Roll cage

[chopsmitty]

4130 chromoly tubing is a superior material for any rollcage or chassis structure. One of the greatest advantages is its strength to weight ratio. You can achieve an equal or in most cases stronger assembly when using an alloy tubing. The weight of an average rollcage can be reduced by almost 40 percent when using appropriately sized 4130 materials. The other great benefit to using alloy tubing is its ability to flex without breaking or bending immediately. The spring-back of 4130 tubing is almost double that of ordinary mild steel tubing, leaving the chassis to flex without breaking. Other than the additional cost, welding chromoly tubing is the only other disadvantage, as it has to be tig welded. Even so, with todays technology of filler materials, as well as square wave welding technology (pulse welding), it is much easier to learn to tig weld. There are also better blends of filler material to create a more desirable weld. All the options weighed, chromoly is the best way to go.



When material is bent it actually increases the tensile strength of the material in the bend area substantially, as long as the material has been cold formed. Cold forming is the process of bending or shaping material without heat. Cold forming is one of the only ways to strengthen some types of material. The tensile strength of some material can increase more than 50 percent when cold formed. Cold forming introduces a certain amount of work hardening. Work hardening occurs when material is being stressed but not strained. When applied correctly, work hardening can significantly add to the tensile strength of the material.

If your chassis, after installation of a properly designed cage or other structural support system, is flexing enough to induce work hardening - you have a design problem AND a terrible vehicle! And you can repair/replace and add to either 4130 or mild steel.