The Metalock method is an ingenious solution of a problem with cracked cast iron.
Ingenious solutions are as a rule long-lived since there are no alternatives. This is especially true of the Metalock method, which has been used since the end of the 1940s.
Because of the cast iron's high carbon content is usually very difficult to weld and require high temperatures.
One of the advantages of the Metalock method is that repairs can be carried out on site. This, in turn, means short downtimes.
Technically, the Metalock method is very simple. A crack in a cast iron component is locked using a key, which takes up both tensile and compressive stresses. Screws are driven in along the crack in order to take up shear stresses. The size of the keys and screws is determined by the thickness of the fractured cast iron component.
In the case of thicker casings, so-called Masterlocks are used. The appearance of these Masterlocks is determined by the stresses in the fractured casting.
The Metalock method can be used to repair any object made of cast iron such as gearboxes, engine blocks, roller stands, etc.