Stainless steel axles

[Brady Matthews]

Does anybody know if anyone makes stainless steel axles like what is shown in the picture below?

 

[Chubaka]

Being stainless screws strip Hella easy, I wouldn't want that in something that handles torque.

Is this for anti rust or?

 

[Brady Matthews]

Stainless steel is a lot tougher that the mild steel that I run and it would just be a bit better

 

[WickedFog]

Stainless steel is a lot tougher that the mild steel that I run and it would just be a bit better

Stainless steel is soft. It cannot be hardened. It would never work for driveshafts or axles. They would twist like bubble gum.

 

[Brady Matthews]

 

[WickedFog]

View attachment 177445

Tensile = ability to stretch basically. In that regard, it is stronger than regular old mild steel (which axles are not made from anyway). But stronger does not mean harder, or better for the application you are needing. If you could find those axles in stainless, a 3 year old child could bend them with ease. Do you see that last statement about carbon? That hardens the steel. It makes it harder to bend. Steel will break easier than stainless because it does not bend as easily, but that resistance to bending is what you want in a driveshaft.

I was a machinist for over 25 years. You can believe me or not. But metallurgy and strengths of materials was something I dealt with daily. Only a Chinese company making cheap chinesium would ever consider making anything mechanical out of stainless steel. Countless Chinese companies have emerged with the mentality that stainless means better. But they have no freakin clue what they are doing. And using stainless anything on an RC car is just stupid. It's intended for food and medical uses, or for components that have to withstand the weather. But not for mechanical items.

Oh, and just so you know - nobody would make those axles out of mild steel. They will be made out of a grade of hardened tool steel. Something with a higher carbon content than mild steel, then maybe even hardened after machining.

Good luck in your search.

 

[Greywolf74]

When you're looking at materials for RC truck axles, you've got to consider the unique properties of stainless steel and hardened steel. Both are strong, but they excel in different areas due to their structure and composition.

Stainless Steel vs. Hardened Steel:

• Hardened Steel: This steel is specially treated through heat to increase its hardness and strength. This process alters the internal structure, making it incredibly resistant to bending and warping. Hardened steel is much more robust in this respect than stainless steel, primarily due to this heat treatment process.
• Stainless Steel: While stainless steel stands out for its resistance to corrosion and rust, thanks to chromium, it doesn't match up to hardened steel when it comes to hardness. Its internal structure, made more complex by the addition of other elements, generally makes it softer than hardened steel.

The Importance of Hardness and Tensile Strength for RC Truck Axles:

• Hardness: This is about how resistant a material is to shape changes, like bending or scratching. For RC truck axles, you want a material that won't easily bend or wear down with all the rough handling. Hardness is crucial here, and hardened steel offers this property, making it less likely for the axles to deform during use.
• Tensile Strength: Tensile strength is about how much a material can stretch before it breaks. While it's an important property, for RC truck axles, hardness takes the front seat. Axles need to maintain their shape to function correctly, so the ability to resist deformation (hardness) is more critical than the ability to stretch (tensile strength).

In the end, when it's time to choose the right steel for RC truck axles, hardened steel usually comes out on top. Its superior hardness means the axles are less prone to bending and wear, keeping your RC truck in action longer and more reliably. Stainless steel might resist rust well, but when it comes to the rough and tumble life of an RC truck axle, hardened steel's hardness makes it the better choice.

 

[Brady Matthews]

Is there a tougher steel that they can be made out of or is hardened steel the toughest?

 

[Chubaka]

Is there a tougher steel that they can be made out of or is hardened steel the toughest?

Heat it and dip it. That's what I do on my brittle cars.

 

[WickedFog]

Is there a tougher steel that they can be made out of or is hardened steel the toughest?

You initially asked in your original thread if anyone knew of any axles for your custom bouncer. You're going to have to step up to a better axle housing. You've obviously exceeded the durability of the original design. You're likely not going to find anything for your current axles except cheap Chinese made axles.

 

[Greywolf74]

Generally, hardened steel is where it's at, but WickedFog is right. You're going to need beefier axles housings.

 

[Brady Matthews]

Heat it and dip it. That's what I do on my brittle cars.

I have tried that but it is one of those steels that don't want to heat treat. I did everything perfectly but it did not want to harden.

Generally, hardened steel is where it's at, but WickedFog is right. You're going to need beefier axles housings.

You initially asked in your original thread if anyone knew of any axles for your custom bouncer. You're going to have to step up to a better axle housing. You've obviously exceeded the durability of the original design. You're likely not going to find anything for your current axles except cheap Chinese made axles.

I understand and I'm working on it. Thanks for the info

 

[Brady Matthews]

For the meantime, what are the best brand of those axles that I can get?