I-Aluminiyam ikhona kuyo yonke indawo apho kufuneka khona nokuba sisakhiwo esikhaphukhaphu okanye ubushushu obuphezulu kunye nombane. I-sportbike eqhelekileyo ine-aluminium cylinder block, intloko, kunye nee-crankcases, kunye ne-chassis ye-aluminium edibeneyo kunye ne-swingarm. Ngaphakathi kwenjini, ukusetyenziswa kwe-aluminium okubalulekileyo zii-pistons zayo, ezithi ngokuqhuba ubushushu kakuhle zikwazi ukusinda kubushushu bokutsha obungaphezulu kakhulu kwendawo yazo yokunyibilika. Amavili, ii-radiator ze-coolant kunye ne-oyile, ii-hand levers kunye neebrackets zazo, ii-head and (rhoqo) fork crowns ze-fork, ii-upper fork tubes (kwii-USD forks), ii-brake calipers, kunye nee-master cylinders nazo ziyi-aluminium.

Sonke sijonge ngombulelo itshasi yealuminiyam enemicu efana nenqwaba yeetships zepoker eziwileyo. Ezinye zezi chassis kunye neengalo zeswingarm, ezifana nezo zabakhweli be-Aprilia ababaleka ii-stroke ezimbini ezingama-250, ziyimisebenzi yobugcisa emihle.

I-Aluminium inokusetyenziswa njenge-alloy kwaye ifudunyezwe ngobushushu ukuze ibe namandla angaphezu kwentsimbi ethambileyo (60,000 psi tensile), kodwa uninzi lwee-alloy zisebenza ngokukhawuleza nangokulula. I-Aluminium inokuphoswa, yenziwe ngesinyithi, okanye ikhutshwe (yile ndlela eyenziwa ngayo ezinye ii-chassis side beams). Ukuqhuba kwe-Aluminium ngobushushu obuphezulu kwenza ukuba i-welding yayo ifune i-amperage eninzi, kwaye isinyithi esishushu kufuneka sikhuselwe kwi-oxygen esemoyeni ngokukhusela igesi engangenisi mandla (TIG okanye heli-arc).

Nangona i-aluminium ifuna umbane omninzi ukuze ifumane i-bauxite ore yayo, xa sele ikhona kwimo yesinyithi, ayibizi kakhulu ukuyiphinda isetyenziswe kwaye ayilahleki ngenxa yokugqwala, njengoko inokuba njalo ngentsimbi.

Abenzi bokuqala beenjini zeemotokesi bakhawuleza bamkela isinyithi esitsha ngelo xesha kwii-crankcases, ebekuya kufuneka ukuba sibe senziwe ngentsimbi ephoswe ngobunzima obuphindwe kathathu. I-aluminium ecocekileyo ithambile kakhulu—ndiyakhumbula umsindo kamama xa utata esebenzisa i-1,100-alloy double-boiler yakhe njenge-BB trap eyenziwe ngobuchule: Izantsi layo laba yimfumba yee-dimples.

Amandla akhulayo e-alloy elula enobhedu afunyanwa ngokukhawuleza, kwaye yayiyi-alloy enjalo eyasetyenziswa nguWo Bentley, uvulindlela wemoto, kwiipiston zakhe ze-aluminium zovavanyo zangaphambi kweMfazwe Yehlabathi I. Kuvavanyo olulandelelanayo nxamnye neepiston zentsimbi ezazikho ngelo xesha, iipiston ze-aluminium zokuqala zeBentley zonyusa amandla ngoko nangoko. Zazipholile, zafudumeza umxube we-fuel-air ongenayo kancinci, kwaye zagcina uxinano olukhulu. Namhlanje, iipiston ze-aluminium zisetyenziswa kakhulu kwiinjini zeemoto nezeemoto.

Ngaphambi kokuba kufike inqwelo-moya yeBoeing ene-carbon-fiber eqinisiweyo yeplastiki eyi-787, yayiyinto eqhelekileyo kwiinqwelo-moya ukuba phantse ubunzima benqwelo-moya nganye engenanto yayiyi-aluminium engama-60 ekhulwini. Xa sijonga ubunzima kunye namandla e-aluminium kunye nentsimbi, oku ekuqaleni kubonakala kungaqhelekanga. Ewe, i-aluminium inobunzima obuyi-35 ekhulwini kuphela kunentsimbi, ubukhulu nobukhulu, kodwa iintsimbi ezinamandla aphezulu zinamandla ngokuphindwe kathathu kunee-aluminium ezinamandla aphezulu. Kutheni ungakhi iinqwelo-moya ngentsimbi ebhityileyo?

Kwaba kukumelana nokugoba kwezakhiwo ezifanayo ze-aluminiyam kunye nentsimbi. Ukuba siqala ngeetyhubhu ze-aluminiyam kunye nentsimbi ezinobunzima obufanayo ngenyawo, size sinciphise ubukhulu bodonga, ityhubhu yentsimbi iyaqhobosha kuqala kuba izinto zayo, ekubeni zinkulu kunezinye ezintathu njenge-aluminiyam, azinamandla okuzixhasa.

Ngeminyaka yoo-1970, bendisebenza noFrank Camillieri, umakhi wefreyimu. Xa ndambuza ukuba kutheni singasebenzisi iityhubhu zentsimbi ezinkulu zodonga oluncinci ukwenza iifreyimu ezikhaphukhaphu neziqinileyo, wathi, “Xa usenza loo nto, ufumanisa ukuba kufuneka wongeze izinto ezininzi kwizinto ezifana nee-injini ukuze zingaqhekeki, ukuze ukonga ubunzima kuphele.”

IKawasaki yaqala ukusebenzisa izixhobo ze-aluminium swingarms kwiibhayisekile zayo ze-MX zomzi-mveliso ekuqaleni kweminyaka yoo-1970; ezinye zalandela. Emva koko ngo-1980, iYamaha yabeka uKenny Roberts kwibhayisekile ye-GP ye-500 ene-stroke ezimbini enesakhelo esenziwe ngetyhubhu ye-aluminium ekhutshwe kwisikwere. Kwakufuneka uvavanyo oluninzi loyilo, kodwa ekugqibeleni, kusetyenziswa izimvo zonjineli waseSpain u-Antonio Cobas, izakhelo zomdyarho wendlela we-GP weYamaha zaguquka zaba yimisebe ye-aluminium emikhulu emibini eqhelekileyo yanamhlanje.

Ngokuqinisekileyo kukho ezinye iintlobo ze-chassis eziphumelelayo—i-“trellis” yentsimbi kaDucati enye yazo, kunye ne-chassis ye-carbon-fiber kaJohn Britten “yesikhumba namathambo” yasekuqaleni kweminyaka yoo-1990. Kodwa i-chassis ye-aluminium beam ezimbini iye yaba yeyona iphambili namhlanje. Ndiqinisekile ukuba i-chassis esebenzayo inokwenziwa nge-plywood ebunjiweyo, ukuba nje ineendawo eziqinileyo zokubholita kunye ne-geometry eqhelekileyo eqinisekisiweyo.

Omnye umahluko obalulekileyo phakathi kwentsimbi kunye ne-aluminiyam kukuba intsimbi inezinto ezibizwa ngokuba ngumda wokudinwa: inqanaba loxinzelelo lokusebenza elingaphantsi apho ubomi benxalenye bungenamda. Uninzi lwee-alloy ze-aluminiyam azinamda wokudinwa, yiyo loo nto ii-airframes ze-aluminiyam "ziphila" ixesha elicwangcisiweyo lokusetyenziswa kweeyure. Ngaphantsi kwalo mda, intsimbi iyasixolela iziphoso zethu, kodwa i-aluminiyam ikhumbula zonke izithuko ngendlela yomonakalo ongabonakaliyo wokudinwa kwangaphakathi.

Itshasi entle ye-GP yeminyaka yoo-1990 yayingenakuze ibe sisiseko semveliso enkulu. Ezo chassis zazineziqwenga ezidityanisiweyo kunye ngezinto ezenziwe ngomatshini, ezicinezelweyo, nezibunjiweyo. Ayisiyonto inzima nje kuphela, kodwa ifuna ukuba zonke ii-alloys ezintathu zikwazi ukudityaniswa. Ukuwelda kubiza imali nexesha, nokuba kwenziwa ziirobhothi zemveliso.

Itekhnoloji eye yenza ukuba iinjini zanamhlanje ezine-stroke ezine zibe lula kunye ne-cast chassis zibe nokwenzeka ziindlela zokuzalisa i-mold ezi-low-turbulence ezingafaki iifilimu ze-aluminium oxide ezivelela ngoko nangoko kwi-aluminium enyibilikisiweyo. Ezi filimu zenza iindawo zobuthathaka kwisinyithi, ngaphambili, ezazifuna ukuba i-castings ibe nkulu kakhulu ukuze kufumaneke amandla aneleyo. Iindawo ze-cast ezivela kwezi nkqubo zintsha zinokuba nzima kakhulu, kodwa i-aluminium chassis yanamhlanje inokuhlanganiswa ngee-welds ezibalwa ngesandla esinye. Kuqikelelwa ukuba iindlela ezintsha ze-castings zigcina ubunzima obuziikhilogram ezingama-30 nangaphezulu kwiimoto zemveliso.

Kunye neentlobo ngeentlobo zeentsimbi, i-aluminium yinxalenye ebalulekileyo yempucuko yoluntu, kodwa ingaphezulu koko kwiibhayisekile zanamhlanje. Yinto ebalulekileyo kwibhayisekile, efumaneka kuyo yonke indawo kangangokuba asiyiboni okanye siqaphele ukuba ingakanani na intsebenzo yomatshini esiyifumeneyo ngenxa yayo.