What material has the best strength to weight ratio?

Blisterman · 11-12-2004 2:47am #1

I'm building a model, and I was wondering, which material has the best expansion (not sure if that's the right word, but the opposite of compression) to strength ratio? I'm talking about different woods/plastic/metal etc.

dannyd20 · 11-12-2004 3:43am

The quick and easy answer is titanium but if you could give more details on what it is that you're trying to achieve then we could help more. Material selection can be a difficult process but is readily simplified by having a clear definition of the required properties and intended scope of your model. Bear in mind that a model need not necessarily exhibit the exact properties of the final design.

Blisterman · 11-12-2004 12:15pm

Well thanks. I've decided on aluminium since it's easily avalible.(from beer cans

).
So hopefully that'll work.

Capt'n Midnight · 12-12-2004 5:22pm

Blisterman wrote:

Well thanks. I've decided on aluminium since it's easily available.(from beer cans ).
So hopefully that'll work.

Oddly enough GLASS has a similar strength to weight ratio to Aluminium. Though admitidley it is does have a less than ideal crack propagation problem, but you could use fibre-glass.

Aluminium has many alloys that vary a lot in strengths and most importantly most only reach their full strength when heat treated properly. So you would have to cold work the materials and avoid overheating of cutting tools etc..

blondie83 · 21-12-2004 11:30pm

Blisterman wrote:

Well thanks. I've decided on aluminium since it's easily avalible.(from beer cans ).
So hopefully that'll work.

Blisterman just out of interest, how are you planning to "melt" the cans - soldering iron? I'm going to be doing something like this myself over Christmas (also with the beer cans!)and would be interested in hearing how you get on

is_that_so · 21-12-2004 11:34pm

What's wrong with good old-fashioned plastiscine

Interceptor · 22-12-2004 4:31pm

Have I stumbled into the bong making forum?

You can't melt beer cans with a soldering iron. And I don't care what flux you use, you can't solder them. You can TiG weld them but that would be silly.

If you are making something and need to shape it then choose a modelling material - I use fibreglass and car body filler. If it doesn't have a complex shape then perspex or rigid pvc sheet can be heated and shaped in an oven or with a hairdryer. If it needs to be machined, nylon (Delrin) or aluminium are ideal and cheap. Titanium is not cheap.

As for glass, there are several lab supply companies in Ireland who custom-blow containers in high strength glass and they aren't too expensive.

What are you all so anxious to make out of beer cans?

'c

What material has the best strength to weight ratio?

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