An Innovative Method of Preventing Bolt
Hole Crack in Aluminium Wheels
by Using Laser Peening Technique
T. Sundararajan, R. Muthuraj, R. Srinivas, and A. Hariprasad
Abstract The primary objective of this project is to increase the fatigue life of
aluminium wheels and to prevent the fatigue failure of the wheel above the bolt hole
region. In the testing and validation of wheels, the cornering fatigue test (CFT) plays
an important role in deciding the stiffness of the wheel. In CFT testing, the wheel will
be fixed in the bottom flange, and the bending moment will be applied, according to
the load rating of the wheel multiplied by its corresponding test factor. CFT testing
results of aluminium wheels showed crack above the bolt hole region in most of the
cases. To prevent this mode of failure, and also to improve the fatigue life of the
wheel further, it has been found that increasing the localized hardness above the bolt
hole region will improve the fatigue life in CFT. Laser peening is a surface hardening
technique by which the surface hardness of the material will be enhanced, along with
which hardness and compressive residual stresses will be imparted on the surface in
which the treatment is done. The depth of the high magnitude compressive stresses
will greatly improve the material’s resistance to fatigue failure. In aluminium wheels,
laser peening was done circumferentially around the bolt hole region to induce localized compressive stress and increase the hardness in that area. The wheel in which
laser peening was done was tested on CFT and showed a significant improvement in
life.
Keywords Laser peening · Surface roughness · Hardness · Compressive residual
stress · Cornering fatigue test (CFT)
T. Sundararajan · R. Muthuraj · R. Srinivas · A. Hariprasad (B)
Wheels India Limited R&D Center, Padi, Chennai, India
e-mail: hariprasad_a@wheelsindia.com
T. Sundararajan
e-mail: sundararajan_t@wheelsindia.com
R. Muthuraj
e-mail: muthuraj@wheelsindia.com
R. Srinivas
e-mail: Srinivas_r@wheelsindia.com
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license
to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
N. Gascoin and E. Balasubramanian (eds.), Innovative Design, Analysis
and Development Practices in Aerospace and Automotive Engineering, Lecture Notes
in Mechanical Engineering, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-6619-6_46
427
Hole Crack in Aluminium Wheels
by Using Laser Peening Technique
T. Sundararajan, R. Muthuraj, R. Srinivas, and A. Hariprasad
Abstract The primary objective of this project is to increase the fatigue life of
aluminium wheels and to prevent the fatigue failure of the wheel above the bolt hole
region. In the testing and validation of wheels, the cornering fatigue test (CFT) plays
an important role in deciding the stiffness of the wheel. In CFT testing, the wheel will
be fixed in the bottom flange, and the bending moment will be applied, according to
the load rating of the wheel multiplied by its corresponding test factor. CFT testing
results of aluminium wheels showed crack above the bolt hole region in most of the
cases. To prevent this mode of failure, and also to improve the fatigue life of the
wheel further, it has been found that increasing the localized hardness above the bolt
hole region will improve the fatigue life in CFT. Laser peening is a surface hardening
technique by which the surface hardness of the material will be enhanced, along with
which hardness and compressive residual stresses will be imparted on the surface in
which the treatment is done. The depth of the high magnitude compressive stresses
will greatly improve the material’s resistance to fatigue failure. In aluminium wheels,
laser peening was done circumferentially around the bolt hole region to induce localized compressive stress and increase the hardness in that area. The wheel in which
laser peening was done was tested on CFT and showed a significant improvement in
life.
Keywords Laser peening · Surface roughness · Hardness · Compressive residual
stress · Cornering fatigue test (CFT)
T. Sundararajan · R. Muthuraj · R. Srinivas · A. Hariprasad (B)
Wheels India Limited R&D Center, Padi, Chennai, India
e-mail: hariprasad_a@wheelsindia.com
T. Sundararajan
e-mail: sundararajan_t@wheelsindia.com
R. Muthuraj
e-mail: muthuraj@wheelsindia.com
R. Srinivas
e-mail: Srinivas_r@wheelsindia.com
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license
to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
N. Gascoin and E. Balasubramanian (eds.), Innovative Design, Analysis
and Development Practices in Aerospace and Automotive Engineering, Lecture Notes
in Mechanical Engineering, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-6619-6_46
427