Steel Grade in Macpherson Strut?

Allan

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I've searched the net but can't find the answer: Any idea what grade of steel is in a Macpherson strut rod? I am guessing 1045 by the way it machines and does not oil harden. 1045 is common for hydraulic cylinder rods and such. Anyone know for sure?
 
Hard to say springs used to be 5160 the rams and rods have to be something with a decent amount of carbon. Try a spark test if you can
 
Not that I could I see. Not enough carbon apparently.
 
1045 is heat treatable.

Heat to 820°C – 850°C (1508°F – 1562°F)
Hold until the temperature is uniform
Soak for 10 – 15 minutes per 25mm of section
Quench in water or brine

Unfortunately the source I found does not give the maximum hardness that can be achieved.
 
OK, I'll try it again. Actually I have since found out that it can be treated as per your instructions but the resulting tool is not very abrasion resistant so doesn't make for a great cutting tool. Think I'll have to lay down some cash for some O-1.
 
OK, I'll try it again. Actually I have since found out that it can be treated as per your instructions but the resulting tool is not very abrasion resistant so doesn't make for a great cutting tool. Think I'll have to lay down some cash for some O-1.

1045 will not harden sufficiently to be used as a cutting tool. Higher carbon content straight carbon steels (like 1060) will get hard enough, but tend to be brittle and will lose their hardness if over-heated. That's why we avoid the cheap carbon steel tools. High-speed steels were developed to overcome these deficiencies.
 
I can't remember what video it was that I looked at, but I believe it was 1045/C45 they were testing to harden/anneal in different ways and then testing with a HRC thing. It did make a difference by maybe 10HRC, not sure how much use that would be in practice.
If I can jog my memory and remember the video I'll post it.
 
You might get some cutting use out of it by surface hardening. But if you don't already have that compound I think I'd use the money to buy the O-1.
That also depends on how much work went into making the tool.
 
Picked up some O-1 today at a good price. So when I get some other projects finished I'll give it a try.
 
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