Foam-Filled Frame.
04-29-11, 06:51 AM
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Foam-Filled Frame.
Recently I built a machine with a gigantic-tubed aluminum frame. The increased noisiness was getting me a bit out of joint, so I packed the downtube with pieces of light rubber foam shoved in through the headtube. Sealed it at both ends so it couldnt get waterlogged. It helped a great deal. Much less racket from all sources.
Didnt want to use Great Stuff or anything like that. Messy and irreversible.
Anyone have experience with something like this?
Didnt want to use Great Stuff or anything like that. Messy and irreversible.
Anyone have experience with something like this?
04-29-11, 08:40 AM
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You Know!? For Kids!
Never done it, but sounds okay I guess. Wonder if in the future, you could use an air compressor and rig some sort of blowing device to blow home insulation in there?
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04-29-11, 12:05 PM
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My Bianchi frame says it has structural foam in it. Whatever that is.
04-29-11, 06:46 PM
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Never did it to quiet an entire frame but the older bonded Aluminum frame Treks (1100, 1200, 1400 series) that ran the rear brake housing inside the top tube used to rattle like mad on rough roads. A few pieces of soft plastic foam jammed into the toptube worked well to stop the rattle.
04-30-11, 06:02 AM
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04-30-11, 07:30 AM
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Does anyone know if it really adds any real strength to the assembly, or does 'structural' just mean they can't figure out how to get it out of there so they will pretend it helps?
On reflection, if the foam helps to keep the tubes from collapsing, that would let them make the walls a bit thinner.
04-30-11, 11:32 AM
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Skis and snowboards often have foam cores... I think they are just to prevent them from collapsing, and as the ski flexes under the skier, the top and bottom go into compression and tension respectively.
My experience has been that wood core skis are stronger (seen a lot more foam core skis broken than wood core), but the foam core are generally acceptable.
My experience has been that wood core skis are stronger (seen a lot more foam core skis broken than wood core), but the foam core are generally acceptable.
