Improved Forged Crankshaft

Performance Utilizing Deep Rolling

Michael Burnett
The Timken Company
Mark Richards
Colorado School of Mines

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 STEEL CRANKSHAFTS
IN AUTO INDUSTRY

Steel has made significant inroads in

automotive crankshafts applications based
on:
Improved stiffness relative to cast iron
Improved fatigue strength
Lower weight
Improved Noise Vibration Harshness (NVH)
Annual US steel automotive crankshaft
tonnage now nearly 200,000 tons/yr out of
~500/000 tons/yr total
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 ENHANCING CRANKSHAFT
FATIGUE STRENGTH

Crankshaft main/pin fillet fatigue

strength enhanced by
Induction hardening
Nitriding
Deep rolling
For automotive crankshafts, deep rolling
is the preferred/common method
Effect of deep rolling parameters on
fatigue strength is currently in-complete

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 DEEP ROLLING
INTRODUCTION
Deep Rolling is a radially symmetric deformation
process used primarily for surface finish,
hardness, and residual stress control.

H. Naumann, 1968 T. Watmough and M. Malatesta, 1984

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 DEEP ROLLING
IN CRANKSHAFTS
Deep Rolling is Utilized in Crankshaft Production
to Strengthen Journal Fillets.

T. Watmough and M. Malatesta, 1984

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 DEEP ROLLING METHOD
INVESTIGATION

High interest to understand how material

and rolling parameters effect fatigue
strength
Varying material and rolling parameters
and fatigue testing of crankshafts is
difficult and expensive
Need for a laboratory deep rolling and
testing procedure to simulate crankshaft
tests
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 DEEP ROLLING
HISTORY
Process Control Stress = f (Loading, Geometry)
Equations Developed in
1950/60s
F E 1
Empirically Determined G = (0.175 ) +
1

B D 1 D2

that Contact Stress Fall 2 2
Within 3-5 Times the
UTS
G = Contact Stress (psi)
UTS Specific to Tensile F = Rolling Force (lbs.)
Loading, Deep Rolling is E = Modulus of Elasticity (psi)
Complex Compression B = Contact Length (in.)
D1 = Diameter of Work Roller (in.)
with Multiple Loading and D2 = Diameter of Workpiece (in.)
Unloading Cycles
H. Naumann, 1968

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 ADVANCED STEEL PROCESSING &
PRODUCTS RESEARCH CENTER

Colorado School of Mines commissioned the

Steel Research Center in 1984 with steel
makers and users as members
Center now has over 20 supporting members
who direct the work of 21 graduate students
Mark Richards initiated a deep rolling project
in 2001 to both develop a meaningful test and
began studying the effects of the various
material/rolling parameters

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 MECHANICAL AND
METALLURGICAL ISSUES
Geometry Material
Notch Effect Material Flow Deformation
Burnishing Strain Hardening
Residual Stress Development Residual Stress Stability

Geometry Due
to Deformation

Notch
Constraint

Strain Deformation
Volume

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 PROJECT SCOPE

Microstructure

Deep Rolling
Deformation Behavior Response

Materials Representing 0.4 wt. pct. C Bar / Forging Steels

Different Deformation Behaviors
Simulative Test
Maintain Constant Test Methodology / Test Parameters

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 TESTING METHODS

Reversed Bending
Industry Practice
Production Crankshaft Journals

Rotating Bending
Laboratory Scale
6.9 mm Diameter Samples

T. Watmough and M. Malatesta, 1984 Fatigue Dynamics, Inc. , 1985

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 ASPPRC DEEP ROLLING
FATIGUE SPECIMEN
Based on Rotating Bending and Flex Beam Literature
Flex Beam Test Method
Fully Reversed (R=-1)
Larger Scale Than Previous Studies
1 7 .0 m m

(Radius 4.2 mm)

1 5 2 .4 m m
2 0 3 .2 m m
2 5 .4 m m

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 FATIGUE TEST SETUP

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 MATERIAL SELECTION

Alloying Element in wt. pct.

Steel C Mn S Si Ni Cr

4140 0.45 0.85 0.041 0.20 0.10 0.85

NTB 0.38 1.21 0.011 0.73 0.12 0.09

C38M 0.41 1.30 0.067 0.56 0.09 0.11

M.D. Richards et al., SAE 2004-01-1528, 2004

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 MATERIAL SELECTION

C38M NTB 4140

- Ferrite/Pearlite -15% Retained - Quenched
- Crankshaft Grade Austenite and Tempered
- Direct Cooled - Forging Grade
Eng. 0.2% Yield Eng. 0.2% Yield Eng. 0.2% Yield
UTS (MPa) UTS (MPa) UTS (MPa)
Stress (MPa) Stress (MPa) Stress (MPa)
552 835 579 881 848 946

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 MECHANICAL TESTING

1000
Monotonic True
140
Stress vs. True
Strain 900 4140 130
Tension and
120
Compression
True Stress (MPa)
800

True Stress (ksi)

Close-Up of NTB C38M 110
Low Strain
700 100
Region
90
600 4140 Compression
4140 Tensile
NTB Compression
80
500 NTB Tensile
C38M Compression 70
C38M Tensile
400 60
0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05
True Strain (inch/inch)

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 FATIGUE DATA
BASELINE
C38M Baseline 1100
150
Endurance Limit:

Nominal Reversed Bending Stress (MPa)

1000

Nominal Reversed Bending Stress (ksi)

C38M Baseline
140
241 MPa (35 ksi) 900 130
Reproducible Data 800
120
110
at Any Stress Level 700 100
Characteristic of All 600
90
Materials Tested 80
500 70
400 60
50
300
40
(3)
200 30
104 105 106 107
Cycles

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 DEEP ROLLING SETUP

108 mm Diameter
3.9 mm Crown Radius
Horizontally Opposed
Dual Roller

Deep Rolling Provided By

Hegenscheidt-MFD Corp.
Sterling Heights, MI

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 ROLLING LOAD
OPTIMIZATION
Rolling Load (lbf)
Similar Baseline 100000
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000

Fatigue Behavior
and UTS Values
Different Strain-
Hardening

Life at Stress (cycles)

Behavior
Deep Rolled
Behavior

4140 17.5 kN C38M - 524 MPa

NTB - 552 MPa
NTB 15 kN 4140 - 572 MPa

C38M 10.5 kN
10000
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24
Rolling Load (kN)

M.D. Richards et al., SAE 2004-01-1528, 2004

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 FATIGUE DATA
DEEP ROLLED
C38M Deep Rolled 1100
Endurance Limit: C38M 150

Nominal Reversed Bending Stress (MPa)

1000

Nominal Reversed Bending Stress (ksi)

386 MPa (56 ksi) 140
900 130
Nominal 120
800
Endurance Limit Percent Increase 110
Steel
Change (MPa) 100%*Sf/Sf(BL)
700 100
Sf
600 90
4140 159 51
80
NTB 172 62 500 70
C38M 145 60 Deep Rolled 60
400 (3)
50
300 Baseline
40
Reproducible Data at (3)
200 30
Any Stress Level 104 105 106 107
Cycles
Characteristic of All
Materials Tested

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 CHARACTERIZATION

350
4140
Hardness Profiles
Highlight Differences in 300

Deformation Behavior
250

1000 350
140

Vicker's Hardness
NTB
900 4140 130
300
120
True Stress (MPa)

800

True Stress (ksi)

C38M 110
NTB
250
700 100
350
90 C38M
600 4140 Compression
4140 Tensile
NTB Compression
80
300
500 NTB Tensile
C38M Compression 70
C38M Tensile
400 60
250
0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5
True Strain (inch/inch)
Depth (mm)

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 CONCLUSIONS

Laboratory Test Methodology Successfully Developed and

Implemented

Deformation Behavior Influences Response to Deep

Rolling

Deep Rolling Provides:

1. Significant Increase in Fatigue Performance in all Materials Tested
2. Highly Reproducible Fatigue Data

Ongoing Research at CSM

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Advanced Steel Processing

and Products Research Center (ASPPRC)
Hegenscheidt-MFD Corp. of Sterling Heights, MI
In Particular Mike Hoeppner

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