Cryogenic Treatment For Race Parts - Can it save you money?

Published in FlatOut Magazine. April 2004

Auto racing has been around since the first vehicle had an engine put in it. The first race probably came about because of a disagreement over who had the faster machine. Shortly after, racing became organized, special parts began to be developed and manufactured, special machining tricks were discovered and costs began to steadily increase. Racing has shifted from a hobby to a profession for many people and the increased financing has forced many teams off the track and to the sidelines. Many teams reach the point financially that they can no longer afford to compete, and others try to hold on, hoping for sponsorship dollars to save them.

Some survive and some don't. A lot of talent and a lot of innovative minds have been forced to the bleachers due to the high costs associated with motorsports.

None of this is news to people like Guy Webb, president of the All Star Circuit of Champions. Webb grew up loving motorsports and became a team owner when he was able to. Now, as president of the All Stars, Webb is especially concerned that the members of the association can afford to keep racing. A company in Decatur, Illinois, was using space age technology to improve the performance of racing engines and reduce wear and breakage in engines, transmissions, rear ends, axles, brake rotors and brake pads and many other motorsports applications. Reducing wear and breakage and extending the time between rebuilds translate directly to reducing costs. The company, 300 Below Inc., has received national publicity due to the uniqueness of their computer-controlled Cryogenic Treatment and has joined the All Stars in 2004.

Cryogenic treatment sounds very Star Trekkie and space age. Isn't this used to freeze bodies in the hopes that a medical cure could be found in the future? The names sound similar and are often erroneously interchanged, but the process of freezing people is called Cryonics rather than Cryogenics. 300 Below is using cryogenic treatment not only in motorsports but also in many more areas including treating cutting tools for manufacturers, reducing tooling wear, increasing production, and reducing downtime. Meanwhile, the manufacturers are reducing tooling purchases, which reduces costs.

Bob Reed, Motorsports Division Manager at 300 Below, is a former Industrial Arts teacher that drag raced before going into tractor pulling. He contends that the biggest problem with cryogenic treatment is that parts that have been treated do not exhibit a change visible to the naked eye and a very powerful microscope can only detect the slightest change. Although many teams are using the service, most choose not to admit it as the usual horsepower gain of 2-6 percent gives them a performance advantage over teams that are not using cryo-treated parts. Additionally, the reduced break-age helps them be around at the end of the race. The increased longevity of the treated parts help teams survive financially. As Reed stressed, "If you've already done all you know to do to your engine [and other parts] and there are still others running ahead of you, I've probably already treated for them. They are not only running better, they are running longer and more economically."

Cryogenic treatment is on the cutting edge of many fields, including motorsports, and may be worth looking into for race teams. As Reed explained, "It will only benefit those that take the time to understand it and what it can do for them. You don't have to be a Cryogenic expert. You only need gain some understanding. It is easy for a racer to understand how changing to a different cam with a different lift and a different duration might improve the performance of an engine, but it's a lot more difficult to understand why a strange process used in the space program can benefit a race team. The camshaft is something that can be seen and touched, whereas Cryogenic Treatment involves using unbelievably low temperatures to improve parts used in racing teams."

What Exactly Does Cryo Treatment Do?

"Everyone has seen a house being constructed," Reed explained. "A footing is poured and the foundation is built. The foundation is cured and stable before the first board is put in place. The foundation helps support the house and keeps everything in alignment. The foundation of an engine is the engine block, and it, too, helps keep engine parts stable and in alignment. All the other parts either go inside the engine block or are attached to it. An untreated engine block is full of stresses that were brought about by all the manufacturing processes necessary in it is production. When the untreated block is run, it becomes hot. The heat and stress combine to cause the block to distort. As the block distorts, it throws other engine parts out of alignment, including the crankshaft, connecting rods, and so forth. Parts that were straight and true as the engine was built and assembled are no longer straight and true when the untreated engine is running. The distortion brought about by the stress con-tributes to reduced performance, uneven wear, and even worse, break-age. Cryogenic treatment relieves the stresses in the block, preventing distortion, enabling the parts to stay in alignment, and helps to prevent breakage."

Another important change brought about by Cryogenic Treatment is the closing of the grain structure. Reed gives the example of thinking of untreated parts as "open grained," which can be illustrated by spreading our fingers apart. The open areas between our fingers are voids. In this state, parts are not as strong or abrasion resistant as they can become following treatment. In order to illustrate the grain structure as being closed, we need only use our other hand and squeeze our fingers together. Cryogenic treatment makes the parts more abrasion resistant and more durable. Don't confuse this with making the parts harder. Proper cryogenic treatment does not make the parts harder and that is good. Why? Because parts that become too hard also become brittle and are more likely to break.

Basically, cryogenic treatment relieves stress, helping prevent distortion and closes the grain structure, making parts more abrasion resistant and more durable.

How Long Does it Take?

Numerous computer controlled processors of varying size and shapes are used at 300 Below to meet the needs of their customers. One particular processor has treated as many as four disassembled 1,710 cubic inch Allison aircraft engines at once and also huge stamping dies for industry. "Processors are loaded on Tuesday afternoon and the treated parts are shipped out on Friday," Reed said. "Processors are loaded again on Friday and the treated parts are shipped out on Tuesday. Yes, it does take a long time to do it right. If it is worth doing, it is worth doing right."

How Much Does it Cost?

Nearly all the parts in a 6-cylinder or 8-cylinder automotive engine can be Treated for $560 or a 4-cylinder automotive engine can be treated for $450. That diesel in your hauler or pulling tractor is more expensive, but the treatment cost is only a fraction of the engine cost. 300 Below is a brand new technology that is just making inroads in Sprint Car racing and if they can sell race teams on the idea of saving money, they might just be able to make a huge impact.

In the next issue of FlatOut, we'll tell you exactly which parts can benefit from cryogenic treatment and exactly how each part is affected.

What Is the 300 Below Process?

It is an exceptional method of improving the physical and mechanical properties of various materials. Unlike so-called "cold' treatments that are generally limited to temperatures in the -110 degree range, 300 Below is controlled between 300 and 320 degrees below zero. Also, unlike techniques that involve use of cryogenic liquids, 300 Below is completely dry.

The chilling cycle provides ample time for the material to adjust thoroughly to the progressively colder environment. Time in the low temperature range is long enough to establish an orderly arrangement of crystals, increase internal bonding energy and achieve a structural balance throughout the mass of the material. The slow, gradual warming cycle is controlled to bring the material back up to room temperature without disturbing the basic uniformity of its transformed and stabilized molecular structure.

While the 300 Below process is now being applied to parts and products made of many materials, it has been widely used to improve the properties of high speed, high carbon/high chrome and other steels. By inducing virtually complete transformation of retained austenite to martensite, it eliminates the need [for tempering at temperatures high] enough to cause a loss of hardness. And, because improvements produced by 300 Below extend through the material, one treatment lasts the life of the treated part, regardless of any subsequent finishing operations or successive regrinds.