Stainless For Axles

[cj-ate]

Any pros or cons to using stainless for axles? I have some extra 1" solid stainless that I used for a new drive shaft on a boat. Is it to hard, to soft, or just right? (Sounds like the three bears) Both of my front axles are now bent, slide into a tree in the snow.
Mike

[Robio_8x8]

I would think it would be strong enough

What spec of stainless?
is it 18:8 or 316?


From what I have seen stainless will crack or shire off before it bends but that should be strong enough.

[pepper]

there are many different types of SS so not all SS is the same in physical properties.

[mudbug3]

Maybe Whipper could comment on this topic ? I,m sure he would have an answer to this question .

[cj-ate]

I am not sure of the exact numbers on the stainless but I think I could find out. A friend of mine gave it to me, he was the manager of a stainless steel mill here in PA at one time.
Mike

[JRP3]

If it's strong enough for a boat prop shaft I'd think it should work for axles.

[Robio_8x8]

The S.S. tensile strength is much greater then mild steel

The tensile strength of any Stainless steel blend (chromium nickel manganese alloy) that is commonly sold 18.8 (301-304) ,316 even 410 would be stronger then mild steel and greater or equal to oil hardened, b7 or grade 5 hardware. The elasticity however is not as strong but still equal or greater then mild steel medium carbon alloy or grade 2 hardware.

410 would have the best elasticity but the worst resistance to corrosion and not very common

You axles would be stronger then the original but the raw martial cost is at least 3 times the price

[mudbug3]

If it's strong enough for a boat prop shaft I'd think it should work for axles.

JRP3 ,


Yes,,but a boat prop is not taking the up and down stress placed upon it , like an axle would take , bouncing down the trails on a 6x6 amphib .

[hdble]

Stainless Steel is not generally a good material for axles,300 series stainless has no carbon and is not heat treatable, therefore it is soft and malable.
Unfortuately is also gets brittle from working IE. flexing, then it breaks.
400 series stainless has carbon, is heat treatable,will rust, but also work hardens, and becomes brittle.
Best axle material for aatv's is probably 4130,once heat treated, almost indestructable. Get them gun drilled, or hollow, the would be lighter than your stock axles, and considerably stronger.


My 2 cents worth.

[LarryW]

Well I bought A/CG 316L 1" Stainless Steel Round Bar for the axles on my attex 225/hustler. Its not together yet but will be working on it as soon as tax money arrives. I will post how they work. They where made for a shaft of some sort and believe they are suppose to have exellent corrosion resistance. They have to be better then 3/4" it had originally.

[hdble]

Hi Larry,
316 stainless does have excellent corrosion resistance, and by soft I mean it can't be hardened,it's tough to machine.

Let everyone know how they work.


Like I said before it was just my 2 cents worth, I like Whipper, and many others just work with metal everyday.

[whipper-ag]

[QUOTE=
Best axle material for aatv's is probably 4130,once heat treated, almost indestructable. Get them gun drilled, or hollow, the would be lighter than your stock axles, and considerably stronger.[/QUOTE]

I agree w/ Bruce. 4130 chrome moly would be excellent to use. That's exactly what I use on my springers for the inside & outside axles. I just posted a pic the other day on pg 20 of the Attex Springer thread of both inner & outer axles. Both are 4130 tubing heat treated to 32-38HRC. Other good materials to use would be 4140 pre-heat treated & 6150 would also make good axles & is also used a lot for torsion bars. Another good material is 4340. It comes in different grades, commercial & aircraft quality. I think the absolute best material would be 4340 vac melt 300M. It's the same as 4340, but processed in a vacuum furnace to keep out impurities. It's very pricey though. Depending on the dia., it can be $3.00 - $4.00 an inch. The last 2 numbers of all these alloys are the carbon content & makes it easy to control the desired heat treat for whatever application. The benefit from using any one of these alloys (if heat treated correctly) is that they would have some spring in them. When I straighten a 300M axle after heat treat I sometimes have to push it an 1" in a press just to get it move .005. If I push a stock RI axle 1" in a press, it would stay bent 1". No spring or memory. The stainless would probably work, but it wouldn't be my choice for axles.
Depending on the grade of stainless, I, also, think it would be too soft or too brittle, too hard to machine & too expensive. How would the wheel hub be attached? If Larry can make it work, I look forward to seeing how it comes out. I think they'll work just fine. They're still better than 1018 cold roll. The bottom line always is, don't hit S%$T. If you hit a tree @ 40mph, you'll probably bend an axle whether it's 1018, SS, or 300M. Just my opinion.

Whipper

[cj-ate]

I guess my bottom line is, I'm going to try to use the stainless just to see how it works. It was the best price of all "FREE". I said try because if I can't drill or cut it, I can't justify spending the money on having it machined just to have what most of you have said would be inferior. Thanks for all the info from all.
Mike