Patent ID: 6905054

Claim:
An apparatus for fracture separation, into a bearing cap and a connecting rod, of an integral preform which is configured to define a cylindrical aperture and two spaced-apart bolt seat shoulders, the apparatus comprising: a base member, a guide member fixed with respect to said base member, the guide member defining a first guideway extending in a first direction, a first slide member mounted to said guide member for sliding movement alone said first guideway in said first direction, the first slide member defining a second guideway also extending in said first direction, a second slide member mounted to said first slide member for sliding movement with respect to said first slide member along said second guideway in said first direction, a mandrel which is split to define an upper part fixed with respect to the first slide member and a lower part fixed to said base member to prevent movement of said lower part in said first direction, said upper part being movable between a first position in which said upper part is spaced away from the lower part and a second position in which said upper part is juxtaposed against the lower part to define a substantially cylindrical body defining an axis lying substantially in a second direction perpendicular to said first direction, movement of said upper part being simultaneous with movement of the first slide member along the first guideway with respect to said guide member, the upper and lower parts of said mandrel defining an internal tapered passageway, a wedge member movable in said second direction forcing said mandrel parts apart when the upper part is in its second position by entering said tapered passageway, power means for moving said wedge member, projections defined by said second slide member and adapted to contact the bolt seat shoulders of the integral preform while the cylindrical aperture thereof receives the split mandrel, and means for selectively urging the second slide member toward the mandrel, thereby securely holding the integral preform in place, said wedge member entering the tapered passageway, forcing the mandrel parts apart and fracturing the preform into the bearing cap and the connecting rod.