Gas Burners

[chris_seven]

Does any one know the material spec of the 5 lug gas burner.

I understand that they are forged and I would like to check the condition of some wheels by hardness testing and I need some idea of the material spec to make the right decision.

Thanks

[Nostril Cheese]

magnesium

[andyjboy]

Chris - I can't help with the exact composition of the wheels but for clarification they were cast not forged.

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

Cast magnesium. I don't recall whether it was die-cast or pressure-cast.

Note that only the five-lug gas burner wheels were magnesium; the four-bolt Mahles were cast aluminum.

There are replica five-lug gasburners that are cast aluminum; they are very heavy, while the real thing is the lightest wheel that Porsche ever put on one of their street cars!

--DD

[dvkk]

Originally posted by chris_seven
...... I would like to check the condition of some wheels by hardness testing .......

A more useful test of their condition is to have them crack tested. Dye penatrant will do.

[chris_seven]

Crack detection using a dye penetrant will only tell you that the wheel is free from defects it won't tell you about the 'condition'of the alloy.

Most magnesium alloys used in the manufacture of wheels develop their mechanical properties by a process known as precipitation or 'age' hardening. Some alloys will continue to 'age' even at room temperature and after several years they will loose their mechanical strength and become quite brittle.

This is certainly true of Minilite Sand Cast Wheels which tend to have lost 50% of their tensile strength and virtually all of their ductility by the time they are 30+ years old

A simple way to check the condition of these wheels is by carrying out a Vickers Hardness test as tensile strength and hardness correlate quite well for specific families of alloys.

I would image the Gas Burner is dis cast and probably a more stable alloy than the Minilite but it would be good to be sure.

If I can find the correct alloy spec I have enough data to make an informed decision from the results of a hardness test.

[Joe Bob]

I have a set for sale..........