Anyone know where I can get my wheel welded in Lancs?

[mishima]

Hi there,

As some of you may know I had a cracked VXR wheel last year and I've been meaning to get it welded for some time now, does anyone know anywhere that will do this in Lancashire please?

Thanks

[sriayrshire]

Hi this is my first post here , anyway i am a welder to trade and always refuse to weld alloy wheels, there are companies that specialize in carrying out these kind of repairs

Anyway what i am trying to say if you are going to use it as an emergency spare that’s fine but i would not use a wheel that’s been repaired as there is still a weak spot present.

Also if the wheel has not been prepped right or the company have used the wrong method, wire and etc the chances are that it may crack again.

When welding these repairs a fair amount of heat is put into the alloy and can weaken the surrounding areas of the crack. Although it’s fairly easy to fill a crack, it’s unlikely the weld will have enough penetration to prevent it cracking again.

If you have kids in the car it scrap it and buy a new one.......SAFETY FIRST

[bigmac]

I have 2 welded alloys on my car and i know others who have had alloys welded,may be 10 years a go the thought of repairing a cracked alloy would bring horror stories,but i did a fair amount of research including ringing specialized places what do alloy repairs and that's all they do and as long as there done right they can be as strong as an original.
Obviously your taking a risk as they can crack again but no one knows for sure whether your a welder or not if it will,it could be fine for 1yr 2yr 10yr

[sriayrshire]

Rather you than me mate, I have seen many failed welds come into the workshop for repairs (obviously not just wheels) but its not a risk i would take

Travelling down the motorway at 70 and the crack splits again well u know the rest.

for the price of a replacement i would not put my family in danger to try and save a few pounds.

From a welding forum

http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/s...ad.php?t=11639

http://www.ukwelder.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=7117

[bigmac]

Thats your opinion but tbh your not an alloy wheel specialist are you ? so your telling me all these company's that repair damaged wheels are putting lives at risk and our government are allowing them to trade knowing fine well they are going to kill some one ?

Not meaning to be funny but i read those horror stories that you posted and numerous others where people scare the holy crap out of people that's why i decided to call a few place and when i say a few i mean about 20 as i wouldn't risk it,but after speaking with them all i decided to get them repaired as new alloy where about £300 + each (And don't come back and say is that the price of your love one's )

Now you are entitled to your opinion but as you have said you don't weld alloys but there are specialized people who do now they only repair them if there confident they will be ok if they are small cracks then they should be ok but they told me even if they cracked again it would be like having a puncture not a complete blowout as you've described and i put that question to all of them.

[sriayrshire]

For a standard rim to crack is common, but to say that a welded rim will be equally as strong is just wrong.
I would say fine if the wheels were getting melted down and poured back into a cast.
Metal cracks may look localised, and the obviously the best way to detect any type of metal fatigue is to inspect with an ultrasonic test. So when welding a crack does not mean you have eradicated the problem, the fact is cracks may still be present out with the failed area and can be weakened by the heat put into welding
Fair enough you have your say, and it may be a way to save money. But to come on and say that its fine just because you and wheel repair companies said its fine that everybody should jump on the band wagon and do as you say. I think not!!! These guys are trying to make money and will say what you want to hear, so unless you or any of the guys at these companies have went to university to study fracture mechanics i may listen to what you have to say.
And before you say it no i have not studied fracture mechanics but i do understand the principle behind it unlike some people

[sriayrshire]

Here you go a message to another guy wanting a repair and he got this reply


After working as an alloy wheel design and testing engineer at Performance Wheels, where Dave's wheels probably were produced, I would not even consider welding, and besides, it is illegal in Australia to weld alloy wheels radially, although circumference welding is allowed in some cases (i.e. widening of rim).

The reason they have cracked is due to fatiuge failure, and while the cracks may be small, the material in that area has been affected, and unless the wheel is re-heat treated, then the welding will only cover the cracks, and not add strength to the wheel. (All Aust manufactured wheels must be heat treated , whereas most European alloy wheel standards do not require it).

The fatigue failure occurs through work hardening of the material in areas undergoing stress (think of breaking a piece of wire by bending it, the break area is harder than the rest of the wire), in a wheel this occurs at the join between spoke and rim, or spoke and hub, depending on the weakest point of design, and these are tested for by a radial fatigue test (pressure down on the wheel rim) and cornering fatigue test (pressure on the hub, trying to bend spokes).

The superlite(minilight) design i tested came in many sizes, from 12x5 up to 15x8, and everyone failed under fatigue testing in generally the same area, and the only way to rectify it was to increase the thicknesses of the spokes. i must stress that the testing conditions were very extreme cases, i think design factor was 2.5.

The problem is that any extreme force applied to a wheel in it's life will affect it's fatigue strength, eg hitting a curb, thus reducing the life of a wheel.

The Wheel Industry Association Aust.(WIA), has for many years been trying to prevent the sale of second hand wheels from wreckers, etc, because the history of the wheel is not known, and even go as far to suggest that if a car has been in an accident, all alloy wheels should be replaced, because their future strength may be suspect.

[jonnybravo]

I have had this debate before on this forum sriayrshire,i'm with you on this one, life means too much to me and my loved ones

[sriayrshire]

I have had this debate before on this forum sriayrshire,i'm with you on this one, life means too much to me and my loved ones

Was starting to turn into a bit of a friendly debate

I weld custom t304 stainless exhausts for a living, so i know how important it is to get the right rods for the job. I have seen some poor workmanship from other exhaust companies and i am sure this can be replicated to any other kind of welding including wheels

I also used to work for an engineering company in glasgow and we mainly done stick welding and the amount of fractures we seen just because the wrong rod was used or just due to poor workmanship.

[bigmac]

I respect your opinion but i have mine so lets leave it there