New Bodybuilding Process Saves Two-thirds
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ASAVING of two-thirds in weight without sacrificing strength is claimed for a new process of manufacturing aluminium bodywork developed by T.I. Aluminium, Ltd., Redfern Road, Tyseley, Birmingham.
Hitherto, design has been based mainly on the riveted joint, with structural framework and cladding considered as separate entities; but it has always been recognized that simpler design and easier fabrication would be possible if the welding process could be more extensively applied.
With the development of the Argon
Arc inert-gas welding process, this difficulty has been overcome, and stiffened panel construction in aluminium is now practicable.
With this process, large flat extruded sections in which the skin of a structure is combined integrally with the framing, can be welded together to form larger areas, such as the side of a furniture van, without a single rivet.
The normal maximum width of a "plank," as the sections are known, is 1 ft. The extrusion process permits the metal to be placed exactly where it will give maximum strength.
Fillets, bulbs, bolt-grooves and corner pieces can be easily "designed in," and stiffeners can be so disposed that internal lining, or insulation, can be attached with ease.
A container produced by this process weighed 13 cwt., compared with 40 cwt. when constructed by existing methods, and yet, it is claimed, was less liable to damage in use.
With a test load of 6 tons—normal payload 5 tons—the container was slung without stretcher bars and deflection between the two sides was only as little as 0.06 in.