Cast Steel Crankshaft

A cast steel crankshaft is a crankshaft made from steel that has been heated until it melts and poured into a mold. The process is similar to making cast pistons. Cast steel crankshaft is commonly used in entry-level aftermarket, which has greater carbon content than nodular iron, and a tensile strength of about 724 MPa.

Comparatively, cast steel crank has stronger strength than cast iron one while less tooling cost compared to forged crankshaft, which is very suitable for engine power less than 368 kW (usually less than 6500 rpm) with less volume compared to engines from known engine manufacturers.

Appearance of cast crank is similar to forged crank with some difference:

Below is a rough comparison of commonly used material for cranks.

Cast steel is a ferrous alloy with a maximum carbon content of approximately 0.75% which is produced by filling the void within a mold with liquid steel. Mechanical properties for cast steel are generally lower than wrought steels, but with the same chemical composition.

Cast steels can be produced with a wide range of properties. The physical properties of cast steel change significantly depending on chemical composition and heat treatment. They are selected to match performance requirements of the intended application.

Cast steel exhibits similar wear resistance to that of wrought steels of similar composition. The addition of alloying elements such as molybdenum and chromium can increase wear resistance. Cast steel exhibits similar corrosion resistance to that of wrought steel. High-alloy steels with elevated levels of chromium and nickel are highly oxidation resistant.