Motor Sport Roll Cages Glossary: Material
Glossary: Roll Cage Material
Glossary: Roll Cage Material
Only by using the correct material of a reputable source to produce roll cages it is possible to guarantee that the product will do what it was designed to do should you be so unfortunate to have a serious crash. This is why we do not use anything else but the best. Your life and our reputation depend on it.
T-45 (light weight)
Initially used only for aerospace applications, T45 has for a while now been used in the manufacture of roll cages by Safety Devices. The advantage of T45 is that it has a tensile strength of approximately twice that of the standard Cold Drawn Seamless tube (CDS). Due to its high tensile strength we can manufacture the roll cage using tubing of the same diameter but of a thinner gauge (wall thickness). As a guide this equates to a weight saving of approximately 0.5 kg per metre of tubing or 10 - 15% of the total roll cage weight when compared to CDS. However this does come at a cost, as a roll cage manufactured in T45 is substantially more expensive to purchase than the same in CDS and therefore only really required by competitors competing at the higher end of the motor sport spectrum.
CDS Carbon Steel
Otherwise known as Cold Drawn Seamless Carbon Steel, this is the material is used to manufacture all of our standard motor sport and 4 x 4 roll cages as it conforms to FIA material specification requirements and offers good elongation and weld-ability, which are key. Compared to T-45 it is a very cost effective material.
ERW mild Steel
The full description is Electrically Resistance Welded mild steel. Because this material does not have a high enough tensile strength value to comply with article 253 section 8.3 of the FIA regulations relating to material specification, it is only used for non structural applications such as roof racks whre a durable product is required.
Cr (Chrome Molybdenum) Steel
Although popular with some roll cage manufacturers, we do not use Cr in any of our tubular products. This is because the properties of Cr Steel are not considered a particularly suitable as achieving a constant quality is problematic and its ductility is far less effective in deformation than T45.
T-45 (light weight)
Initially used only for aerospace applications, T45 has for a while now been used in the manufacture of roll cages by Safety Devices. The advantage of T45 is that it has a tensile strength of approximately twice that of the standard Cold Drawn Seamless tube (CDS). Due to its high tensile strength we can manufacture the roll cage using tubing of the same diameter but of a thinner gauge (wall thickness). As a guide this equates to a weight saving of approximately 0.5 kg per metre of tubing or 10 - 15% of the total roll cage weight when compared to CDS. However this does come at a cost, as a roll cage manufactured in T45 is substantially more expensive to purchase than the same in CDS and therefore only really required by competitors competing at the higher end of the motor sport spectrum.
CDS Carbon Steel
Otherwise known as Cold Drawn Seamless Carbon Steel, this is the material is used to manufacture all of our standard motor sport and 4 x 4 roll cages as it conforms to FIA material specification requirements and offers good elongation and weld-ability, which are key. Compared to T-45 it is a very cost effective material.
ERW mild Steel
The full description is Electrically Resistance Welded mild steel. Because this material does not have a high enough tensile strength value to comply with article 253 section 8.3 of the FIA regulations relating to material specification, it is only used for non structural applications such as roof racks whre a durable product is required.
Cr (Chrome Molybdenum) Steel
Although popular with some roll cage manufacturers, we do not use Cr in any of our tubular products. This is because the properties of Cr Steel are not considered a particularly suitable as achieving a constant quality is problematic and its ductility is far less effective in deformation than T45.
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