Quote:
Originally Posted by legenmetals
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After looking at the broken LCA pictured I reviewed mine and took a couple of pictures.
What I see in the pictures are a forging and a tube that are butt welded.
The two parts are put into a locating jig that arc electricity between the two parts bringing them up to temperature and than pushes the two parts together quickly. I would assume they use air cylinders to accomplish this because of the speed required.
This process squeezes out the metal around the welded joint, Then the weld looks to be turned down on the OD leaving the metal on the inside of the tube.
Maybe not a bad idea to brace.
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Based upon the photo of the broken LCA, it would seem the first place to reinforce would be the lower portion of the outer butt weld. This would be most stressed as it's between the shocks/springs and the hub, and therefore subject to the greatest tension due to the weight of the vehicle, cornering forces, etc.
The upper portion of the same weld is under compression most of the time, so less stressed, but probably still worth reinforcing.
A short section of tubing with the same ID as the OD of the LCA could be used to reinforce the joint. Once separated into two halves it could be wrapped around the LCA butt weld joint, clamped and then welded around its circumference on both sides and across both seams where the halves join. Voila - much stronger with minimal addition to unsprung weight.