what is the best type of tubing to use for a exo cage and what size is the best?

hey-

here's a link to 4130 DOM tubing- it's a pretty common material for tube frame buggy's-

emj metals (http://www.emjmetals.com/emjonline/esl.exe?hactid=0&hacmid=1&hacmid=1&haclev=0&eslgrp=0&eslmtl=2&eslgrps=Tube%20%2B%20Pipe&eslmtls=Alloy&eslgrd=4130&eslm1=Chemistry&eslm2=Tensile&eslm3=Yield&eslm4=Rockwell%20Hardness&eslcur=95&eslsz=65535&eslfid=0&eslfgrp=0&eslfmat=0&eslfgrd=0&eslfdesc=0&eslfdtxt=0&eslfsize=0&eslfsizes=0&eslfsp=0&eslftens=0&eslftrmt=0&eslfyeld=0&eslfelon=0&eslfspec=0&eslfbspc=0&eslfchm=0&eslfmech=0&eslfapps=0&eslfelon2in=0&eslfelon2pr=0&eslfelon8in=0&eslfrwhd=0&eslfbrhd=0&eslfreda=0&eslfizod=0&eslfform=0&eslftitle=0&eslfbdsg=0&eslfmcom=0&eslfchry=0&eslfchri=0&eslfvchr=0&eslfm90cb=0&eslfmach=0&eslfcspd=0&eslfweld=0&eslftols=0&eslfforg=0&eslfhdng=0&eslfhtrt=0&eslfcarb=0&eslfcorr=0&eslftest=0&eslfannl=0&eslfbend=0&eslfnorm=0&eslftchr=0&eslftemp=0&eslfpnch=0&eslfshfc=0&eslfrtsc=0&eslfstrl=0&eslfsalt=0&eslfshapes=0&eslfpnum=0&)

there are lot's of supplier w/ this type of material available-

as far as size goes, 1.500" or 1.750" dia x 0.12 wall seems to be the most common sizes used for tube frame construction.

I'm in process on getting a $ per foot quote for 1-3/4 x 0.12 wall tube right now, I let ya know what we get back on pricing- (I work in an aerospace job shop)

later

1.75x.120 DOM

Need a weight chart for that tubing?? :D:D:D

http://www.auto-ware.com/techref/tubeweight.htm

A good rule of thumb I use is take the size tubbing your using ( the o.d.) and add .250 to it , so it should way around 1.90-2.0 lbs. ft:roxy:

What's tube:confused: ....
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:flipoff2:

Originally posted by Tin Bender
What's tube:confused: ....


really ... black pipe and a Harbor Freight pipe bender are the :nuke: ... lol

WHOOHOO!!

got pricing in for tubing-

from E. M. JORGENSEN COMPANY- they were the cheapest quotes,
all pieces in 20' lengths:

FOR 4130 ALLOY:

4130 1.75" X 0.12" DOM @ $3.86 PER FOOT FOR 100' QUANTITY

4130 1.75" X 0.12" DOM @ $4.16 PER FOOT FOR 60' QUANTITY


FOR 1010 CARBON STEEL:

1010 1.75" X 0.12" DOM @ $1.70 PER FOOT FOR 60' QUANTITY

1010 1.75" X 0.12" WELDED @ 1.10 PER FOOT FOR 60' QUANTITY

****delivery not included****

guess I order some of the 1010 DOM!!!!!!!

later--

Damn they are givin it away.:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

there really isnt a big strength advantage over DOM or ERW. I've never rolled a truck with either though so someone correct me if I'm wrong!

I would be willing to bet that all these people who are recomending 4130 aren't using it themselves. It has to be tig welded to keep the material from becoming brittle at the joints. (manditory by many racing sanctioning bodys) It is really difficult to work with and in my opinion, a total waste of money. It is ony commonly used on aircraft and high end race cars. hell, even Winston cup cars use DOM mild steel tubing. HERW mild steel, the most common type of tubing can be had, in stock ,at most any steel yard. the most common diameters are 1 3/4" and 1 1/2.
I recomend .120 wall for most cages. especially without a stock roof. Many stock car racers use 1 3/4x.090 wall to save weight.
these guys that are recommending DOM and 4130 are reading too many magazines :rolleyes: :flipoff2:

Originally posted by zags
these guys that are recommending DOM and 4130 are reading too many magazines :rolleyes: :flipoff2:

Or PBB ;) ;) ;)

Jay

i just finished my XO to night with 1 5/8 X .120 HERW and it looks great:eek: pics tomarrow.i would have used 1 3/4 X .120 but i used a harber freaght pipe bender and the 1 5/8 fit the 1 1/4 die like a glove so i used that.i called allover and all said that HERW was plenty strong.

where did you get the herw and how much was it

dom is for web wheelers:flipoff2:

S&K steel has it off florin perkins about $35 per 20'

Originally posted by zags
I would be willing to bet that all these people who are recomending 4130 aren't using it themselves. It has to be tig welded to keep the material from becoming brittle at the joints. (manditory by many racing sanctioning bodys) It is really difficult to work with and in my opinion, a total waste of money. It is ony commonly used on aircraft and high end race cars. hell, even Winston cup cars use DOM mild steel tubing. HERW mild steel, the most common type of tubing can be had, in stock ,at most any steel yard. the most common diameters are 1 3/4" and 1 1/2.
I recomend .120 wall for most cages. especially without a stock roof. Many stock car racers use 1 3/4x.090 wall to save weight.
these guys that are recommending DOM and 4130 are reading too many magazines :rolleyes: :flipoff2:

Damn Zigs, loks like you've been doing your home work!!!
I couldn't agree more.....HREW 2" is around 1.10 a foot.Do the math.
The only DOM I use is in race cars where it is spec'd that way.:skull:

Originally posted by 87toyred
where did you get the herw and how much was it S&K steel the 1 5/8 is allot mor then 1 3/4 becouse it isnot a standerd size.do not remember $$ like 6 sticks for $250.call them thay had the best $$

Hey--

The information I provided is from my experience as an Aerospace Manufacturing Engineer- We use a lot of 4130 alloy steel, in tube, sheet and billet applications-

I have never built a cage for an offroad vehicle- just provided lot's of parts for Apache's, F15's, F18's, and C17's. It's a lot different, I'm sure- I got quotes on what I'm familiar with-

Here's a bit of info specific to 4130 alloy from a welding engineer-

Quote-

4130 is not for all aviation applications. I believe that it is the best for welded tube fuselages and applications with material thicknesses up to 1/8 inch thick. It is has a tensile strength of 90-95 ksi (ksi = 1000 pounds per square inch) in the normalized condition with a maximum heat treat (in an oven) of 180 ksi. Most parts designed by aircraft manufacturers (especially of high performance aircraft) use alloys capable of 220 to 240 ksi. Many aircraft are now using alloys at 300 ksi for certain applications..

Sometime we will talk about tradeoffs between ductility, strength, weight, and fabrication advantages for welded tube fuselages (and corrosion protection).

AISI 4130 is a chromium-molybdenum steel that is in general (aviation) use due to its well established heat-treating practices and processing techniques.

4130 is used in the normalized or near normalized condition and does not require heat treatment. In the normalized state the maximum allowable tension stress is 95 ksi. At this value 4130 has good toughness and excellent elongation. Toughness means resistance to crack propagation and elongation means it can absorb energy in deformation without breaking (useful in a fuselage safety cage).

By letting weld joints air cool, the joint becomes normalized. Further normalizing and evening of the internal stresses can be accomplished by heating the general area of the weld (cluster) to a straw color (light yellow) and letting the area air cool. This is not absolutely necessary (because the internal stresses of the weld are not that much higher) like it would be with a higher carbon content steel, but I was taught to do it.

This heat-treatable low-alloy steel has relatively low hardenability; nevertheless, it is one of the most popular alloy steels because of its good formability and weldability along with an excellent mechanical properties.

End quote-

We have weldments using 4130 that require no special welding process, nor further stress relieving. Our welder uses standard GMAW equipment-

There is no doubt that the COST of 4130 is prohibitive to its use -
However, weldability is not an issue-

I will be buying the 1010 dom for a simple exo-cage for my truck-
hope to complete it later this spring-

:D