a Pittsburgh-based manufacturer of patented multi-jackbolt stud/bolt tensioning devices, was selected to provide 1,400 Torquebolts®, Supernuts® and pins. Those components were used in the assembly of 30-foot diameter magnet endcap disks inside the underground tunnel that holds the collider. To meet the large load and small space requirements for the collider, Superbolt required steel with a particularly high hardness rating that also could be machinable. ¡°The strict requirements differentiated this steel from standard grades,¡± said Chi Cheung, Timken sales engineer specialist who worked with Superbolt on this application. ¡°Superbolt presented us the opportunity to engage our engineering know-how to meet the specific and challenging needs for this unique application.¡± Engineers and metallurgists at Timken reviewed the requirements and proposed a special high-strength, quenched and tempered alloy steel round bar. This 4.75-inch round bar met the strength criteria yet allowed for easy machining into specially designed Superbolt style bolts, nuts and related pins. ¡°We¡¯ve relied on Timken for more than 20 years for a variety of applications,¡± said Robert Steinbock, president of Superbolt. ¡°When bidding the business for CERN, we had to have a product on which we could depend for this unique application and a supplier to meet our timetable. We naturally turned to Timken, and we are pleased with the results.¡± To complete its commitment to the LHC project, Superbolt ordered 120,000 pounds of Timken steel to make 1,400 bolt style tensioners. The Torquebolts® were pre-stressed and then shipped to CERN for installation. Superbolt was recognized as a top supplier by CERN during its annual awards program. ¡°Our ability to provide differentiated solutions for rugged and demanding applications like this underground laboratory allows us to deliver tangible value that helps improve our customers¡¯ performance,¡± said Salvatore J. Miraglia, Jr., president of Timken¡¯s steel business. ¡°We are a company that understands the science of metallurgy and the composition of metals. To have a role in enabling some of the world¡¯s best physicists to better understand the composition of the universe is deeply gratifying.¡±