Ford Motor Company Limited

Charles A Stickels

Adam M Janotik

Bela V Kovacs

Roman M Nowicki

Claude Melvin Mack

Moses A Olaniran

Anthony T Anderson

Eugene Joseph Cabadas

Gary Wayne Hagler

A method of applying a surface coating to promote gas carburization of a highly alloyed steel. The method includes the step of coating the highly alloyed steel with a layer of iron or an iron alloy to form a coated steel before carburizing the coated steel in a conventional gas carburizing atmosphere.

Coating method of gas carburizing highly alloyed steels

A crackable forging steel with excellent machinability and low ductility consisting of (by weight percent): 0.6-0.75 carbon, 0.25-0.5 manganese, 0.04-0.12 sulfur, and the remainder essentially iron except for up to about 1.2% residual impurities selected from the group consisting of phosphorous, silicon, nickel, vanadium, copper, chromium, and molybdenum, the manganese/sulfur ratio being greater than 3.0 and the microstructure of said alloy being substantially 100% pearlite with a grain size grade between 3-8 according to ASTM Specification E112-88. A method of making a connecting rod with such steel comprising: (a) forging a rod of such steel; (b) cooling the forging to ensure essentially a 100% pearlitic microstructure and a grain size of 3-8 ASTM per Specification E112-88; (c) fracturing the rod into cap and body portions; (d) reassembling by use of bolts which have a clearance no greater than 0.04 inch to guide the fractured surfaces to within 0.002 inch of their original integration and thereafter, while the cap and body portions are free to laterally adjust, applying a clamping load through the bolts to force the fractured ridges into exact rematch.

Machinable, strong, but crackable low ductility steel forging

A method of cracking bearing assembles including the steps of (a) forming a ductile metal (steel, aluminum or titanium) connecting rod in one piece (e.g., by hot forging) having an annular wall defining a crankshaft opening with preformed surface crevices for guiding the initiation of a cracking plane that extends across the crank opening; (b) charging (i.e., for about 40 seconds) the region of such wall along at least one portion of the cracking plane with hydrogen by means of an electrolytic cell or by means of reacting the metal rod with a strong acid (e.g., concentrated sulfuric) to cause hydrogen to dissolve in the metal to facilitate hydrogen stress cracking thereat, with or without the imposition of static mechanical tensile loading at such crevices (i.e., for about 40 seconds) of a magnitude insufficient to cause yielding of the metal; and (c) prolonging, increasing, or imposing the static mechanical loading (i.e., for another 40 seconds) at the crevices to effect fracture across the entire cracking plane and thereby separate the connecting rod into a cap and body with rough, fractured mating surfaces.

Method of making split remateable connecting rod portions

An alloy steel composition is disclosed which has characteristics of (a) enhanced resistance to hardness degradation under high temperatures and/or enhanced resistance to sliding wear and contact fatigue under conditions of poor lubrication, (b) ease of softening for formability and machinability, and (c) ease of heat treating for hardening with austenitizing (or carburizing) at a temperature of 950.degree.-960.degree. C. and tempering at a temperature at or below 600.degree. C. The composition comprises essentially, by weight, carbon--0.15-0.30%, Mo--2.0-3.5%, V--0-0.45%, Cr--0-0.75%, Mn--0.25-0.50%, Si--0.15-0.35%, and remainder Fe.

Formable, temperature-resistant martensitic steel having enhanced

Method of making ductile cast iron with improved strength

Method of making high strength ferritic ductile iron parts

A method of developing compressive residual stresses in the surface region of a high carbon steel alloy article is disclosed. The article is made of an alloy having 0.8-1.6% C, 0.2-5% Cr, 0-20% ingredients selected from the group consisting of M.sub.N, V, Mo, W, Si, and the remainder Fe. The article is heated in a carburizing atmosphere at 800.degree.-950.degree. C. for 1-2.5 hours, and then quenched to cool the central core of the article at a rate sufficiently fast to suppress the formation of non-martensitic austenite decomposition products, thereby establishing a residual compressive stress gradient proceeding from the surface to a depth of 0.007-0.03 inches.

Method of heat treating high carbon alloy steel parts to develop surface

A method of nitriding metal parts is disclosed. A preferred mode requires burying the metal part to be treated in a body of vermiculite or other porous media containing urea or other suitable nitriding agent. Prior to burying, a controlled amount of an aqueous solution of the nitriding agent is absorbed into dry vermiculite; the water of the solution is removed by evaporation leaving a pasty substance coating or impregnating the grains of the vermiculite. The pasty substance coating each vermiculite grain physically forms a thin film on the external particle surface and on the surfaces of its internal porosity; the average film thickness is less than 0.001 inch. The vermiculite bearing the nitriding agent and buried part are heated in a closed container to a temperature at which the agent decomposes at a predetermined slow rate and releases gases bearing nitrogen. Heating is continued for about 4-8 hours at 700.degree.-1300.degree. F (preferably 925.degree.-1050.degree. F for 90% of the applications) to achieve a nitrided case on the metal part of the desired thickness, typically 0.002-0.005 inch thick.

Pack nitriding process for low alloy steel

A method (and resulting product) for preparing bearing components is disclosed. Utilizing a low alloy steel shape containing carbon in the range of 0.6-1.5% and containing alloying ingredients in the range of 1-2% selected from the group consisting of Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu and Mo (and preferably the ingredients of SAE 52100 steel), the steel shape is subjected sequentially to a spheroidizing-anneal heat treatment, a rough forming treatment, and a hardening-heat treatment. Immediately prior to the hardening-heat treatment, a fine bainitic or preferably pearlitic microstructure is established having relatively thin carbide films at prior austenite grain boundaries. Austenitizing of said pearlitic or bainitic microstructure is carried out at a temperature in the range of 1625.degree.-1675.degree. F for a period of time preferably between 15 seconds and one-half hour, but operationally for a period of time as short as 5 seconds and as long as 1 hour.

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Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America

Charles A Stickels