A fracture-separated engine component and a method for manufacturing same is described. The engine component includes first and second parts each having a fracture surface extending along a fracture plane. Prior to fracture separation, the engine component is case-hardened by nitriding and has a nitriding hardness depth of 0.4 to 0.7 mm. After the nitriding, the engine component is cooled such that each one of the subsequent fracture surfaces reaches a temperature below 100 C. The fracture separation is then performed. After, the engine component has two fracture surfaces along a fracture plane, the fracture surfaces having hardened peripheral areas and unhardened core sections. No point of the unhardened core sections located in the fracture plane is located at a distance greater than 1.1 mm from a nearest hardened peripheral area. Each one of the fracture surfaces includes elongated partial fracture surfaces with a width of less than 3.2 mm.

The laser machining equipment for etching grooves in a wall of a mechanical part, in particular of a connecting rod for a spark ignition engine, is provided with a fibre optic laser device and arranged to supply laser pulses. The fibre optic laser device is controlled so that said laser pulses have a peak power of more than 400 W and at least two times greater than the maximum mean power of said laser device and in that the duration of said laser pulses is below or within the nanosecond range (1 ns to 1000 ns). According to a first embodiment, the fibre optic laser device is controlled in a quasi continuous wave (QCW) mode. According to a second preferred embodiment, the fibre optic laser device is controlled in a Q-switch mode. The selected operating modes increase machining efficiency and produce a groove with an optimum transverse profile, particularly with a small mean radius of curvature at the bottom of the groove which then allows precise subsequent fracturing of the mechanical part with less force.

Provided is a connecting rod which can be manufactured without increasing the cost, and is provided with an effectively strengthened rod portion. The rod portion includes a pair of ribs (21) extending in parallel to each other in cross sectional view, and a web (22) connected between substantially vertically middle parts of the ribs. Each rib includes a rib root portion (23) located in a vertically central part thereof in cross sectional view, and a pair of rib tip portions (24) located at both vertical ends thereof, and each rib tip portion has a higher hardness than the web by 40 HV or more, and the rib root portion has a higher hardness than the web by 30 HV or more.

A method and a device for fracture splitting a connecting rod and a connecting rod formed therefrom are provided, in which a force exerted on an outer rim of an eye of the connecting rod by a separating tool is generated by an electromagnetic force. The separating tool includes at least two separating members inserted into the eye, and the electromagnetic force is generated by displacing the at least two separating members away from each other inside the eye in response to application of the electromagnetic force. The electromagnetic force may be generated by passing current through coils positioned between the at least two separating members in a manner that causes the coils to repel one another, preferably with a pulse duration of less than 100 microseconds, in order to minimize plastic deformation at the fracture locations.

After a connecting rod for an engine is formed, it is broken or fractured at a fracture point to allow the connecting rod to assemble around a portion of a crankshaft. However, before fracturing the connecting rod, the connecting rod is provided with a layer of paint across the eventual fracture point such that when the connecting rod is fractured the paint extends across both sides of the fracture point. Also before fracturing the connecting rod, serial numbers or symbols are etched into the paint on either side of the eventual fracture point. These serial numbers are unique to that connecting rod, and have similar indicia on either side of the connecting rod. The combination of the paint and serial numbers increase the ability of an assembly worker to assure matching parts of an original connecting rod are re-attached during assembly about the crankshaft.

The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a composite double-metal fracture splitting connecting rod, comprising the steps of: providing a moveable spacer at a large end of a mold cavity of a connecting rod, to divide the mold cavity into two separate parts; casting a connecting rod body and a connecting rod cap with material for the main body of the connecting rod; removing the spacer from the mold cavity when the majority of the material is solidified, then injecting material for a fracture splitting region into an empty mold cavity obtained after the removal of the spacer, and metallurgically bonding the two types of material to form a composite double-metal casting; then, separating the connecting rod body from the connecting rod cap by a fracture splitting apparatus along preset fracture surfaces; and positioning and accurately assembling through engaged staggered structures on the two fracture surfaces.

A component (10) is adapted for contact with a mating component (50) during attachment of the components to one another to form a related assembly in which a deformable pad (26) or pads improve stress distribution. The component includes a body having an interface surface in which the body is adapted to be contacted with the mating component at the interface surface of the body. One or more deformable pads are formed in the interface surface. Each deformable pad has a top surface that is offset outwardly from the interface surface relative to the body and a groove surrounding the deformable pad that is offset inwardly from the interface surface relative to the body.

A fracture-separated engine component and a method for manufacturing same is described. The engine component includes first and second parts each having a fracture surface extending along a fracture plane. Prior to fracture separation, the engine component is case-hardened by nitriding and has a nitriding hardness depth of 0.4 to 0.7 mm. After the nitriding, the engine component is cooled such that each one of the subsequent fracture surfaces reaches a temperature below 100 C. The fracture separation is then performed. After, the engine component has two fracture surfaces along a fracture plane, the fracture surfaces having hardened peripheral areas and unhardened core sections. No point of the unhardened core sections located in the fracture plane is located at a distance greater than 1.1 mm from a nearest hardened peripheral area. Each one of the fracture surfaces includes elongated partial fracture surfaces with a width of less than 3.2 mm.

A method for manufacturing a machine component includes forming a non-linear break notch in a workpiece, freezing the workpiece, and snapping the frozen workpiece apart along the non-linear break notch.

After a connecting rod for an engine is formed, it is broken or fractured at a fracture point to allow the connecting rod to assemble around a portion of a crankshaft. However, before fracturing the connecting rod, the connecting rod is provided with a layer of paint across the eventual fracture point such that when the connecting rod is fractured the paint extends across both sides of the fracture point. Also before fracturing the connecting rod, serial numbers or symbols are etched into the paint on either side of the eventual fracture point. These serial numbers are unique to that connecting rod, and have similar indicia on either side of the connecting rod. The combination of the paint and serial numbers increase the ability of an assembly worker to assure matching parts of an original connecting rod are re-attached during assembly about the crankshaft.