Joe,
Just to give this response extra credibility .. I just finished with oral
surgery, have less wisdom now than I did yesterday, have great drugs, and am
feeling fine. ;>)
IMHO There should be nothing wrong with building the front plate
from aluminum. The cracking concerns will be with the material used and how
the welding is done.
I would go straight to a 6061 aluminum for the job and TIG weld with a ER4043
rod. A welding shop will probably want to use a 5053 rod as it flows better
and is easier to weld with it is also less resistant to cracking than the
4043. The end of any weld is the start of a crack, so dont leave any. Put a
fillet with a nice radius all the way around the material being added. If it
is through fit, put the fillet on both sides. Ends and everything. Dont
leave any corners etc with out the fillet & you should be fine.
If you have questions, talk to your local aircraft certified welder. They
should be able to tell you anything you need to know. On aircraft, we deal
with heat, stress, vibration etc in all welds that are done. A normal welding
shop does not deal with these types of things and will typically give advice
leaning toward easier faster welding rather than strength of the weld..
Just my opinion. Im sure there are other methods that work as well, so fire
away
back to my private little world now..... they know me there..... mmmmm drugs
are good.....
N197TR4@cs.com wrote:
Aluminum Front Mounting Plate for TR3s and TR4s
Jack & I were discussing...during flight back from Portland.
I think we can replicate the front plate in Aluminum. One time production
run, only.
What is the ratio of weight from Steel to Aluminum? 3:1?
What is more important?:
Weight Reduction-I suppose the weight all of the way at the front counts more.
Chance to lower engine? 1/2" 3/4" 1"
Move engine back? 1/2" 3/4" 1"
Just because?
Price Point $50-$100-$150
Jack would do it for the weight at $150
I would do it because it is 'trick' for $100
Survey says?
If there is enough interest, I will get a quote. An order for 25 units would
likely get it done.
Joe Alexander
Tom
http://www.fot-racing.com/spit/caption/tom_strange.htm
#4 white spitfire
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