Quote:
Originally Posted by AtomicLabMonkey
Weld heat affected zones and thread grooves can be pretty large stress risers. Now I'm not a failure analysis/fracture mechanics expert by any means, just a regular ole' mechanical engineer, but IMO that tubing just visually looks fairly thin to handle both. I think it would have to be some pretty high yield alloy to have been properly designed to handle the loads seen on track with sticky tires.
Fatigue is a funny thing... a part that passes high static or even dynamic stress tests a few times can fail eventually when subjected to a much lower load applied repeatedly for X number of cycles.
|
Oh I whole-heartedly agree! I was just pointing out the average person's "I didn't do it" attitude, even when they know damn well what caused the failure. I've seen too many customers with bent suspension parts who claim they have NO IDEA how it got that way, despite the big curb mark on the wheel...
But yes, it's imperative to inspect any parts that take extra load when you're racing, OFTEN. I personally actually go a little overboard when checking my car out, but I've always said anything worth killing is worth over-killing!