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Seoul 2000 FISITA World Automotive Congress F2000A134

June 12-15, 2000, Seoul, Korea

A Study on Fatigue and Durability Characteristics of Clutch Diaphragm

Spring According to Tempering Condition
Wook-Hee Nam1) * Choon-Yeol Lee 2) * Young S. Chai 3) * Jae-Do Kwon 4) *
Yong-Tak Bae 5) * Seung-Wan Woo 6) *
1)
VALEO-PYEONGHWA Co., Ltd. KOREA
2~4)
YEUNGNAM University, KOREA
5~6)
YEUNGNAM Graduate school , KOREA

An automobile clutch system is operating under high temperature and repeating stress in clutch housing, whenever push
clutch pedal. A diaphragm spring play an important role at engage or disengage with release bearing. The material of
spring, 50CrV4 is required as sufficient fatigue strength and tenacity, is very special spring steel. A diaphragm spring have
a various concentrated stress, crack grow up and broken. It is very difficult to find the optimal heat treatment process. In
this paper, to obtain the optimal heat treatment condition, the specimen is made of different tempering temperature and
tested structural of surface, hardness, tensile strength. By fatigue crack propagation test, it is found the relation between
fatigue crack growth rate and stress intensity factor range. On the broken surface, it is well distinguished with tempering
temperature.

Keywords: Clutch, Diaphragm Spring, stress intensity Factor

2. HEAT TREATMENT OF TEST SPECIMEN

1. INTRODUCTION

To meet a rapid growth, a high quality and a reliable Table 1 shows a chemical composition of 50CrV4 and
improvement of domestic automobile industry, a material method of heat treatment for automobile clutch diaphragm
of automobile clutch diaphragm spring is needed a good spring.
characteristic, durability and fatigue. During long time , a
special spring material, automobile clutch diaphragm
spring is imported from Europe and Japan. An import
price is growth up and transportation is some difficult. To Table 1. Chemical composition of automobile clutch
reduce these cost and localize, POSCO is producing a raw diaphragm spring
material 50CrV4 and clutch maker are used that. A clutch
maker, VALEO Pyeonghwa, has a heat treatment process Composition, wt. %
quenching and tempering to get a high strength and
durability and reliability. On the field, a diaphragm spring
is broken sometimes, have a various concentrated stress, POSCO C V Cr Si Mn P S Cu
crack grow up and broken. An automobile clutch system is (98.1)
operating under high temperature and repeating stress in 0.51 0.11 1.03 0.28 0.79 0.01 0.003 0.02
clutch housing, whenever push clutch pedal. The spring’s
material, 50CrV4 is required as sufficient fatigue strength
and tenacity. According to heat treatment, surface
hardness, tensile strength and fatigue characteristic are
different. It is very difficult to find the optimal heat Fig. 1 shows heat treatment process how to make test
treatment process. To find a best tempering heat treatment specimen. Like fig. 1, it is quenched from 880℃ during
condition, it is treated quenching process at 880℃ during 15minutes and cooled. At this time, it is inserted test
15 minutes and changed tempering condition as 12 specimen between jig to prevent deformation. The
different temperature. At each step of tempering process, it tempering heat treatment are 200℃, 260℃, 320℃, 370℃,
is checked microstructure hardness, tension strength and 390℃, 400℃, 410℃, 420℃, 430℃, 470℃, 530℃ and
done fatigue crack test to get the best tempering heat 590℃.
treatment condition.

Corresponding author. e-mail:

wookkhee@yahoo.com

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 880℃×15 min To know hardness distribution after tempering heat
treatment, it is checked hardness using rockwell hardness
testor. Fig. 3 shows relation temperature and rockwell
hardness. ● mark is medium value of hardness, I mark is
Temperature (℃)

range of hardness distribution. Hardness is trending

decrease along high temperature.
590℃×60 min
530℃×60 min
470℃×60 min
430℃×60 min
420℃×60 min
410℃×60 min
Oil quenching 400℃×60 min
390℃×60 min
370℃×60 min 60
320℃×60 min
260℃×60 min
200℃×60 min

Rockwell hardness ( H RC )
55
HRC = - 0.053 T + 68.37
Air cooling
50
Time (min)
Fig. 1 Method of heat treatment for automobile clutch
45
diaphragm spring
40

35
100 200 300 400 500 600 700
3. MATERIAL CHARACTERISTICS Temperature (oC)

3-1. MICROSTRUCTURE
Fig. 3 Relation between tempering
Temperature and Rockwell hardness
After tempering heat treatment process, to compare the
change of metallic microstructure, it is etched during 10
seconds on nital solution. It is very difficult to distinguish
the difference of metalic microstructure like fig. 2.
3-3. TENSION CHARACTERISTIC

To research the change of tension characteristic with a

various tempering condition, it is made specimens
according to ASTM E8M-95a, width 20mm, parallelism
distance 50mm, radius of corner 16mm, thickness 3mm.
The used test machine is Autograph AG-25TG of
Shimadzu company, attached strain gage extensometer

0.1mm
0.1mm
(a) at 260℃ (b) at 320℃ 2500

200oC
o
260 C
2000 320oC
o
370 C
o
390 C
400oC
Stress (MPa)

1500 o
410 C
o
420 C
430oC
o
1000 470 C
o
530 C
o
590 C
0.1mm 0.1mm
500
(c) at 410℃ (d) at 470℃
Fig. 2 Optical micrographs of tempered automobile clutch
Diaphragm spring at various temperature 0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22
Strain (%)

3-2. HARDNESS CHARACTERISTIC

Fig. 4 shows stress-strain behavior for
It is a closed relation between strength and hardness. tempered tensile specimens at various
When hardness is low, strength characteristic is bad. Also, temperature.
when hardness is very high, it is caused a brittle fracture.

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Fig. 5 shows relation between tempering temperature and range(△k) with H.Tada’s formula. Fig. 6 shows a
tensile strength or elongation. Tension strength of clutch relation between fatigue crack growth rate and stress
diaphragm spring is trending decrease belong to tempering intensity factor range.
temperature from 200℃ to 590℃.

10-2

Fatigue crack growth rate, da/dN(mm/cycle)

2200 2200

2000 2000

1800 1800
Tensile strength (MPa)

10-3

Elongation (x100)
1600 1600

1400 1400

1200 1200
Tempering
1000 1000
temperature
800 800 200 oC
10-4 260 oC
600 600
320 oC
Tensile strength
400 Elongation (x100) 400 370 oC
390 oC
200
100 200 300 400 500 600
200
700
400 oC
410 oC
Temperature (oC) 420 oC
430 oC
10-5 470 oC
Fig. 5 Relationship tempering temperature and 530 oC
590 oC
tensile strength or elongation
101 102
Stress intensity factor range, ∆K(MPa m )

4. CHARACTERISTIC OF FATIGUE CRACK Fig. 6 Relationship between fatigue crack growth rate, da/dN
and stress intensity factor range, ΔK
Automobile clutch diaphragm spring is needed high
strength and toughness under high stress condition. Fatigue crack growth rate is fast between 200℃ and
Evaluation of fatigue characteristic according to tempering 400℃, slow after 410℃, but it is difficult to find the
heat treatment condition is important to improve safety, difference of microstructure. It is satisfy Paris’ law on
strength and durability. 50CrV4 spring steel. For all tempering condition, it is
shown a relation crack growth exponent, temperature and
crack growth coefficient in Fig. 7.
CONDITION

4.1 Test specimen is center crack tension specimen and 7 5e-8

dimension are width 40mm, thickness 3mm. Center
hole is drilled as center drill to minimize work m 4e-8
hardening and effect of fatigue crack characteristic. 6
C Crack growth coefficient, C
To minimize effect of surface roughness using emery
Crack growth exponet, m

3e-8
paper from #200 to #2000. Used fatigue test is 5
hydraulic-servo fatigue test machine of Instron model 2e-8
8516. Ratio of stress, R, is 0.05 of sine wave, load
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type is tension-tension, frequency is 10Hz, humidity is 1e-8
50% and stress level is 116Mpa. To check crack
length is used moving microscopic, CCD camera and 3
0
monitor
2
4.2 RELATION BETWEEN FATIGUE CRACK 100 200 300 400 500 600 700

Temperture ( o C)
GROWTH RATE AND STRESS
INTENCITY
Fig. 7 Relationship between fatigue crack
FACTOR RANGE growth exponent, m and tempering
temperature or crack growth
coefficient ,C
With a variable tempering heat treated specimen of
automobile clutch diaphragm spring, it is done fatigue
crack growth test, calculated fatigue crack growth Crack growth exponent, m, is rapidly down till 370℃ and
rate(da/dN) with secant method, stress intensity factor has constant value. Crack growth coefficient, C, is rapidly

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up till 390℃ and decrease very weekly. From △k-da/dN
curve and C-m value, it seems that proper tempering heat
treatment condition of automobile clutch diaphragm spring
is minimum 410℃. More higher tempering temperature
slow fatigue crack growth rate. It means hardness is down,
but anti-fatigue characteristic is strong.
4.3 MICROGRAPHIC FATIGUE FRACTURE
On Fig. 6, fatigue crack growth rate at 200℃ is fast than
other tempering temperature due to boundary fracture till
390℃. From 400℃ to 590℃ tempering temperature, it is
no happen boundary fracture. So, proper tempering
temperature of automobile clutch diaphragm spring steel is
minimum 410℃ for economic and confidence.
5. RESIDUAL STRESS
The X-ray diffraction method for determination of residual
stress is based on measuring crystal lattice distorions in the
material caused by residual stress. The measurement is
performed using an X-ray diffractometer. The advantage in
this method is that it is nondestructive and thus the
evaluated part remains undamaged. Another advantage is
that the inspected part is not subjected during the
measurement to conditions that might distort the field of
residual stress. It is checked residual stress due to be
stressed repeat on diaphragm spring. When is making
process, there are residual stress and deformation on the
diaphragm spring by a variable machining. The residual
stress is checked by X-ray diffraction method, Shimatzu
company. From 400 ℃ to 590 ℃, residual stress is stable.
40
35
30
Residual stress
25
20
15
10
5
0
100 200 300 400 500 600
Temperature (oC)
Fig. 8 Relationship residual stress and
tempering temperature
5. CONCLUSION
1. Hardness is low at 200℃ tempering temperature, high
at 590℃. Tension strength is high at 200℃, low 590℃.
2. At a variable tempering temperature, Crack growth
exponent, m, is rapidly down till 370℃ and has constant
value. Crack growth coefficient, C, is rapidly up till
390℃ and decrease very weekly.
3. At 200℃, residual stress is high, decrease till 400℃ and
stable from 410℃.
4. It seems that proper tempering heat treatment
temperature of automobile clutch diaphragm spring is
minimum 410℃.
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