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Re: [TowerTalk] Aluminum Tower Mast

To: towertalk@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Aluminum Tower Mast
From: "Roger (K8RI)" <K8RI-on-TowerTalk@tm.net>
Date: Thu, 06 May 2010 15:32:21 -0400
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On 5/6/2010 10:23 AM, Jim Thomson wrote:
> Date: Wed, 5 May 2010 14:36:09 -0700
> From: "knormoyle@surfnetusa.com"<knormoyle@surfnetusa.com>
> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Aluminum Tower Mast
>
>
>
>
> [Dennis] "From day one, we used an aluminum 2" OD THICK WALL ALUMINUM CONDUIT 
> Mast."
>
> I was curious about aluminum conduit. A quick search says that modern 
> aluminum conduit is 6063 temper T-1
> (our typical 6061 use is T6)
>
> Wikipedia says ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/6063_aluminium_alloy )6063 T-1 
> has a yield strength of only 9kpsi
>    
And it's very soft with poor wear qualities.
> Regardless of the wall thickness, I would think the low yield strength would 
> make many other options better for equivalent weight.
>
>    
It's made to bend. Even steel conduit is soft. I can bend up to 1"steel 
conduit using the old hand/foot bender although after 3/4" it gets to be 
work.  Water pipe is pretty much the same.
> also, conduit is specified as I.D. was this 1.5" I.D. ->  1.9" O.D. conduit? 
> or 2" I.D. ->  2.375" O.D. ?
>
> ??
> -kevin
>
> ##  I just noticed the fellow mentioned he used al CONDUIT.   He didn't say 
> what thickness.    We used  AL conduit
> at work in yrs gone by, then it's all now steel, NO AL anywhere. [ think was 
> mandated by building codes /electrical codes]
> CONDUIT is SOFT material. It has to be, to bend the stuff.  Conduit would be 
> 100%  useless  for a mast application.
>
> T-1 /9 ksi is normal. I seriously doubt you could even  run either 6061-T6  
> or even 6063-T832  through any conduit bender,
> even the hydraulic conduit benders.  It would snap off.    Somebody mentioned 
> 7075 al alloy.   It's  good stuff
>   too.. but VERY expensive... but it does have a higher yield strength than  
> 6061-T6.
Even T-6 is notably more expensive than T-1 due to the extra processing 
of the alloy. I'm not at all familiar with 7075.
>      3003  is another flaky alloy...
> ranging from K-1  to K-14  for hardness.  K-1 is only 6 ksi.   You can get 
> 50'  rolls of AL tubing.   F-12 uses it for their
> hair pin match's... it's like spaghetti.
>    
You can purchase that at your local hardware store. Getting it straight 
is something else.

73

Roger (K8RI)
> Jim   VE7RF
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