Aluminium or steel?

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Rorie

Active Member
Posts
641
Evening all,

A few questions related to the same thing...

1) I assume you can get chequer plate in aluminium AND steel? Whats the best way (other than weight) to work out what material is is?

2) If i put chequer plate on my disco bonnet, i guess it should be the same material as the bonnet to avoid bimetallic corrosion. If so, what is the bonnet made of?

3) I am going to line the boot (walls up to the windows, wheel arches and floor) with chequer plate. If the stuff i have is aluminium, whats the best way to isolate it from the steel?

4) I have a replacement boot floor like this. By the light weight nature of it, i assume its aluminium? So i guess there needs to be a good isolation to the rest of the floor thats all steel? http://www.yrm-metal-solutions.co.uk...2/Products/189
 
Never seen steel checkerplate on land rovers as external panels are aluminium including your bonnet but your boot floor would be steel cos it's designed to be welded in place
 
Great thanks. I'll use aluminium for the bonnet.

But some plate i have here is pretty heavy, hence i think its steel! My boot floor (linked above) was riveted into place.... i guess it helps for future removal, but it is really light weight!

I have looked up various places that sell the boot floor, but nobody states the material...
 
so you need some sort of clever miracle instrument that can tell you if a piece of unidentified metal is steel or aluminium? I've heard of this before. I believe it's known as a magnet.
 
In answer to question 4, you say you have a boot floor that's light and possibly aluminium? But you have 'the rest of it'. Does that mean the original, rotting, remains of the steel boot floor are still there? And somebody has just thrown s sheet of Ali chequer plate on top?
Also, steel chequer plate is usually found on dump trucks, staircases, and generally heavy stuff that doesn't really move or go far. If you did all that work in steel chequer plate, you may exceed the weight limit of your driving licence!
 
Oh yeh, that is true, but am i right in saying that stainless steel is not magnetic? And with the chequer plate having a shine to it, i assume it will be stainless or aluminium, rather than carbon steel which is magnetic as you note.
 
Depends on the quality of the stainless. There's a lot of crap about, bolts from screwfix etc. I come across some at work sometimes of really poor quality and sometimes you can feel a slight draw. Besides, stainless chequer plate would cost a fortune so it's highly unlikely.
 
Sorry, perhaps i am confusing maters.

I want to chequer plate the bonnet, so waned to make sure the chequer plate i have is aluminium and not steel (or stainless) to avoid corrosion (and weight as pointed out).

The second issue is the boot. The floor around the arches is steel (all welded up). The new boot floor (linked) then sits on the angle sections as standard. But the angles were rotten so i have just replaced it. With the rot and the floor being so light weight, i was wondering if it was actually aluminium.

Final thing is lining the walls and floor with checker plate (as all the interior trim has been ripped out and looks pretty poor). So yes, i should do that in aluminium for weight, but how do i effectively isolate this form the steel? Just mastic?
 
Discokids said:
Depends on the quality of the stainless. There's a lot of crap about, bolts from screwfix etc. I come across some at work sometimes of really poor quality and sometimes you can feel a slight draw. Besides, stainless chequer plate would cost a fortune so it's highly unlikely.
Click to expand...
there are 5 different grades of SS

How many types of stainless steel are there?
Stainless steel is usually divided into 5 types:

  1. Ferritic – These steels are based on Chromium with small amounts of Carbon usually less than 0.10%. These steels have a similar microstructure to carbon and low alloy steels. They are usually limited in use to relatively thin sections due to lack of toughness in welds. However, where welding is not required they offer a wide range of applications. They cannot be hardened by heat treatment. High Chromium steels with additions of Molybdenum can be used in quite aggressive conditions such as sea water. Ferritic steels are also chosen for their resistance to stress corrosion cracking. They are not as formable as austenitic stainless steels. They are magnetic.
  2. Austenitic - These steels are the most common. Their microstructure is derived from the addition of Nickel, Manganese and Nitrogen. It is the same structure as occurs in ordinary steels at much higher temperatures. This structure gives these steels their characteristic combination of weldability and formability. Corrosion resistance can be enhanced by adding Chromium, Molybdenum and Nitrogen. They cannot be hardened by heat treatment but have the useful property of being able to be work hardened to high strength levels whilst retaining a useful level of ductility and toughness. Standard austenitic steels are vulnerable to stress corrosion cracking. Higher nickel austenitic steels have increased resistance to stress corrosion cracking. They are nominally non-magnetic but usually exhibit some magnetic response depending on the composition and the work hardening of the steel.
  3. Martensitic - These steels are similar to ferritic steels in being based on Chromium but have higher Carbon levels up as high as 1%. This allows them to be hardened and tempered much like carbon and low-alloy steels. They are used where high strength and moderate corrosion resistance is required. They are more common in long products than in sheet and plate form. They have generally low weldability and formability. They are magnetic.
  4. Duplex - These steels have a microstructure which is approximately 50% ferritic and 50% austenitic. This gives them a higher strength than either ferritic or austenitic steels. They are resistant to stress corrosion cracking. So called “lean duplex” steels are formulated to have comparable corrosion resistance to standard austenitic steels but with enhanced strength and resistance to stress corrosion cracking. “Superduplex” steels have enhanced strength and resistance to all forms of corrosion compared to standard austenitic steels. They are weldable but need care in selection of welding consumables and heat input. They have moderate formability. They are magnetic but not so much as the ferritic, martensitic and PH grades due to the 50% austenitic phase.
  5. Precipitation hardening (PH) - These steels can develop very high strength by adding elements such as Copper, Niobium and Aluminium to the steel. With a suitable “aging” heat treatment, very fine particles form in the matrix of the steel which imparts strength. These steels can be machined to quite intricate shapes requiring good tolerances before the final aging treatment as there is minimal distortion from the final treatment. This is in contrast to conventional hardening and tempering in martensitic steels where distortion is more of a problem. Corrosion resistance is comparable to standard austenitic steels like 1.4301 (304).
 
haha ok. So i got the trusty magnet out and checked the boot floor, and its magnetic, so i guess its just thin steel giving it minimal weight.

So the only remaining question is if i deck out the back in aluminium checker plate, whats the best way to isolate it from the steel?
 
That said, if i can make it out of just one sheet of Steel chequer plate, thats just 45kg of weight (assuming 2mm thick) i'm adding. Not that much more than my fat dog being in the back of the car haha
 
Rorie said:
Evening all,

A few questions related to the same thing...

1) I assume you can get chequer plate in aluminium AND steel? Whats the best way (other than weight) to work out what material is is?

2) If i put chequer plate on my disco bonnet, i guess it should be the same material as the bonnet to avoid bimetallic corrosion. If so, what is the bonnet made of?

3) I am going to line the boot (walls up to the windows, wheel arches and floor) with chequer plate. If the stuff i have is aluminium, whats the best way to isolate it from the steel?

4) I have a replacement boot floor like this. By the light weight nature of it, i assume its aluminium? So i guess there needs to be a good isolation to the rest of the floor thats all steel? http://www.yrm-metal-solutions.co.uk...2/Products/189
Click to expand...
1. Magnets
2. It is always possible that I'm wrong, even about my own name, but as far as I know all bodywork on a Disco is steel (or plastic).
3. Grommets. Sealant might do it, but coat thoroughly. There are various grades of steel chequerplate.
4. It's just really thin steel. That's why it rots out so bad.
 
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