Effect of Carburized Layer Depth on the Wear Reliability of Cams

The carburizing process is the key technology to improve the wear properties of cams; however, the influence mechanisms of the carburized depth on the wear reliability of cams are still unclear. In this work, the multi-body dynamic simulation with the AVL_EXCITE TD software and the accelerated wear experiments of the cam-roller pairs were combined to analyze the wear reliability of cams with different carburized depths of 0 mm, 0.8 mm and 1.4 mm. The results indicate that allowable wear depth of the cam is predicted to be 0.916 mm according to the degradation rule of the valve fullness coefficient. The maximum wear failure life of different carburized cams corresponding to the wear reliability of 99% was determined to be 1.0 × 10⁷ cycles, 3.2 × 10⁹ cycles and 3.5 × 10⁹ cycles based on the combination of online detection data and the multi-body dynamics simulation. The relationship model between the wear failure life of the carburized cams and the carburized depth is established, and the optimal carburized layer depth of 1.20 mm is speculated from the model. The present work can provide new clues for improving the wear resistance of mechanical components.