Which brings me to the final point to considera weld will never, ever be quite as strong as the original material.
Auto Turn Cracked Aluminum WheelIts a common question: Should I weld my cracked aluminum wheel Opinions vary wildly, from Absolutely to Nooooo and pretty much everything in between.How hard is enough depends on a few factors: how brittle the alloy is, the design of the wheel, and the tires aspect ratio being the most important.Usually a good deep pothole or raised manhole cover is what does it. Cracks are extremely dangerous, and not just for the obvious reason that they can let the air out of your tire. Theres also the fact that they can let the air out of your tire very quickly and without warning. A crack like that is going to grow, and it will usually not even take as hard an impact to widen it as the impact that originally caused the crack. If the crack turns to one side or splits into a Y shape, there is the possibility that you could catastrophically lose an entire chunk of wheel. When deciding whether to weld a cracked wheel, take these important issues into account. A crack on the front face of the wheel compromises the structural integrity of the wheel, as does a crack on one of the spokes. The direction of the crack: Most of the time, a crack on the back side of the wheel will cross the flange and bead area at right angles to the direction the wheel spins. This type of crack can be welded because it can be opened up to accept the weld. A crack that goes parallel to the spin direction should not be welded, because it will usually cause the wheel to become a little wider at the weld area, meaning that the wheel will probably never run straight again. The skill of the welder: Aluminum alloy must be welded with a process called TIG (tungsten inert gas) welding. Aluminum wheels that are MIG (metal inert gas) welded are a disaster. The bead is much thinner and weaker, and the process burns the heck out the surrounding alloy, weakening the entire area around the weld. Auto Turn How To Deal WithWheels should be welded only by an experienced welder who knows TIG welding as well as knowing how to deal with wheels specifically. An impact that will crack a wheel will almost certainly have bent it as well, and trying to substantially straighten a wheel after welding stands a good chance of breaking the weld. Most of the time the electrical current used to weld will also warp the wheel very slightly, requiring some minimal truing even afterward, but this is much more easily done if the wheel is straight before the weld occurs. After the wheel is welded, there will be a large bead of solder to deal with. That bead must be made completely smooth, at least in the area where the tire contacts the wheel, or the tire will be making imperfect contact and will leak. Some shops will grind the bead down and smooth it out on both sides or even smooth the whole area with a computer numerical controlled (CNC) lathe, usually in preparation for repainting or remachining the wheel. Some shops will smooth the outside of the barrel but leave the bead on the inside to make sure the weld stays as strong as possible. Basically, all this is a very good reason to have your wheel welded by professionals if youre going to have it done at all.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |