March 5
Picture this. A single steel beam, the last puzzle piece in a structure, hovers above the framework of a nearly completed project. Affixed to the beam are flags, banners and an evergreen tree. To a spectator, it sparks curiosity. To ironworkers, it’s a longstanding tradition.
The tradition of “topping out” is a ceremonious acknowledgement of a completed construction job—one that was finished safely and one that promises growth. Earlier this year, the last piece of structural steel for Shop 4 at the Power Service Shops (PSS) in Muscle Shoals, Alabama was installed. It represents a major milestone in an expansion project slated to house a new asset for the PSS toolbox.
Innovation is the hallmark of TVA’s continuous improvement efforts. At PSS, innovation is always in motion. Opening the doors of the PSS is like opening the back of a grandfather clock, its intricate, mechanical craftsmanship running, well, like clockwork.
The collection of state-of-the art machines on the sprawling shop floor have been helping to maintain TVA’s generating fleet for 75 years. Built with longevity in mind, the PSS is now undergoing an expansion project, led by Bob Rehberg, Sr. Project Manager in Major Mods, that will keep things ticking for years to come. The existing Shop 4 is being expanded to accommodate one of the newest additions to the fleet of tools, a vertical turning lathe (VTL).
Whereas lathes that turn baseball bats and pens are horizontal, a VTL has a spindle that drops from overhead. Components like hydro head covers and shift rings sit on an eight-meter plate that has a 10-meter swing radius. Boasting a 200-ton capacity, the VTL will be able to accommodate the largest components at TVA – specifically hydro head covers throughout the fleet.
“Adding a large vertical lathe better positions the Power Service Shops to continue that tradition of being able to self-perform repairs for the components in the generating fleet,” remarked Corey Saint, the General Manager of PSS.
The building expansion is scheduled to be completed in April with the VTL components scheduled to arrive in early May. The VTL will be assembled over the summer with an in-service date expected in late 2025.