Overview

The Superior Durability of

Chilled Cast Iron Camshafts
A. Kenneth McDonald

The demands of the automotive industry
for cost -effective valve-train components that
will function well at high stress and offer
extremely low wear resistance under mar-
gina I lubrication, with improved emissions,
requires guaranteed high-performance ma-
terials behavior together with a robust and
proven manufacturing technology to sup-
port high-volume, low-reject ion-rate produc-
tion. Chilled cast iron (CCl) camshafts and
followers have long been successfully meet-
ing these requirements in both European-
and Japanese-designed gasoline and diesel
internal combustion engines; recent studies
extend the role of CCI to modern engine
configurations employing roller followers
and ceramic mating surfaces. Performance
in these newer applications is discussed.
INTRODUCTION
Chilled cast iron (CCI) is rarely speci-
fied as a camshaft material in U.s.-de-
signed engines. By contrast, in Euro-
pean and Japanese engine designs (in-
cluding the Japanese transplant opera-
tions in the United States), CCI is the
preferred camshaft technology and is,
therefore, the most widely specified cam-
shaft material (Figure 1); with a rapidly
expanding share of the market, it virtu-
ally displaces hardenable iron.
The success of ceI as a camshaft ma-
terial is due to the exceptional durability
provided by its high-carbide, high-hard-
ness microstructure in the surface layer
in contact with the mating cam follower.
Rapid cooling in the cam lobe regions
during the casting process suppresses
the formation of normal gray iron graph-
ite flakes; instead, the carbon forms iron
carbides (40-50% by volume).
Chilled Iron 58.0%
Individually, these are about twice as
hard as the martensite phase produced
in hardenable iron, enhancing resistance
to scuffing failure in sliding contact. The
balance of the microstructure is pearlite,
which reduces brittleness and supports
the high loads in this application. I- 3
Examples of the chill zone pattern and
microstructure are in Figures 2-4.
Work at the Motor Industry Research
Association (MIRA) in the United King-
dom over more than 25 years has con-
firmed the field experience found with
CCI's durability.4 Unlike hardenable
iron, no aftermarket exists for chilled
iron camshafts, and the extremely low
wear rates offer the designer low-cost,
low-mass, low-friction, overhead cam
options that maintain stringent emis-
sions targets throughout the life of an
engine without replacement components
or even the need to employ relatively
expensive hydraulic lifters.
Chilled cast iron camshafts provide
the benchmark for cost-effective compo-
nents and give wide flexibility in design
Figure 2. A macrosection of a eel cam lobe
(etched).
to meet modern engineering perfor-
mance together with low cost.
For this reason, CCI camshafts are
employed in "best-in-class" engines
throughout the world, and recent devel-
opments combining CCI with ceramics
further extend the performance to higher
stress levels with even lower wear rates
for the valve train system. Other en-
hancements include sustained emissions
control, less friction for improved fuel
economy, and greater quietness (up to 2
dB acoustic noise reduction).
RECENT TESTS
CCI Cam Lobes/SiN Cam Lifters
Tests evaluating the performance of
silicon nitride cam lifters when run
against CCI cam lobes have been made.
A MIRA-type motorized rig was used
under the following conditions:
Test duration 100 hours.
100).!m
Figure 4. A microsection of eel structure
showing the carbide distribution.
600
c..> D-CamLobe
c..>
500 - Cam Follower
0; 0
... 400 c..>
on
on
0
...J

-, 300
' 0;
3:
~
CD 200
3:

100 0
0 B c..>

0 -
c..>,
IE. nUs
c..>z
rl~
HardenableJSteel 31 .0% 983 1,102 1,162 1.218
SG Iron(HT) 10.0% Stress (MPa)
Others 1.0% 100).!m
Figure 5. Graphical representation of the sili-
Figure 1. European camshaft market (1994). Figure 3. A grey iron microsection. con nitride lifter test data.

48 JOM August 1994

 cycles, the components were examined
Table I. Carburized Steel Roller Table II. Phosphated Chill Cast Iron +
Carburized Steel Roller and no pitting was found on either lobe
Total Weight or lifter. Wear as measured by compo-
Time Load Stress Loss (mg)* Total Weight
Loss (mg)*
nent weight loss at each stage was found
(h) (kg) (MPa) Cam Roller Time Load Stress to be almost negligible.
0-184 156 951 3 (h) (kg) (MPa) Cam Roller
-- CONCLUSIONS
184-372 156 951 3 0-100 230 1,155 2 1
372-591 156 951 4 100-150 250 1,204 3 2 The recent tests reported here show
591-755 156 951 4 150-200 260 1,228 5 2 the potential for expanding the already
755-900 156 951 4 ,.. No pitting on either component.
185 1,036 4
established wide use of chilled cast iron
900-950
950-1,000 200 1,077 4 SiN lifter at 983 MPa showed only 10% of in enhanced valve train designs incor-
,.. No pitting on either component.
the wear of the standard CCI/CCI com- porating silicon nitride or roller mating
bination and zero pitting rating. components. Such enhanced designs of-
Standard multigrade oil (RL126 With increasing stress level, the wear fer considerable benefits to engine de-
10W-40). rate of the CCI cam in contact with the signers and manufacturers.
Rotational speed 1,500 rpm. SiN follower increased in a small and
References
Oil temperature 100C. linear incremental fashion. At the high-
Cam surface finish 0.3 11m (ground). est stress tested (1.218 GPa), the cam lobe I. A.K. McDonald, "Chill Cast Valve Train Components"
(Paper presented at the AE Technical Symposium, Chicago,
SiN lifter finish 0.05 11m (lapped). pitting rating was 1-2, agreeing with the IL,1982).
2. A.K. McDonald, "Chill Cast Camshaft Developments"
A comparative CCI cam/CCI lifter threshold for pitting onset. These results (Paper presented at the AE Technical Symposium, Chicago,
test under identical conditions was in- resemble those reported elsewhere. 4 IL,1986).
3. P.L. Peppler, "Chilled Cast Iron Valvetrain Components,"
cluded for comparison.
CCI/Roller Lifter Tests SAE paper selection 880667 (Warrendale, PA: SAE, 1988).
Figure 5 shows the comparative wear 4. T.e. Chatterly, "Cam and Cam-Followers Reliability,"
SAE paper selection 885033 (Warrendale, PA: SAE, 1988).
rate with increasing stress level as meas- Again a MIRA rig was used:
ured by weight loss (mg) of both cam Test duration: cumulative to 1,000 ABOUT THE AUTHOR _ _ _ __
lobe and lifter. The severity of the test hours; higher stresses to 200 hours.
produced uncharacteristically severe Oil BP vannellus C3 15W-40. A. Kenneth McDonald earned his B.Sc. in
materials science (metallurgy) at the Univer-
wear in the standard CCI/CCI lobe/ Rotational speed 2,000 rpm.
sity of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland, in
lifter combination, which gave a pitting Oil temperature 100C. 1967. He is currently technical developments
rating on the CEC 1-30-T-81 scale of 4. (0 Cam surface 0.3 11m. manager at Lydmet Ltd., in Lydney, United
= none, 1 = partial, 2 = failure threshold, Roller: carburized steel 0.2 11m, 722- Kingdom. He is also a member of TMS.
3 = failure, 4 = severe). The silicon nitride 768 HV30 hardness, diameter 25
lifters exhibited almost nil wear and had mm. For more information, contact A.K. McDonald,
a zero pitting rating at all stress levels Tables I and II show the results ob- Lydmet Ltd., Tutnalls, Lydney, Gloucestershire
tested, while the CCI cam lobe with the tained. At the end of each of these test GL14 5PX, United Kingdom.

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