Connecting Rods

Here's one for all off you, were rods cast or die forged as automotive rods are manufactured today? If they were forged that would be one hell of a press! For those who don't know, forging forces the grain of the metal to run the lenth of the rod making them stronger than casting.

 

Conn rod blanks are forged.

 

Castings would not have enough tensile strength.

 

i belive the shape was roughed out of the supplied material then forged before being milled and ground flat

 

Con rods were/are traditionally forged. Latterly loco coupling rods on diesel shunters (Hunset, Barclay, GEC, etc) were flame cut and machined to size. If steam had survived I reckon that this would have become the norm for con rods, certainly on industrial locos.

 

i meant to add cut to sizes then forged i think the off hunslet 0-6-0 has fabricated con rods i know this is possible too

 

Don't think Austerity rods are flame cut - or weren't originally to the best of my knowledge. The 'USA' or S100 0-6-0T's brought over during the war had flame cut rods and that was common practice in the states at the time. Don't really see a problem with it providing the right grade of steel is used.

 

Original Hunslet Austerity rods were forged. It's only the latter day diesels that had flame cut ones. The bosses were usually thickened up by welding extra plate on the sides. As you say, there should be no problem provided the right quality steel is used and the job is done properly.

 

Out of interest, the WW2 German Austerity 2-10-0s of Classes 42 and 52 had conn and coupling rods made out of drop-forged ends electrically flash butt welded to a rolled 'I' centre section.

 

They were usually open die forged over most of their length, allowing a smaller tool to be used. As for the size of the press it's self, Naysmith type drop hammers were what was used, which were indeed, one hell of a big bit of kit!

 

Who does forging these days, for connecting rods and such like? I remember hearing that Heskeths, up North, have dissapeared. Anyone know the state of play, is it true?

 

Back in the early '80s the Maunsell Locomotive Society used a firm called Anderson Brothers, of Coatbridge, to forge the rods for 847. I may be wrong, but a quick search sadly suggests that they too have gone...

 

why do i get the urge to9 set up a forge specifically for this purpose of heritage supplies would go along with my planned loco building busyness too :-# :-#

 

There is some film about showing rods being hand drop-forged by the LMS workshops. Looked extremely violent, noisy and strenuous!

 

Yeah, you aright, if it is the one I am thinking of, it follows the construction of 6207, Princess Arthur of Connaught.

 

But quite quiet for "Catch me who can".