threaded a-arms

[the weldmeister]

would it be a good idea to internally thread a-arms to fit male rod ends directly?

the a-arms we'll be using will be 16mm OD, 4mm thick.

we're using m10 (3/8") thread rod ends.

[the weldmeister]

would it be a good idea to internally thread a-arms to fit male rod ends directly?

the a-arms we'll be using will be 16mm OD, 4mm thick.

we're using m10 (3/8") thread rod ends.

[JHarshbarger]

We internally thread our a-arms with rod ends for the inboard connections, but we use spherical joints for the outboard/upright joints. This is pretty common for most FSAE teams.

4mm thickness is pretty thick. We use 1/2" x .065 for the bottom a-arms and 1/2" .049 for the top a-arms since the bottom a-arms carries most of the stress and the top a-arm is mostly a guide.

Those rod ends seem about right, just don't get cheap on rod ends. Go with Aurora rod ends.

[the weldmeister]

right... we're using sphericals outboard too.
i'm thinking of having a solid plate with a hole for the bearing, sleeved from the upper end, and circlipped from the lower end to keep it in place. Maybe some loctite too.

i'll now have to figure out what's the best way to weld the housing plate to the a-arm tubes. Carrol Smith reckons putting welds in shear rather than tension. Makes logical sense.