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ATS Diesel Performance Billet Input Shaft - Dodge 68RFE
Product Code: E1ATS601.05
 ATS Diesel Performance Billet Input Shaft - Dodge 68RFE
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ATS Diesel Performance 304-910-2326 ADDITIONAL OFFERS
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PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
ATS Billet Input Shaft - The Strongest Billet Option for Upgrading the 68RFE Input Shaft - Dodge Ram 6.7L Cummins Turbo Diesel w/ 68RFE Transmission
As high power output modifications become more common on the 6.7L Dodge Ram, along with the ability of the ATS-built transmission to support increased torque, the Input Shaft of the 68RFE Transmission has become a weak link. Horsepower is now easily modified in the engine and upgrades such as the
Co-Pilot Controller allow for increased clamping-control of the clutch packs inside the transmission. This means that torque is now transferred to the transmissions Input Shaft and can lead to breakage during heaving towing or aggressive take-off.
To avoid breakage ATS has released a vacuum-melted 300M Chromoly Steel version of the Input Shaft. This 300M Super Alloy material is an ultra-high-strength metal which supports vastly more power than the original or OEM Input Shaft. This American-made material is used in mission-critical applications such as aircraft landing gear, and while being more costly than imported variants, offers the best strength and durability available.
ATS provides this Billet Shaft with an unmatched production process where inputs are first, machined, then splined and heat treated. ATS furthers quality by executing a finish machining process which ensures clean fitment and improved fatigue resistance. Engineers at ATS spent great amounts of time by first designing and then testing the aspects of this new Input Shaft in a computer-aided-design (CAD) system, which allowed for modeling and material strength analysis. |
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Material:
ATS Billet Input Shafts are engineered for the long haul. A combination of superior materials, processing and design make them the best Input Shafts available. ATS Input Shafts start with the highest grade, American made, vacuum melted 300M Chromoly Steel.
300M is the common trade name for a form of ultra-high-strength steel. 300M is a modified version of AISI 4340 Chromoly with Silicon, Vanadium and slightly greater Carbon and Molybdenum content than 4340. This alloying, with proper processing, can achieve yield strengths of 246,000-280,000 psi. and ultimate strengths above 300,000 psi. The following chart shows some common materials, special alloys and super alloys: |
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As shown above, high strength Chromoly Steels are stronger than the best Titanium alloys. For comparison purposes, AISI 4140 Steel is a very common form of Chromoly Steel used in racing and applications requiring strength and durability. AISI 4140 can only be found with yield strengths up to about 170,000-210,000 psi. and common low carbon steels as low as 50,000 psi. 300M is an ideal material for an Input Shaft, not only because of its superior strength, but also its toughness, fatigue strength and ductility. These factors mean it's not only incredibly strong, but it can also handle plenty of abuse. That's why 300M is used for aircraft landing gear.
A billet shaft can be made from a wide variety of different materials, which is why it is important to specify a product's composition.
While more expensive than imported versions, American made 300M is held to stringent production standards and often exhibits better strength and durability than foreign-made 300M. |
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Processing:
All ATS Input Shafts start out as a solid billet of material. "Billet" is a term meaning that the part or product is machined from raw round or rectangular stock, as opposed to forging or casting molten metal.
After ATS Billet Input Shafts are machined, they are then splined and heat-treated. Other manufacturers stop the process at this point; a poor surface finish increases the potential for surface cracks in the material. This is the reason ATS Shafts are finish machined to prevent surface cracks, ensure proper fitment and improve fatigue resistance. |
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Design:
When it comes to design, our engineers have spent countless hours optimizing the Input Shaft design. This effort produced the strongest and most durable Input Shaft on the market for the 68RFE.
All ATS designs start in the computer utilizing the latest CAD software. Our engineers model each feature and apply material data based on the material selected for analysis.
The Input Shaft is partitioned into a manageable number of elements for analysis (typically between 400,000 and 1,500,000, depending on complexity and geometry). To get these elements, a "mesh" is applied to the part: |
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| Once the part is "meshed," loads and fixtures are applied. In the case below, an evenly distributed torque is applied to the contact surfaces of each spline: |
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| Once meshed and loads applied, the analysis can be run. Below is an example of a factory input shaft tested at 1400 ft-lbs of torque: |
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The small red arrow in the legend indicates the color code for the yield point of the material (this is where the material will deform and not return to its initial shape). As seen in the plot, there is a large red band around the Input Shaft near the sealing ring lands. Mesh and loading graphics were omitted for the sake of clarity.
This type of stress concentration leads to spiral fractures like the one in the graphic below. Note how the crack initiates at the root of the radius: |
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The ATS Billet Input Shaft addresses this issue through superior design.
Below is the analysis of the ATS Billet Input Shaft design tested at the same mesh size and 1400 ft-lbs of torque. |
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While some stress is concentrated through the length of the shaft, it is all well below the yield point and is distributed more evenly through the length of the shaft.
With the optimized geometry, the shaft has not only high torque load capacity, but also impact load resistance and drastically increased fatigue life. |
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In Conclusion:
When it comes to Input Shaft selection and aftermarket transmission choices, ATS presents the best option for uncompromised quality and durability through superior engineering. |
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