News for December 20

Aluminium Frames

   The first thing to point out is that Aluminium frames cannot be
   designed to last forever. They WILL break eventually. Unlike steel
   frames which can be designed to last forever. Metal fatigue is the
   problem. When steel is stressed to less that 25% of its yield
   strength it will have an unlimited life. This cannot be said for
   Aluminium . Dependent on the stress and number of flexures will
   fail eventually.

   7000 series aluminium is alloyed with zinc. 6000 series is alloyed
   with magnesium and silicon. The  properties  each follow:

   6000 Series
   Heat treatable
   Medium Strenght
   Good Weldability
   Moderate formability

   7000 Series
   Heat treatable
   High Strenght   (up to 2.5 x  6000 series)
   Low weldability
   Poor formability

   From this it can be deduced that welded frames should be of 6000
   series and age hardened to the T6 condition (solution heat
   treated). Frames of the 7000 series should be used  in bonded
   frames, ie where the tubes are glued into the lug, due to it's poor
   weldability.

   A bonded frame using 7000 series al. alloy  will be the stronger
   than a frame of 6000 series for a given weight frame due to its
   greater tensile strength.

   Aluminium frames need to have tubes about 1/3 greater diameter and
   twice the wall thickness to be as stiff as a steel frame. The
   aluminium frame will still be about 86% of an equivalent steel
   frame. (based on my own calculations).

   These are my own opinions and do not any bearing on the cycle
   industry as such.

   Graham Fowler Adelaide South Australia
   fowlerg@ozemail.com.au (home) fowlerg@lsod.srl.dsto.gov.au (work)

More on Coppi

   The 1945 and 1946 season were a transition period for cycle racing;
   1946 was the immediate post war season and leads us into the modern
   era..

Here are Fausto's results for 1945 and 1946..

1945
****

1 alla Coppa Salvioni
1 alla Coppa candelotti
1 al Circuito degli Assi a Milano
1 al Criterium di Lugano
1 al Circuito di Ospedaletti
2 alla Milano-Varzi
2 al Circuito di Savona
2 al Giro del Lazio
3 al circuito del Trentino
3 al Circuito di genova
3 alla Milano-Torino
5 al campionato d'Italia


1946
****

1 alla Milano-Sanremo
1 al giro di Romagna
1 al Circuito di Lugano
1 al Gran Premio delle Nazioni
1 al Giro di Lombardia
1 al Circuito del Trocadero
2 al Giro d'Italia
2 al Giro di Longchamp
2 al campionato di Zurigo
3 al Circuito di Genova
5 al circuito d'Asti
6 al Circuito di Bologna
abbandono al Giro di Toscana
Abbandono al Campionato del mondo