UFO & G60

[Dan Cordon]

So far, my car doesn't seem to have any strut tears.

My car had G60's put on fairly early in its life. It spent about 8 years 
in Missouri, then 3 years in Montana, a year in Tennessee, and has been 
in Idaho the last two years.

However, in the last two years, it's seen frequent trips down a few 
miles of washboarded gravel roads. That's got to be like 10 years of 
potholes right?

I can't imagine the brakes making much difference in the strut cracking 
though. The main difference the tower would see would come from unsprung 
mass. Never having had UFO's, I can't comment on if one is significantly 
heavier than the other. But my gut instinct would be to say no.

Any airplane experts on the list? They would know much about crack 
propagation in sheets. (I believe fatigue is usually a big factor.) But 
they would also have helpful hints on how to fix it.

-- 
Dan Cordon
Mechanical Engineer - Engine Research Facility
University of Idaho