Taking the Crank Out of Crankshaft Hardening

Gary Doyon, Doug Brown, Valery Rudnev, Glen Desmier, Jeffrey Elinski Inductoheat, Inc., Madison Heights, Mich.

Induction heat treatment is traditionally a popular choice for hardening and tempering of quality crankshafts. This article will explain how continuous process improvement makes a good process even better.

Crankshafts are widely used in internal combustion engines, pumps, compressors, etc. and belong to the group of the most critical auto components typically weighing between 30-85 pounds depending upon the engine. At the same time, the weight of some crankshafts (ships and power generators) exceeds 2,000 pounds.