Aluminum Frame

[jim454]

Has anyone ever used aluminum to build a frame ,or is it too weak to support the stress.I am thinking of a lightweight racing cart.

 

[Doc Sprocket]

Aluminum is just lovely as long as the frame design and material selection are appropriate.

Bear in mind you need the appropriate equipment and skill to weld it. It will end up costing more, so most folks view it as not necessary. A well-designed steel tube frame can be very light, too.

 

[newrider3]

Not worth it, unless you're an engineer by trade and a bit masochistic.

I know that someone will argue that you don't, but you would need to have the frame heat-treated after all welding to get any kind of longevity. Most aluminum alloys lose a lot of their strength during welding.

 

[jim454]

I am thinking of 1"X2" rectangular tubing for the side rails and 1.5" tubing for the cross members. 090-1.25" thick.I am a welder by trade so tig welding the aluminum is no problem.I just want it strong though.How do you heat treat the aluminum?

 

[Hanni Abu]

How'd this work out for you? I was thinking of doing the same!

 

[TorqueRanger]

I am thinking of 1"X2" rectangular tubing for the side rails and 1.5" tubing for the cross members. 090-1.25" thick.I am a welder by trade so tig welding the aluminum is no problem.I just want it strong though.How do you heat treat the aluminum?

Not to be a smart a$$ but as a welder by trade how do you not know how they heat treat aluminum or normalize the metal ???? ... I just don't understand because I have welded for many years and normalizing and heat treating are very important in welding in order to keep the metal as strong as possible..

I would stick with round tubing and go with T6 6160 aluminum and use .095 or .120 ...

 

[125cc_Go_Karts]

i wouldn't do it aly is hard to weld, im a 4th year welding apprentice and im only just getting it perfect now no holes

 

[DustinWolfe]

Not to be a smart a$$ but as a welder by trade how do you not know how they heat treat aluminum or normalize the metal ???? ... I just don't understand because I have welded for many years and normalizing and heat treating are very important in welding in order to keep the metal as strong as possible..

I would stick with round tubing and go with T6 6160 aluminum and use .095 or .120 ...

 

[Hanni Abu]

I was planning on drilling holes and bolting them together rather than welding. Would you say that's not such a smart a idea or would it do the trick?

 

[landuse]

I was planning on drilling holes and bolting them together rather than welding. Would you say that's not such a smart a idea or would it do the trick?

Have a loom at this thread

http://www.diygokarts.com/vb/showthread.php?t=8275&highlight=no+weld

 

[redsox985]

I totally forgot about that! If you have the option to weld, I would definitely weld it and then have it heat treated.