OT: Brittle failure of aluminum motorcycle frame

  • Thread starter Phil, Squid-in-Training
  • Start date



Phil, Squid-in-Training wrote:
> http://1tail.com/2005_GSXR_frame/default.asp
>
> Any insights?
>

insufficient penetration leaving significant thickness of the butts
unmelted. these act as stress risers causing the weld to fatigue &
crack. there could be a heat treatment problem as well. aluminum welds
in this kind of application should typically be heat treated before use.

aluminum welds usually crack as shown or on the boundry of the melt
zone. in that respect, this is not an unusual failure.
 
Phil, Squid-in-Training wrote:
> http://1tail.com/2005_GSXR_frame/default.asp
>
> Any insights?


Poor weld. As jim said, not enough penetration into the individual
parts, leaving just the filler wire to hold the part together. I also
noticed some gas pockets there that were too big to be good.

Get your money back/free part.

--
BMO
 
Boyle M. Owl wrote:
> Phil, Squid-in-Training wrote:
>> http://1tail.com/2005_GSXR_frame/default.asp
>>
>> Any insights?

>
> Poor weld. As jim said, not enough penetration into the individual
> parts, leaving just the filler wire to hold the part together. I also
> noticed some gas pockets there that were too big to be good.
>
> Get your money back/free part.


Not actually mine. I stole the link off another NG and figured it might be
of some interest here.

Should the frame look like it had brittle failure all the way through the
cross section? In other words, there's the inner portion that looks like it
was machined flat, then the outer brittle failure part. Should it look
brittle on the inner part, too? I know that the insides of welded bike
frames have bumps on the inner walls of the tubes, but the tubing's much
thinner, of course.

--
Phil, Squid-in-Training