MATERIALS FOR REAR AXLE SHAFT

• AUTOMOBILES IN GENERAL ARE REAR WHEEL DRIVEN; POWER TRANSMITTED

TO REAR WHEELS.

• AXLE CONNECTS THE WHEELS AND DIFFERENTRIAL TO TRANSMIT POWER

• SO SUBJECTED TO TORSIONAL STRESS, AND BENDING STRESS DUE ITS OWN

WEIGHT

• AND WEIGHT OF OTHER COMPONENTS ; ALSO MISALIGNMENT BETWEEN

JOURNAL BEARING IS LIABLE TO STRESS THE SHAFT.

• TORSIONAL FATIGUE, ROTATING BENDING FATIGUE AND REVERSE BENDING

FATIGUE ARE IMPORTANT
 MATERIALS TO BE USED FOR THE REAR AXLE
MUST HAVE HIGH STRENGTH AND TOUGHNESS FOR LOAD BEARING

LOAD BEARING ABILITY DEPENDS UPON SIZE AND SHAPE TOO.

STEEL IS UNCHALLENGED IN THIS AREA TILL DATE.

IT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT TORSIONAL MODULUS OF ELASTICITY

IS SAME FOR ALL MATERIALS;

STEELS OF DIFFERENT COMPOSITION AND MICROSTRUCTURE MAKING REAR

AXLE OF SAME SIZE AND SHAPE WILL EXPERIENCE SAME DEGREE OF TWISTING

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF STRENGTH THEN?

HIGH STRENGTH ALLOY STEELS WILL SPRING BACK UNHARMED UPON

WITHDRAWAL OF LOAD.
STEEL HAVING LOW STRENGTH MAY EITHER FAIL OR UNDERGO PLASTIC

DEFORMATION DEPENDING UPON THE LOAD THEY ARE SUBJECTED TO

AISI 4140 OF COMPOSITION

0.38/0.43 CARBON; 0.15/0.35 SILICON; 0.75/1.0 Mn ; 0.8/1.1 Cr ; 0.15/0.25 Mo; S&P

.04 MAX

HARDENED AND TEMPERED TO PRODUCE TEMPERED MARTENSITE

THE OTHER STEEL WHICH MAY BE USED IS AISI 4340 WITH COMPOSITION

0.37/0.43 CARBON; 1.65/2.0 Ni; 0.70/0.90 Cr; 0.60/0.80 Mn;0.20/0.30 Mo;

0.15/0.30 Si ; S&P LESS THAN 0.03

HARDENED AND TEMPERED TO 220BHN WITH PROPERTIES

YS-470MPa; UTS 750 MPa; E% 22; RA % 50

TEMPERED HARDNESS Rc 35 AND THEN INDUCTION HARDENED TO Rc 52 TO

IMPROVE SURFACE AND TO AVOID STRESS RAISERS.
 MATERIALS FOR CRANK SHAFT FOR AUTOMOBILES

•HIGH PERFORMANCE ENGINES,

•LIGHTWEIGHT DESIGN,

•COMPONENT RELIABILITY AND LOW

•THROUGH COST MANUFACTURING.

CONVERTS THE LINEAR MOTION OF THE PISTON INTO
ROTATIONAL MOTION,

CRANKSHAFTS OPERATE UNDER HIGH LOADS AND

REQUIRE HIGH STRENGTH.

ELIMINATION OF THE CONVENTIONAL HEAT TREATMENT

PROCESS IS DEMAND OF THE DAY

AIR COOLED STEELS OFFERS MANUFACTURERS

SIGNIFICANT COST SAVINGS.
 Performance Requirements
CRANKSHAFTS REQUIRE THE FOLLOWING
CHARACTERISTICS:

• HIGH STRENGTH AND STIFFNESS IN MODERN

ENGINES, TO ENABLE DOWNSIZING AND WEIGHT
REDUCTION

• RESISTANCE TO FATIGUE IN TORSION AND BENDING

• LOW VIBRATION

• RESISTANCE TO WEAR IN THE BEARING AREAS

 MANUFACTURING PROCESS OF CRANK SHAFT
HOT FORGING, HEAT TREATMENT, MACHINING AND SURFACE
TREATMENT.
•CONTROLLED AIR COOLING AFTER FORGING IS PREFERRED
•LOWER COST THAN THE TRADITIONAL QUENCH AND TEMPER
AND IS NOW THE PREFERRED ROUTE.

EFFICIENT AND COST EFFECTIVE PROCESSING REQUIRES

• UNIFORM HARDENING WITH CONSISITENCY
• GOOD MACHINABILITY IN THE HARDENED CONDITION
• SHOULD BE RESPONSIVE TO SURFACE MODIFICATION SUCH AS
INDUCTION HARDENING, NITRIDING OR FILLET ROLLING
 MATERIAL CAHARACTERISTICS
• CONTROLLED HARDENABILITY TO INSURE CONSISTENCY IN
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES

• OPTIMUM SULPHUR CONTENT LOW SULPHUR FOR FATIGUE

PROPERTIES AND HIGH SULPHUR FOR IMPROVED MACHINABILITY

• CONTROLLED CARBON CONTENT FOR EFFECTIVE HARDENABILITY

AND GOOD SURFACE HARDENING

• CONTROLLED CHROMIUM AND ALUMINIUM ADDITIONS FOR

EFFECTIVE SURFACE HARDENING BY NITRIDING

• LOW INCLUSION LEVEL FOR LESS STRESS RAISER AND HENCE HIGH
FATIGUE RESISTENCE
CRANK SHAFT
FORGED STEELS AS ABOVE IS MORE SUITABLE AGAINST CAST IRON
FOR ITS HIGHER STRENGTH AND STIFFNESS
 CONNECTING RODS WORK AT HIGH LOAD;
SO IT REQUIRES
1. HIGH STRENGTH IN TENSION AND COMPRESSION
2. HIGH FATIGUE STRENGTH.

LIGHTENING THE VEHICLE IS THE MAJOR ISSUE AND SO

SLENDER RODS PREFEERRED. THIS REQUIRES MATERIALS

WITH GOOD RIGIDITY WITH HIGH STRENGTH AND
WEIGHT CONSISITENCY FOR GOOD BALANCING OF
ENGINE;

THUS UNIFORM MICROSTRUCTURE PREFERRED

AIR COOLED STEELS PROVIDE STRENGTH WITHOUT QUENCHING
AND TEMPERING
CONTROLLED HARDENABILITY INSURES REPEATABILITY OF
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
CONTROLLED SULPHUR CAN BALANCE BETWEEN FATIGUE
RESISTANCE AND MACHINABILITY

FRACTURE SPLITTING BETWEEN CAP

AND ROD IS NOW DESIRABLE
FRACTIM IS FRACTURE SPLITTABLE WITH SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE