I did know about the aluminum frames on some trailers, but the aluminum frames on the class 8 trucks is news to me
And it sounds like it isn’t/wasn’t good news
Perhaps it was a temporary thing, like those fiberglass truck beds several years ago . . . ?
Hey, aluminum worked pretty darned good on the Enola Gay!
Who knows?it probaly seemed like a good idea at the time,I’ve noticed the aluminum truck beds are real thick,I dont know how much weight they save over a" contractors bed" made with moderate guage mild steel,(dump bodies wear faster then you think)you can go to a lighter guauge high strength steel(T1 or AR400)and have a strong wear resistant relatively light bed… › Other Topics › General Diesel
Nov 22, 2006 - 15 posts - 10 authors
Typically they have a life span of 5-7 years before a frame rail needs to be replaced at a cost of around 3K per rail installed. The aluminum …
Images for aluminum truck frame railsReport images
Image result for aluminum truck frame rails
Image result for aluminum truck frame rails
Image result for aluminum truck frame rails
Image result for aluminum truck frame rails
More images for aluminum truck frame rails
Viewing a thread - Semi Truck frames - AgTalk Home
talk.newagtalk.com/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=418183...nested…
Sep 21, 2013 - 10 posts - 10 authors
A friend of mine had 5 T800’s hauling fuel and had 2 with aluminum frames and I know that one truck had both frame rails by KW and the other …
Aluminum frame rails, new alloy castings from Alcoa help …
articles.sae.org/14161/
SAE International
May 20, 2015 - “As the central attachment point for the truck’s major components, an aluminum frame rail can save almost 900 lb (410 kg) over a traditional …
[PDF]Aluminum’s Role in Meeting First-Ever Heavy Truck Fuel …
www.drivealuminum.org/.../Role-of%20Aluminum-in-Meeting-First-Eve…
… Transportation Group (ATG) www.aluminumintransportation.org … Landmark Fuel Standards for Trucks. • First-ever fuel … Frame rails save 435 lbs. Cab X- …
Frame rail replacement / Oregon/Washington - Straight Stack
www.straightstack.com › … › Truck Manufacturer Forums › Kenworth
Apr 29, 2010 - 8 posts - 5 authors
Are your rails bad Kevin? If you are just looking for solid rails, the aluminum rails under my A-Model parts truck are excellent, and already set up …
Warning: Frame Rails are Heat Treated, Do not Weld or Drill …
forums.aths.org/PrintTopic89102.aspx
Jun 10, 2010 - 37 posts - 17 authors
My situation may be more problematic due to the fact my frame rails (original to a 1971 Peterbilt and 235" long) are aluminum. Never a problem …
Semi truck aluminum frame repair - WeldingWeb™ - Welding forum …
weldingweb.com/showthread.php?258801-Semi-truck-aluminum-frame…
Mar 17, 2013 - 25 posts - 14 authors
The stress cracks are located right above the wheel perches of axle. (Where the axle assembly bolts up to the aluminum frame rails) On the one …
Study: “Aluminum intensive” trucks deliver significant savings
fleetowner.com › Technology
Aug 3, 2010 - The study – funded by the Aluminum Association – focused on three … Truck frame rails, wheels and cabs represented the biggest areas where …
Lightweight tractor components - Fleet Equipment Magazine
www.fleetequipmentmag.com/lightweight-tractor-components/
Jan 13, 2012 - Freightliner Trucks offers a number of lightweight components, including but not limited to aluminum frame rails, axle carriers and air tanks.
Searches related to aluminum truck frame rails
aluminum truck bed rails
aluminum truck bed rail caps
truck frame rails for sale
semi truck frame rails
mack truck frame rails
truck frame rail metal
truck frame rail repair
truck frame rail replacement
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Next
Sponsored
Shop for aluminum truck frame rails on Google
TracRac 21011 TracRac G2 Sliding Base Rails
TracRac 21011 TracRac G2 Sliding…
$349.99
Google Trusted StoreCARiD.com
TracRac 21600 TracRac G2 Sliding Base Rails
TracRac 21600 TracRac G2 Sliding…
$349.99
Google Trusted StoreCARiD.com
TracRac 28040 Aluminum Extension Tracks for Sliding UtilityRac Truck
TracRac 28040 Aluminum Extensio…
$119.99
The Rack Warehouse
Sorry about that mess but the link wouldnt paste properly,it does contain a lot of info about aluminum frame rails
I read it, and the verdict about aluminum frame rails is decidedly mixed . . . as far as I’m concerned
I have no reservations whatsoever about aluminum frame rails. I’ve spent far too much time crawling around the aluminum structures of large aircraft to have any doubt that it’s a perfectly capable material. Any weakness of an aluminum structural member is a design problem, not because aluminum is inherently incapable. I include as “design errors” the improper selection of alloys and improper anticorrosion treatments and/or design considerations. I have personally done root-cause failure analysis and initiated design changes due to having found improper anticorrosion specs used on materials that were headed to military machinery. That particular problem is far more common than it should be.
The local news the other night did a story on this.
http://www.news8000.com/money/ford-truck-performs-poorly-in-crash-test/34435444
Not that I know anything about it but some years ago I had just gotten on the freeway on my way to work and there sat a grain hauler trailer on the side of the road that had broken in two. Maybe it was just over loaded since it was fall and they try to make as few trips to the barges as possible. It was one of those belly dumping units that unload from underneath. I think it would have been aluminum but who knows. Never saw another one though.
ok4450: You are correct concerning the Pinto. Mother Jones magazine (Michael Moore was the editor at one point) grossly claimed hundreds of horrible flaming deaths in exploding Pintos. NHTSA was able to determine 27 deaths where a ruptured fuel tank was likely a factor.That was actually better than average compared to contemporary vehicle fuel tank safety. The “exploding” dual tank equipped GM pickups were also unproven media hype. NBC Dateline could not make one explode from impact and was “busted” unscrewing gas caps plus using pyrotechnics to achieve the impressive conflagration presented to the public as genuine. Sex and death still sells magazines and increases TV ratings.
kmccune: Aluminum body Ford F-150s have steel frames. I’m guessing key information here is “Saw a national news TV segment”.
@sgtrock I will just flat never, ever believe that the location of the Pinto gas tank is any more dangerous than any other car of that era. Countless cars of varying makes and models had the tank located behind the rear axle. No doubt varying makes and model all suffered rear end crashed with varying makes and models blazing up; or not.
You get the lawyers and press involved and that molehill can certainly be turned into a mountain. Not only was NBC staging that GM fuel tank explosion but remember not many years ago CNN manufactured that story about poison gas being used in Viet Nam.
There’s a reason I gave up the evening news…it’s all biased, hack journalism at its best.
ok4450: Our local news is still fairly accurate. Any national news I don’t even believe half of it. My Dad was born in Missouri (1906) so I guess I inherited the Show me/Prove it gene. By the way. My Mother was born in Oklahoma (1910). Place of birth (on certificate) Geronimo County near Ft Sill.
The problem I see with using aluminum as a structural element in a truck is that it has very low tolerance for fatigue failure. In airplanes, they do periodic inspections to ensure any fatigue cracks are addressed. Who is going to check your truck frame every year? The other issue I am unsure about is the corrosive nature of salt on aluminum. Almost all aluminum uses are alloys, not pure aluminum. Is there some alloy that is more resistant to sodium chloride corrosion? The natural passivation action is not sufficient protection, salt will still readily eat through aluminum. And a lot of vehicles trudge through salt slush pretty often…
Anodic coatings can protect aluminum from salt corrosion.
You’re right, aircraft undergo periodic inspections. But, then, so do trucks.
The most recent B52s in the Air Force inventory were accepted in 1962. Each aircraft has an “acceptance plate” on the forward bulkhead, and I distinctly recall reading the dates on some of ours. That means the newest are 53 years old. I would argue that a B52 with a gross weight of hundreds of thousands of pounds places far greater stresses on its structure than even a semi does.
Yup, aluminum can be and is alloyed in most cases, and even tempered to create the desired hardness. All of that is well known metallurgy. That makes it even more amenable as a structural material.
Understand that this is one man’s perspective on the issue. I’m not saying it should be the only opinion.
I’d say the only trucks undergoing periodic inspections are those which are owned by large fleets
I work for a fleet and we occasionally tag a truck “out of service” for various reasons. . . but I just don’t see that happening to John Doe’s truck
The only thing I predict is that it will fail an annual safety inspection, and by that time, it may need an entire frame, crossmember, subframe, etc.
I know I’m very pessimistic. Part of it is my nature, but part of it is based on experience
Careful Guys,we really need a General Discussion forum,the main people seem to think people only look here for car related stuff,I’ve heard Tom and Ray,get away from cars a lot of time,to make this car related,I listened to CarTalk on saturdays when I was driving to town,in a pickup.
I would argue that a B52 with a gross weight of hundreds of thousands of pounds places far greater stresses on its structure than even a semi does.
It’s not about the magnitude of the stress but repetition, even minor magnitude repetitions… Rather then attempt to (clumsily) define myself, here is an excerpt from Wiki-
One important structural limitation of aluminium alloys is their fatigue strength. Unlike steels, aluminium alloys have no well-defined fatigue limit, meaning that fatigue failure eventually occurs, under even very small cyclic loadings. This implies that engineers must assess these loads and design for a fixed life rather than an infinite life
It then becomes a matter of what you think has more stress related to fatigue failure; a truck running the streets of Boston every single day or a plane that flies around occasionally now that it’s well past it’s prime and gets regular inspections and repairs when problems arise.
Anodic coatings can protect aluminum from salt corrosion
Sure, but anodizing an entire truck frame is not going to be cheap or easy. And, it if gets a scratch, which I expect will happen frequently to an undercarriage, will lose it’s protective coating.
I’m with db4690. I wouldn’t want to be a guinea pig for this one. They still have occasional issues making steel frames after so many decades of experience. I’m willing to view this one from the sidelines until it’s proven technology…
Db, I’d be surprised if trucks weren’t subjected to at least as stringent inspection requirements as cars are. Even in states that don’t inspect cars.
Aluminum has been used for structural applications on racing cars and high end supercars for generations without problems. As well as the aforementioned aircraft. The rotting frame problems happened on steel frames. And body rot has historically been a much bigger problem with steel than aluminum.
Yes, the same parts made of aluminum rather than steel would be more subject to fatigue failure. That’s why different design approaches are used for aluminum. I should add that “heavy” aircraft undergo far more flexing than any car does. Ever stood next to one and seen the ripples? The B52 flexes so much that it had to be equipped with a “stability system” to use the rudder and elevator flaps to actively move the tail end to keep the front end coordinated with the back end. It’s known as the “Stability Augmentation SubSystem”, or Sass for short.
I think some are underestimating aluminum’s capabilities as opposed to steel. However, I’ve said in another thread, and in other places, that I’d personally wait before buying one. Ford has just undergone an enormous amount of retooling, and I’m guess that there’ll be a learning curve for not only the production people, but also for the engineers. I’m not an “early adapter”, so I’d prefer to wait until Ford has proven its mettle (pardon the pun) before putting my $40K down. I have the utmost confidence in the material, but would need to see enough empirical data to convince me that the “learning curve” has been gone through. There will be one, there always is.
It should be also noted that there was a learning curve when the industry went to cast aluminum blocks and heads. I should have waited instead of buying my '72 Vega.
In summary, I think aluminum is highly capable, has a long successful history as a structural material, even in aggressive salt environments, and will become as accepted on automobiles as it is in aircraft. But not until Ford has had a few years to learn how to use it. Other manufacturers will each have to go through their own learning curves as well. I’d wait.
Mercury metal will decompose aluminum,turning it into a reddish powder,I heard some airlines would not let you take a mercury thermometer aboard.
Mercury is highly toxic. You can’t bring any toxic materials of any kind on board an airplane.