A high pressure press assembly along with related methods and components for the press assembly are provided. In one embodiment, a press assembly includes a first press base having one or more tie bar receiving holes extending therethrough. A second press base may also include one or more tie bar receiving holes extending therethrough. A tie bar extends between the first press base and the second press base. A tensioning assembly is operatively coupled to the tie bar to place the tie bar in tension.

A method of designing and producing a connecting rod using chopped carbon fiber pre-impregnated composite material is provided. The method allows connecting rod designers to machine several different connecting rod designs, lengths, and beams. The connecting rod is first cast, forged or otherwise shaped in a basic form, and then machined into a specific connecting rod. After the specific machining is performed, the big-end and small-end bosses are bored, bolt holes drilled, and then all surfaces are finished or machined. The starting material is preferably a chopped fiber or woven fiber composite, and the connecting rods are then plated to seal carbon fiber based materials and the big-end rod bearing inserts are placed along with the rod's small-end bushing. In one embodiment interlocking serrations are machined onto opposing surface faces of the two halves of the rod, allowing the cap and beam to be aligned without requiring special alignment dowels, yet forming a unitary, and stronger rod assembly. The finished machined connecting rod pieces, then rods are plasma coated with anti-friction material(s), for example are plasma-nitrided.

Various embodiments of high pressure presses and related methods of manufacturing and operating such presses are described. In one embodiment, a cubic press is described having press bases with spacers disposed between adjacent press bases. Sets of two or more tie bars are also disposed between adjacent press bases. The tie bars are placed in a state of compression while the spacers are placed in a state of compression. During operation, the press bases may become displaced relative to one another such that additional tension is experience by the tie bars while the amount of compression experienced by the spacer is reduced. The tie bars exhibit a relatively small cross-sectional area as compared to the cross-sectional area of the spacer.

A method of forming a fracture start portion of a con rod for forming fracture start portions of a con rod at opposing positions in an inner peripheral surface of a large end of the con rod made of metal, includes a first step of forming a groove portion at a position corresponding to the fracture start portion by using a first insert tip with a large tip end and a second step of forming the fracture start portion, which has become a V-shaped groove, by machining a bottom portion of the groove portion smaller by using a second insert tip having a tip end smaller than the first insert tip.

A connecting rod having a small end and a large end, the small end including a pin bore defined by a pin bore surface. A thermal spray coating applied to at least a portion of the pin bore surface and a method of applying the thermal spray coating to the pin bore surface using a thermal spray technique.