The hardness of the crank pin and main journal of the crankshaft is of great importance for the satisfactory performance of the crankshaft. In the case of a low-RPM diesel engine, the crankshafts are not hardened, and the hardness is achieved by the metallurgical properties. In the case of a high-RPM engine, crankshafts are hardened. The most common process followed by the manufacturers of crankshaft grinding machines is to go for induction hardening.

Due to the seizure of bearings, the temperature goes high and the hardness increases. The increase in hardness makes the crankshaft brittle, resulting in the development of cracks.

RA Power Solutions Pvt. Ltd. suggests that whenever seizure of bearings takes place, it is important that crankshaft hardness is checked, and the presence of a crack should also be checked either by dye penetrant process or Magnaflux.

In cases of this form of failure, it is typically seen that hardening occurs, which results in the development of hard spots and hard areas next to the soft sections, even up to the scale of 700 HB. According to the manufacturer’s specifications, the extraordinarily high increase in the crankpin journal hardness is not desirable so the crankshaft is heated up and annealed.

In order to reduce the hardness and bring it to the limits specified by the manufacturers, RA Power Solutions has undertaken the annealing process in-house and have also availed the services of leading well-known European companies offering annealing services.

Author is Managing Director of RA Power Solutions Pvt. Ltd. having almost nearly five decades of hands on experience in providing consultancy, repair and supply of new and reconditioned crankshafts , Inspection of Crankshaft for high capacity diesel engine. More than 2000 crankshaft have been successfully repaired all over the world, some of which were even rejected by reputed engine manufacturers.

For more information on Inspection of Crankshaft, onsite crankshaft grinding, grinding of crankshaft, crankshaft repair of high-capacity diesel engine email us at rajshahani@rapowersolutions.com, or info@rapowersolutions.com, or call us at +91 9582647131 or +91 9810012383.

• Crankshaft Inspection
• Crankshaft Inspection Before Repair
• Importance of Hardness in Crankshaft