Hi,
My shock eyelet bolt was rounded on my shock eyelet bolt on my trance X.
I got someone to drill the bolt out and as they’ve done it towards the end by the thread the drill has shifted. This has cause a nice 3mm hole above where the thread is.
Is that my pivot arm written off now?
Could I put some liquid metal in and forget, or is it a serious stress point?
Lesson learned is go the LBS!!
I found hammering in a larger Torx bit gave me enough purchase to turn the thread out. Sadly that wont help you now but for anyone reading with a similar problem try that!!!
How far into the threaded hole did the drill stay central before it shifted off course?
On the one hand the shock is pushing towards the weakend side of the mount, on the other hand circles tend not to crack, so if it lasts the first few rides it’s probably OK.
Not sure whether liquid metal would work or not, whatever you used would have to be stiffer than the surrouding aluminium. Tthe porper way to do it would be to thread the new 3mm hole, insert a steel theaded rod in and grind off the ends, then drill out the original eyelet and re thread it. That’s going to be hard though as the drills going to want to slide away from the steel rod (and into the aluminium) as it’s harder than the aluminium.
An even better way would be to go cap in hand to Giant and ask if they’ll sell you a new one from warrenty stock?
I’m not an engineer but by some of the comments preceded by ‘I’m an engineer’ I’ve heard and read, that sometimes doesn’t mean a lot! )
If the direction of shock force under compression is in line with the hole, as it looks to be, I think it’ll crack between the eyelet hole and the drilled hole and open out the eyelet sooner or later. Metal filler may help if prepped properly, I don’t know how effective it’ll be in supporting the eyelet against opening out – I’d say it’s terminal from that pic.
One thing you could try / consider as well as metal filler for the hole is to bond a steel bush inside the hole to reduce the stress on the eyelet next to the hole, and fit a bolt that works with the bush, you may need to step the bolt down in the bushed area but that itself may be a stress point that fails under shear force.
whatever you used would have to be stiffer than the surrouding aluminium.
I’m don’t think this is a good idea, better to put aluminium in the hole. Dissimilar compliance leads to stress concentrations.
If you are going to put steel anywhere then in the eyelet hole would be the place.
If you have access to the tools a good ish idea might be to mill out the eyelet to a much larger dia to include the new hole and then thread, bond a steel insert into the big hole and drill & thread that.
If you have access to the tools a good ish idea might be to mill out the eyelet to a much larger dia to include the new hole and then thread, bond a steel insert into the big hole and drill & thread that.
That’s a good ides, but I’d ask Giant first if you can just buy one, it’ll be a lot cheeper.
“If you have access to the tools a good ish idea might be to mill out the eyelet to a much larger dia to include the new hole and then thread, bond a steel insert into the big hole and drill & thread that.”
That’s a good ides, but I’d ask Giant first if you can just buy one, it’ll be a lot cheeper.
It won’t add a lot of strength back in – just remove stress risers and even out the loads
There is no way the Drill ‘Started off straight’ and went off at that angle! Thats an impressive **** up! Sorry not helpfull.
Possible to have someone fill it via Ali welding? I.E just pool a load of ali weld in there. Then re thread?
Honestly buy another. Like someone said if it would withstand forces as it is. The manufacturers would drill holes like that to save weight. As they don’t and they haven’t i would assume it’s unsafe.
If it was a friend who did it for you, slap him and tell him to buy you some beers! Lots of it!
If it wasn’t a friend get them to buy a new one for cocking up.
Woah lots of responses!!! I have rang Giant to tug on their heart strings and they are being very helpful. I am waiting out to see if I need to buy a new one or not.
I just dun a friday afternoon spesh as I thought this was interesting, unit load in the y direction, from bottom to top, no fill, alu filler, steel filler, and finally steel big insert. I have hidden the filler in the 2nd and third models to show the diff between the strains around the two holes.
Its a bit bollocks as they are bonded together so the alu fill model might as well just be the original unadulterated item. There are a few other holes in this model too but its just to illustrate.
Results are strain.
Worst is no fill, best is big steel insert. Although this does not account for the fact that the bonded interface between the inserts and the parent part will likely be the failure . I have to actually get back to work now.
Edit last pic show the holes filled ina nd you can see the diff between the steel fill (top) and the alu fill (middle)
The problem with bolt extractors is they’re had as f***, and consequently brittle, get it ever so slightly wrong and you end up with an aluminum part, with a steel bolt in it, with a hardened steel extractor in that, good luck drilling that mess out afterwards!
thisisnotaspoon – I fully agree! In this situation the Bolt i belive was not stuck but just rounded. but in any case with an exctractor i would get some WD or similar down the thread incase it has seized at all.
But yeah i agree, there not Great, but there good enough if your gentle with them.
WOW!!!! Giant strike again!! They are sending me a set of rocker plates that they had kicking about there warehouse. Ok they may be white (mine are black and my bike is silver) but at least I have them.
What a company!
Toys – my thought was as you would be reducing the amount of alloy in the piece then it would be weaker – does your analysis consider it as one piece not two stuck together?
My thought would be the alloy would deform around the steel bush as there would not be much of it
best is big steel insert. Although this does not account for the fact that the bonded interface between the inserts and the parent part will likely be the failure . I have to actually get back to work now.
Andyl that would be correct if the bolt had a head on one end and a nut on the other, but on the trances I have seen it threads directly into one side (and I have assumed its the side we are lookign at, in which case the load is shared between the threaded area of the flange and the inner face in contact with the bush. But given that the dia of the bush face will fall inside/onto the “extra hole”, when the load is transferred to the flange the extra hole will make a difference. Might need to draw this…