http://www.race-dezert.com/for...=1651

I just found this interesting. Always nice to see what cages look like after a crash to get an idea how to make them better.

 

That weld held strong!

 

Damn theres some good reading on that forum.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> The truck ended up on it's nose at speed and sheared the front bumper off the car.</TD></TR></TABLE>


Just incase anyone reads too fast and misses that.

 

youre supposed to heat treat 4130.... maybe they didnt.

 

From what I've been told, you only need to heat treat thicker stuff.

.095" - .120" is OK not to heat treat. .121" however...

http://www.lincolnelectric.com...y.asp

Q. Do I need to pre-heat?
A. Thin wall tubing (&lt; 0.120" wall) applications do not typically require the normal 300ºF to 400ºF pre-heat to obtain acceptable results. However, tubing should be at room temperature (70ºF) or above before welding.

Q. Do I need to heat treat (stress relieve) 4130 after welding?
A. Thin wall tubing normally does not require stress relief. For parts thicker than .120", stress-relieving is recommended and 1,100ºF is the optimum temperature for tubing applications. An Oxy/Acetylene torch with neutral flame can be used. It should be oscillated to avoid hot spots.

 

still doesnt seem like a bad idea though.

 

haha no beach marks on those breaks. I would always heat treat 4130

 

speaking of making cages better, I was just reading a report on some recent research into rally crashes. They mentioned that thicker wall smaller diameter tube absorbs energy better than the larger thin walled tube of the same stiffness. Apparently its important in light of recent fatal crashes, and the study might lead to a small revision of the rules of rally car construction.

Thought I'd share