O ring question - gimme a reply stillwater

I recntly went shopping for an o ring for an axle setup. Lowe's had nothing worth getting so I went down to the trusty Tractor Supply store. That place is like a man's Wal-Mart, everything from boots to dune buggys. I had a choice of two o rings, brass or steel. Common sense and my knowledge of some metal work and welding told me that steel would be stronger. But the products said differently. The brass ring had more than twice the working load limit as the steel one:confused:.

I bought the brass, and have been second guessing myself ever since. I have been checking all of the hardware daily and everything seems to be fin right now. What do you guys think??

 

Whats the diameter of the material, not the diameter of the ring itself?

 

it looks to about 3/16th to 1/4" max.

I know I said that I thought steel was stronger than brass, but now that I think about it, the brass could be stronger just softer and easier to bend right?? Correct me if I'm wrong stillwater, you seem to be the authority when it comes to equipment. As soon as I'm done with my permant yard and enclosure setup I'm gonna have to give you a call and get some of those mack daddy supplies I just saw on your site. I love those old pics you have as your background on your pages. Who are the dogs and folks on there??

 

Comercial grades of brass are very corrosive resistant, and have a high level of hardness due to zinc content, but have relativly low tensile strength as compared to a low carbon steel such as A36 grade, and brass is notorious for breaking because of brittleness which is a result of low ductility/elasticity. Its most commonly seen when brass becomes cold.

There really is no need for corrosive resistance, and same level of hardness, can be achieved using a zinc plated, low carbon steel alloy, without compramising tensile strength and ductility/elasticity.

Hope this helps

 

You really know your stuff stillwater. Thanks alot for the reply. I'm gonna move the axle to a different location sometime soon.She got into my wife's shrubs and had a party in the red cypress mulch:eek:.Needless to say, my wife is pissed. So I'm gonna get a better o-ring.