Re: The Cheapass Swaybar! (finally)

["Dan Bubb" <jdbubb@ix.netcom.com>]

Aluminum is a waste of time for a swaybar.
It's 1/3 as stiff as steel. (10M psi vs. 30M psi) So, although it weighs
~1/3 the weight of steel you would need to have 3 times as much for a
swaybar with equivalent stiffness. So, as far as weight vs. stiffness it has
NO advantage.
Where you save weight is producing a design that has very high stress and
using very high strength material. Here high strength steel kicks aluminum's
ass with at least twice the strength. Comparing high strength steel vs. high
strength aluminum, the steel part would weigh 50% of the aluminum piece for
comparable stiffness.
FYI As far as aluminum grades are concerned they rank as follows:
2024-t4  38 ksi in shear
6061-t6  24 ksi
7075-t6  45 ksi
I don't want to quell any inventiveness, but sometimes you have to stop and
ask why no race car uses aluminum swaybars.
Dan

----- Original Message -----
From: Cheapass Ron <rapieper@yahoo.com>
To: <SailingFC@aol.com>; <scirocco-l@scirocco.org>
Sent: Saturday, July 07, 2001 4:58 PM
Subject: Re: The Cheapass Swaybar! (finally)


>
> --- SailingFC@aol.com wrote:
> > This is not a new design.
>
> :(  You mean someone's already done this?  (surprise
> surprise).  Did your friend's bar bolt to the trailing
> arms or the T-shaped crossmember?  (Ben and I chose
> the trailing arms to minimize stress on the trailing
> arm - crossmember weld).
>
> > IMO, It should work fine.  It was the only rear bar
> > he had.  I'm thinking the
> > material can be 6060-T6 aluminum, solid rectangular.
> >  Light and tough.
>
> Yes...Aluminum is a great idea.  Ben and I had
> considered that as well, I was thinking 2024 but would
> have to study up some on the different alloys and
> their properties, as well as their cost!  For a first
> cut, the steel channel was too cheap to pass up!
>
> >
> > -Dick-
> > 78 Scirocco
> > Original Owner
> > http://member.aol.com/sailingfc/
> >
>
>
> =====
> Ron (Cheapass)
> '87 16V, ("Victor"), '93 Cabby ("Teufelhasen")
> ICQ 108845455
>
> "One....two....one...two...three..."
> -Lynyrd Skynyrd
>
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