"forged" aluminum alloy?
 

Whenever I read about a "forged" aluminum alloy part for a
bicycle, my mind balks, my stomach clenches, and I refuse to
accept it. A forge is a furnace for heating steel and iron,
preperatory to working it. By working I mean hammering, bending,
drawing, rolling, twisting, creasing, folding, welding, piercing,
crushing, pressing, and the like. Are "forged" aluminum alloy
parts actually formed in this fashion? Please humor me in my
skepticism; I have heard too much hyperbole and misrepresentation
in bicycle marketing to easily set aside my own apprehension of
reality. Thank you.

--
Michael Press

When the word 'forging' is used in this context, it ususally refers to
forging with a mechanical hammer or a drop forge. Forging actually makes the
part stronger than it would be if it were not forged. A good example of a
very strong forged aluminum part would be the aluminum frame of a Smith &
Wesson AirLite .44 Magnum revolver. Which, by the way, are Scandium.

Michael Press wrote:
Whenever I read about a "forged" aluminum alloy part for a
bicycle, my mind balks, my stomach clenches, and I refuse to
accept it. A forge is a furnace for heating steel and iron,
preperatory to working it. By working I mean hammering, bending,
drawing, rolling, twisting, creasing, folding, welding, piercing,
crushing, pressing, and the like. Are "forged" aluminum alloy
parts actually formed in this fashion? Please humor me in my
skepticism; I have heard too much hyperbole and misrepresentation
in bicycle marketing to easily set aside my own apprehension of
reality. Thank you.

Michael Press wrote:
Whenever I read about a "forged" aluminum alloy part for a
bicycle, my mind balks, my stomach clenches, and I refuse to
accept it. A forge is a furnace for heating steel and iron,
preperatory to working it. By working I mean hammering, bending,
drawing, rolling, twisting, creasing, folding, welding, piercing,
crushing, pressing, and the like. Are "forged" aluminum alloy
parts actually formed in this fashion? Please humor me in my
skepticism; I have heard too much hyperbole and misrepresentation
in bicycle marketing to easily set aside my own apprehension of
reality. Thank you.


Forging isn't just for steel and iron. See
http://www.scotforge.com/sf_alum_forging.asp

- Frank Krygowski

Michael Press wrote:
Whenever I read about a "forged" aluminum alloy part for a
bicycle, my mind balks, my stomach clenches, and I refuse to
accept it. A forge is a furnace for heating steel and iron,
preperatory to working it. By working I mean hammering, bending,
drawing, rolling, twisting, creasing, folding, welding, piercing,
crushing, pressing, and the like. Are "forged" aluminum alloy
parts actually formed in this fashion? Please humor me in my
skepticism; I have heard too much hyperbole and misrepresentation
in bicycle marketing to easily set aside my own apprehension of
reality. Thank you.

you've been taking too much of the paranoia on r.b.t. literally. not
every word published by the marketing department of a bike company is a lie.

as to the "forge" to which you refer, the type used by a blacksmith &
the like, that is lazy use of the word. it /is/ a furnace that allows
the smith to forge their wares, but the actual "forging" process itself
is the hammering that follows, not the heating.

forging can be hot or cold or something in between & and each imparts
different properties to the finished product. commonly desired
properties of hot forging include densification & redistribution of
inclusions. properties of cold forging include increasing yield stress
by increasing the dislocation density.

Michael, try sustituting the words, 'compacting the molecular
structure' for the word 'forge' and maybe you will be able to relax
again and enjoy riding your bike. :-)

Lewis.

In article
.com,
wrote:

Michael, try sustituting the words, 'compacting the molecular
structure' for the word 'forge' and maybe you will be able to relax
again and enjoy riding your bike. :-)

Lewis.

Thanks, Lewis, and thanks to all who taught me about forged
aluminum. I watch the road and the scenery while up on the bike.
Where did you get the idea that I fret about that other stuff? :

--
Michael Press

Michael Press wrote:
In article
.com,
wrote:

Michael, try sustituting the words, 'compacting the molecular
structure' for the word 'forge' and maybe you will be able to relax
again and enjoy riding your bike. :-)

Lewis.

Thanks, Lewis, and thanks to all who taught me about forged
aluminum. I watch the road and the scenery while up on the bike.
Where did you get the idea that I fret about that other stuff? :

It is interesting how (we) bicyclists become anal-obsessive about our mounts
isn't it? I wonder what brings out that characteristic?

"forged" aluminum alloy?
 

On Tue, 17 May 2005 17:25:09 -0700, "Dave Thompson"
wrote:

It is interesting how (we) bicyclists become anal-obsessive about our mounts
isn't it? I wonder what brings out that characteristic?

I could suggest something involving pipe-style seatposts and saddles
falling off, but it'd be in bad taste.


Jasper