ROLE OF INTERACTING SURFACES IN THE PERFORMANCE ENHANCEMENT OF INTERFERENCE FITS

Interference fits are simple in design and assembly and are highly rel iable. Enhancing the load carrying capacity of interference fitted ass emblies without altering the actual interference is of interest to des ign engineers. This paper deals with the role played by the interactin g surfaces and reports an interesting study on the influence of therma l treatment on the performance of interference fitted assemblies. Whil e good surface finish, surface coating and surface strengthening impro ved the performance of these fits, thermal treatment enhanced it by al most three to five times, for the same interference. The paper discuss es these aspects in a detailed fashion.