Material Characterization of Diesel Engine Connecting Rod Excavator 6 Cylinder 350 HP

Parant Widiyono; Sulardjaka; Agus Suprihanto

doi:https://doi.org/10.47001/ICJES/2026.508003

Authors

Parant Widiyono

Mechanical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Diponegoro University, Jl. Prof. H. Soedarto, SH, Tembalang-Semarang 50275, Indonesia

Sulardjaka

Mechanical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Diponegoro University, Jl. Prof. H. Soedarto, SH, Tembalang-Semarang 50275, Indonesia

Agus Suprihanto

Mechanical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Diponegoro University, Jl. Prof. H. Soedarto, SH, Tembalang-Semarang 50275, Indonesia

Abstract

Component failures in heavy equipment engines can cause significant operational losses, particularly in the mining industry. One of the critical components in an excavator diesel engine is the connecting rod, which functions to transmit combustion forces from the piston to the crankshaft. This study aims to analyze the mechanism and causes of connecting rod failure in a 6-cylinder 350 HP excavator engine that experienced permanent deformation. The methods employed include visual observation, chemical composition testing, metallographic examination, Vickers hardness testing. Test results indicate that the connecting rod material conforms to OEM specifications, namely AISI 1548 steel with a ferrite–pearlite microstructure and an average hardness of 245 HV. However, maintenance history investigation revealed that overheating occurred, causing cylinder head gasket failure and liner deformation, which allowed coolant to enter the combustion chamber. This condition triggered the hydro lock phenomenon, generating extreme pressure that exceeded the connecting rod design capacity and resulting in buckling failure. The findings of this study confirm that the failure was not caused by material defects or design flaws, but rather by abnormal operating conditions, and provide a technical basis for preventing similar failures in heavy equipment diesel engines.

Keywords

Connecting rod hydro lock buckling material characterization.

Citation of this Article

Parant Widiyono, Sulardjaka, & Agus Suprihanto. (2026). Material Characterization of Diesel Engine Connecting Rod Excavator 6 Cylinder 350 HP. International Current Journal of Engineering and Science (ICJES), 5(8), 20-26. Article DOI: https://doi.org/10.47001/ICJES/2026.508003

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[1] G. Shanmugasundar, M. Dharanidharan, D. Vishwa, and A. P. Sanjeev Kumar, “Design, analysis and topology optimization of connecting rod,” in Materials Today: Proceedings, Elsevier Ltd, 2020, pp. 3430–3438. doi: 10.1016/j.matpr.2020.11.778.

[2] Z. Zhang, A. Jiao, X. Lv, and H. Ding, “Study of failure analysis and manufacturing processes improvement of cracking connecting rod,” Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology, vol. 36, no. 11, pp. 5445–5453, Nov. 2022, doi: 10.1007/s12206-022-1010-0.

[3] A.Artigas, A. Monsalve, R. Colás, and N. F. Garza-Montes-de-Oca, “Failure analysis of the fasten system of wheels used in mining pickup trucks,” Case Stud. Eng. Fail. Anal., vol. 8, pp. 28–35, Apr. 2017, doi: 10.1016/j.csefa.2017.02.001.

[4] L. Witek and P. Zelek, “Stress and failure analysis of the connecting rod of diesel engine,” Eng. Fail. Anal., vol. 97, pp. 374–382, Mar. 2019, doi: 10.1016/j.engfailanal.2019.01.004.

[5] H. Zhou, S. Liu, G. Li, G. Tian, Z. Wang, and C. Wang, “Machining Stress Analysis and Deformation Prediction of Connecting Rod Based on FEM and GRNN,” Iranian Journal of Science and Technology - Transactions of Mechanical Engineering, vol. 44, no. 1, pp. 183–192, Mar. 2020, doi: 10.1007/s40997-018-0256-8.

[6] O. K. Ajayi, B. O. Malomo, S. D. Paul, A. A. Adeleye, and S. A. Babalola, “Failure modeling for titanium alloy used in special purpose connecting rods,” in Materials Today: Proceedings, Elsevier Ltd, 2021, pp. 4390–4397. doi: 10.1016/j.matpr.2020.11.852.

[7] Z. Shi and S. Kou, “Inverse Reconstruction of Fracture Splitting Connecting Rod and its Strength and Fatigue Life,” Journal of Failure Analysis and Prevention, vol. 18, no. 3, pp. 619–627, Jun. 2018, doi: 10.1007/s11668-018-0450-4.

[8] M. A. Rezvani, D. Javanmardi, and P. Mostaghim, “Diagnosis of EMD645 diesel engine connection rod failure through modal testing and finite element modeling,” Eng. Fail. Anal., vol. 92, pp. 50–60, Oct. 2018, doi: 10.1016/j.engfailanal.2018.05.005.

[9] A.R. Pani, R. K. Patel, and G. K. Ghosh, “Buckling analysis and material selection of connecting rod to avoid hydro-lock failure,” Materials Today: Proceedings, vol. 27, pp. 2121–2126, 2019, doi: 10.1016/j.matpr.2019.09.079.

[10] C. LIU, A. IWASAKI, and W. LIN, “A fundamental study on the hardness-strain in bent cross-section of thin steel panels during the hemming process with a comparison between experimental and numerical approach,” Mechanical Engineering Journal, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 23-00256-23–00256, 2024, doi: 10.1299/mej.23-00256.

[11] F. Niu, J. He, D. Liu, X. Zuo, and M. Cai, “Effect of Bending Process on Microstructure, Mechanical Properties and Crack Formation of 5% Ni Steel,” Metals (Basel)., vol. 12, no. 7, Jul. 2022, doi: 10.3390/met12071188.