Fracture splitting technology of automobile engine connecting rod

Abstract

The fracture splitting method is an innovative processing technique in the field of the automobile engine connecting rod (con/rod) manufacturing. Compared with traditional method, the technique has remarkable advantages. It can decrease manufacturing procedures, reduce equipment and tools investment and save energy. Hence the total production cost is greatly reduced. Furthermore, the technique can also improve product quality and bearing capability. It provides a high quality, high accuracy and low cost route for producing connecting rods (con/rods). The method has attracted extensive attention and has been used in some types of con/rods manufacturing. The process and its key factors such as materials, notches for fracture splitting, fracture splitting conditions and fracture splitting equipment are discussed in detail.

The effect of laser transformation notching on the controlled fracture of a high carbon (C70S6) steel

“…In the splitting operation the cap is fractured with minimum plastic deformation. The uneven but seamless fitting of the fracture faces together provides an increased total joint surface area [4] when they are bolted together before final machining of the bore. Steels used for con-rods require good fatigue strength and machinability.…”

“…The cap, after being cut away from the rod, was machined on the cut faces to allow the joints to be bolted together on flat contact surfaces. Fracture splitting was developed in the 1990's to reduce costs and to deal with concerns over the load bearing ability of machined surfaces [4]. In the splitting operation the cap is fractured with minimum plastic deformation.…”

“…Alfing Kessler Sondermaschinen GmbH [4] and Albon plc [8] have used laser drilling (LDN) and laser scribing methods respectively to create notches for fracture splitting. In both cases the notch was created by laser induced material removal.…”

Failure analysis and fatigue performance evaluation of a failed connecting rod of reciprocating air compressor

“…Materials used for connecting rods are required to have good mechanical properties, in particular rigidity, hardness, tensile and fatigue strengths [2]. To date, the selected materials for connecting rods are malleable irons, nodular cast irons, high carbon steels and microalloyed steels and they are manufactured by forging, casting, powder metallurgy or more recently, fracture splitting technology.…”

A study of process parameters during pulsed Nd:YAG laser notching of C70S6 fracture splitting connecting rods

“…The fracture splitting method developed in the 1990s is the newest processing technique for manufacturing the engine connecting rod, which is a great innovation in the traditional processing method [1,2]. It has a list of merits, such as better product quality, higher productivity, lower cost, etc.…”