Fatigue Strength Under Vibratory Stresses and Notch Reduction of Casehardened Steel 25lVloCr4 Depending on Various Manufacturing Processes for Hollow Transmission Shafts

摘要

Good comfort and a high degree of reliability and safety are expected from commercial vehicles. Moreover, ever stricter exhaust gas regulations call for complex exhaust gas systems. These requirements usually result in extra weight. As the total vehicle mass has a statutory upper limit with commercial vehicles, lightweight construction measures are necessary in order to keep the potential payload constant. Lightweight construction can be achieved either by using new materials with better mechanical properties (lightweight material construction), or by adapting the geometry to the load (lightweight constructional design). A significant weight reduction can only be achieved through the sum of many individual measures. In the case of lightweight constructional design, transmission shafts reveal a high degree of weight-saving potential owing to their torsional and bending strain. The mass is reduced in hollow transmission shafts along the neutral fiber, which coincides with the axis of rotation. As a result, hollow transmission shafts allow high mass reduction potential without serious losses in strength and rigidity.