Forged Francis Hydro Turbine Guide Vane Wicket Gates | 25+ Yr China ISO 9001:2015 Manufacturer
Jiangsu Liangyi Co., Limited was founded in 1997, it is an ISO 9001:2015 certified leading China-based manufacturer of forged steel guide vane wicket gates for Francis hydro power turbines and hydraulic water turbine generators. As a complete-cycle open die forging manufacturer with an 80,000㎡ factory and 40 million USD fixed assets, we provide end-to-end production from in-house EF+LF+VD steel melting, precision forging with 2000T-6300T hydraulic presses, customized heat treatment, to rough and final 5-axis CNC machining. All our products 100% follow international standards (ASTM, ASME, EN, API, NACE) and your custom engineering drawings.
Our forged wicket gates and guide vanes are suitable for the critical flow control function in Francis turbines, delivering superior resistance to cavitation, erosion, and fatigue in harsh hydropower operating environments. We provide hydropower plant operators, EPC contractors, and turbine OEMs to 50+ countries all over the world, we also provide track record of our process in both new build projects and turbine retrofit operations. Our engineering team consists of 15+ certified metallurgists and mechanical engineers, ready to provide technical support from material selection to on-site installation guidance.
Why Choose Open Die Forged Wicket Gates Over Cast Alternatives?
For Francis turbine flow control components, open die forged wicket gates have best long-term performance advantages which directly reduce your maintenance costs and extend turbine life cycle by 2-3x:
- 30% Higher Mechanical Properties: Refined, uniform grain structure from optimized forging ratio (minimum 3:1) has superior tensile strength, impact toughness, and fatigue resistance compared to cast parts, so it is important for withstanding long-term water flow impact and pressure fluctuations.
- Zero Internal Defects: Our 2000T-6300T hydraulic forging presses eliminate porosity, shrinkage, and inclusions common in sand or investment castings, which can make sure 100% pass rate of ultrasonic testing (UT) per EN 10228 and reducing risk of catastrophic failure in operation.
- Superior Corrosion & Cavitation Resistance: Uniform material microstructure and precise heat treatment improve corrosion resistance in high-sediment or high-salinity water, and extend life cycle in cavitation-prone turbine environments near the runner inlet.
- Customizable Material Performance: complete control over melting, forging, and heat treatment which allow us to adjust material properties to your specific project's operating conditions, from low-temperature alpine projects (-40°C impact resistance) to high-temperature geothermal-linked hydropower plants.
Industry-Standard & Custom Material Grades for Forged Hydro Turbine Wicket Gates
We manufacture forged steel hydro turbine wicket gates according to globally recognized, hydropower-optimized material grades, we have complete heat number traceability from raw material to final delivery. Below is our standard and custom material options:
- A182-F6NM, UNS S41500 Forged Steel Hydro Turbine Wicket Gates
- 1.4313, X3CrNiMo13-4 Forged Steel Hydraulic Water Turbine Generator Wicket Gates
- ASTM A743 CA-6NM (CA6NM) Hydro Turbine Guide Vanes
- GX4CrNi13-4, 1.4317, G-X5CrNi13-4 Forged Hydro Turbine Wicket Gates
- Custom alloy steel, stainless steel, duplex stainless steel (2205, 2507), and super alloy grades per your project requirements
All materials are produced according to the EF+LF+VD triple melting process to make sure ultra-low sulfur and phosphorus content, uniform chemical composition, and consistent mechanical performance — meeting the requirements of NACE MR0175/ISO 15156 and EN 10204 standards. Explore our full range of forging material grades for custom solutions.
Complete In-House Manufacturing Process for Francis Turbine Wicket Gates
We control every step of production which can eliminate third-party quality risks and make sure complete traceability for every forged wicket gate. Our manufacturing process includes:
- Custom Steel Melting: 30t EAF (Electric Arc Furnace) + LF (Ladle Furnace) + VOD (Vacuum Oxygen Decarburization) melting facilities for precise chemical composition control, according to your material specification
- Open Die Forging: 2000T, 4000T, and 6300T hydraulic forging presses, 1T-5T electro-hydraulic hammers, and 1m-5m seamless rolling machines, with improved forging ratio (minimum 3:1) for full grain refinement and structural integrity
- Precision Heat Treatment: 10+ continuous and batch heat treatment furnaces for customized quenching and tempering, to get the required hardness, toughness, and microstructure for your operating environment
- CNC Machining: 3-axis and 5-axis CNC machining centers for both rough machining and final precision machining, with tolerances strictly controlled to your drawing specifications (up to IT7 grade)
- Comprehensive Quality Testing: Full in-house NDT, mechanical property, and metallographic testing before delivery, with complete certification documentation
Learn more about our industry-leading forging, machining, and inspection equipment and quality control capabilities.
Complete Quality Testing & Inspection Certification
To make sure the quality and long-term performance of every forged hydro turbine wicket gate, we do tests for the products with advanced in-house inspection equipment, we can provide complete, traceable documentation for every batch. Our testing processes includes:
Mechanical Property Testing
We use 400 KN universal testing machines, 450J & 750J pendulum impact machines, and high-temperature electrical creep machines to validate full mechanical performance:
- Room-temperature and high-temperature tensile test (up to 1000°C)
- Notch impact test (down to -196°C for low-temperature alpine operating environments)
- Creep test, bending test, compression test, and drop-weight test (Pellini)
- Brinell, Rockwell, and Vickers hardness testing
Metallographic & Chemical Analysis
Our in-house accredited lab provides whole material verification and microstructure validation:
- Microstructure examination and grain size determination (per ASTM E112)
- Fiber orientation, purity level, and intermetallic phase analysis
- Corrosion tests (G28, G48, IK) and Huey-Test for cavitation and corrosion resistance validation
- Chemical element analysis via optic emission spectrometer and X-ray fluorescence spectrometer
- Segregation testing on etched slices and simulated heat treatment (up to 1280°C)
Nondestructive Testing (NDT)
All forgings have NDT inspection before delivery, according to international standards (EN 10228, ASTM A388, ASME V):
- Magnetic Particle Testing (MT) for surface and near-surface defect detection
- Liquid Penetrant Testing (PT) for surface and near-surface defect detection (for non-magnetic materials)
- Ultrasonic Testing (UT) for internal defect detection, 100% coverage per EN 10228
- Radiographic Testing (RT) for complex geometry internal defect inspection
Mandatory Certification Documentation
Every batch of our forged hydro turbine wicket gates comes with a complete mill test certificate (MTC) according to EN 10204 Type 3.1/3.2 standards, including the following mandatory information:
- Purchase Order number and MATERIAL Specification number with revision letter
- Full statement of the melting process used
- Chemical analysis report and unique heat number for complete traceability
- Complete heat treatment record, including time/temperature cycle, cooling media, and hardness results for forgings and test coupons
- Actual mechanical property values from test coupons
- Quantity of forgings from each heat
- Complete NDT inspection reports and compliance statement
Below is a sample of inspection certificate for our 1.4313 forged steel hydro turbine wicket gates, issued by Jiangsu Liangyi Co., Limited according to EN 10204-3.1:
| INSPECTION CERTIFICATE - EN 10204 3.1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate No. | JLY-HYDRO-019080900 | Issued Date | 2024-09-04 |
| Product Standard | EN 10250-4 QT780 | Steel Grade | 1.4313 (X3CrNiMo13-4) |
| Smelting Process | EF+LF+VD | Heat No. | JLY-621-1908 |
| Product | Hydro Turbine Guide Vane | Quantity | 20 PCS |
| Production Process | Open Die Forged, QT Heat Treatment, Precision 5-Axis CNC Machined | ||
| Chemical Composition Standard | |||
| Element | Standard Requirement | Actual Test Result | Standard |
| C | ≤0.05 | 0.007 | Qualified |
| Cr | 12.0-14.0 | 12.42 | Qualified |
| Ni | 3.5-4.5 | 3.69 | Qualified |
| Mo | 0.30-0.70 | 0.68 | Qualified |
| S | ≤0.015 | 0.003 | Qualified |
| Mechanical Property Standard | |||
| Property | Standard Requirement | Actual Test Result | Standard |
| Tensile Strength Rm | 780-980 MPa | 890 MPa | Qualified |
| Yield Strength Rp0.2 | ≥550 MPa | 813 MPa | Qualified |
| Elongation A | ≥15% | 22.0% | Qualified |
| Longitudinal Impact KV | ≥70 J | 136 J | Qualified |
| Transverse Impact KV | ≥50 J | 112 J | Qualified |
| Final Inspection Results | |||
| Metallographic Inspection | Qualified | Surface Inspection | Qualified |
| Dimensional Inspection | Qualified | Ultrasonic Testing (UT) | Qualified |
| MT/PT NDT Inspection | Qualified | Hardness Testing | Qualified |
Global Project & Geo-Targeted Application Cases
Our forged Francis hydro turbine guide vane wicket gates have been successfully used in hydropower projects across 50+ countries all over the world, they have stable performance in different operating environments. Below are our main regional application cases, which according to local market standards and project requirements:
North America Market
Standard Compliance: ASTM, ASME, NACE MR0175, CSA
Project Case: We provided 80+ sets of A182-F6NM forged wicket gates for a 500MW hydropower retrofit project in British Columbia, Canada, which is suitable for low-temperature alpine operating environments (-40°C Charpy V-notch impact resistance). All parts passed third-party TÜV SÜD inspection and they have operated stably for 6+ years with no issues.
Get NA-Specific QuoteEurope Market
Standard Compliance: EN, PED, ISO 15156, CE
Project Case: We provided 120 sets of 1.4313 (X3CrNiMo13-4) forged guide vanes for a 300MW Francis turbine new build project in Romania. we provide EN 10204 3.2 certification and third-party BV inspection. The parts are suitable for high corrosion resistance in the Danube River's high-sediment water.
Get EU-Specific QuoteSoutheast Asia Market
Standard Compliance: ASTM, EN, IEC, JIS
Project Case: We provided over 200 sets of CA6NM forged wicket gates for a 1GW cascade hydropower project in Vietnam, which included both new turbine components and replacement parts for existing 10-year-old units. We provided on-site technical support and fast 45-day delivery to meet the project's tight construction schedule.
Get SEA-Specific QuoteSouth America Market
Standard Compliance: API, ASTM, ISO, ABNT
Project Case: We custom manufactured 150 sets of forged wicket gates for a run-of-river hydropower project in Brazil, optimized for high cavitation resistance in high-flow Amazon River tributary operating conditions. All parts passed full NDT testing and were delivered with complete traceability documentation.
Get SA-Specific QuoteOceania Market
Standard Compliance: AS, ASTM, EN, NZ
Project Case: We provided forged guide vanes for a 20MW small hydropower renewable project in New South Wales, Australia. These products can support the client's local carbon neutrality goals. We provided complete material certification and metallographic test reports, to make sure the parts can meet the Australian local standards and EPA requirements.
Get OC-Specific QuoteMiddle East & Africa Market
Standard Compliance: API, ASTM, ISO, SASO
Project Case: We provided over 100 sets of forged wicket gates for a desalination-linked hydropower project in the United Arab Emirates. These parts are processed with special corrosion-resistant material treatment which can be used for high-salinity Persian Gulf water environments. The parts operated stably for 4+ years with no issues.
Get MEA-Specific QuoteExplore our full global project references list and learn more about our experience in your region.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for Francis Turbine Wicket Gates
Wicket gates (also known as guide vanes) are important flow control components in a Francis turbine. They regulate the flow rate and direction of water entering the turbine runner, allowing for efficient operation across varying water head and load conditions. They also play an important role in turbine shutdown by closing to stop water flow completely.
CA6NM (ASTM A743) and 1.4313 (X3CrNiMo13-4) martensitic stainless steel The most common materials for Francis turbine wicket gates. These materials have a perfect balance of high strength, great impact toughness, and best cavitation and corrosion resistance. These advantages make them ideal for harsh hydropower operating environments. We can also make custom duplex stainless steel or super alloy grades for uses where there is a lot of sediment or corrosion.
We can make forged wicket gates and guide vanes that single-piece weight ranging from 30KGS to 30,000KGS, with maximum diameter up to 2 meters and maximum length up to 15 meters. All custom sizes can be produced according to your engineering drawings.
We focus on custom replacement wicket gates for existing Francis turbines, even if we have no original drawings. Our team of over 15 certified metallurgists and mechanical engineers can take apart existing parts and make exact copies that fit perfectly and work just as well or better than the originals.
We provide full EN 10204 3.1 mill test certificates for all orders, 3.2 third-party certified certificates (from TÜV, SGS, or BV) can also be provided as per your request. All our production processes are ISO 9001:2015 certified, and we can manufacture parts to meet the requirements of NACE MR0175/ISO 15156 and other regional standards as required for your project.
Custom Forged Wicket Gates Solutions & Inquiry Information
Jiangsu Liangyi Co., Limited is your best China partner for high-quality custom forged Francis hydro turbine guide vane wicket gates. No matter you need components for a new hydropower build project, replacement parts for turbine retrofit, or custom engineered solutions for challenging operating environments, we can provide a best solution that meets your exact specifications.
We have complete in-house production chain, strict quality control, and 25+ years of forging experience, so we can provide competitive pricing, on-time delivery (45-90 days depending on complexity), and complete technical support for global clients. We accept both large-volume production orders and small-batch custom orders.
Contact Us for a Custom Quotation
Please send us your custom drawing, material specification, order quantity, and project requirements. We provide you a detailed quotation within 24 hours (during our business hours, UTC+8).
Inquiry Email: sales@jnmtforgedparts.com
Phone/WhatsApp: +86-13585067993
Website: https://www.jnmtforgedparts.com
Address: Chengchang Industry Park, Jiangyin City, Jiangsu Province, China
Submit Your Inquiry Now