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AA AT 4 Document Information:
Title
Practices for the Repair of Automotive Sheet Aluminum
The Aluminum Association Inc.
Publication Date:
Jan 1, 1998
Scope:
One of the inevitable consequences of the use of automobiles is that
from time to time accidents
will cause damage to a vehicle's body. Knowing how to appraise and
repair collision damage
correctly is a major responsibility of the collision repair industry.
Over the years, as new
materials have been introduced to the car body, repair procedures have
been developed and accepted
by the collision repair industry. Examples include FRP body panels and
high strength steels.
Aluminum is taking its place as an accepted body panel and structural
material and it is the
purpose of this publication to high-light those practices that may be
used for effective repair of
aluminum by describing some of the features of aluminum that are
important for repair. This guide
will not teach repair. For an introduction to that we, The Aluminum
Association, recommend the
course "Aluminum Alloy Repair, Replacement, and Welding" offered by
I-CAR. All repair personnel
should also seek hands on training to develop proficiency.
Steel has been the dominant material for vehicle bodies and to this
point most repair practices
have focused on it. In many respects practices for aluminum repairs
are similar to those for steel
but there are important distinctions to be made. Often the
similarities lead to a choice of
practices and this publication will focus on those preferred by the
aluminum industry. There is
sometimes a temptation to "make do" with borrowed practices and while
we recognize that sometimes
this works, it is always better to use practices specific to aluminum.
Since large scale use of aluminum in vehicles is relatively new there
is a tendency to assume that
it is more difficult to use, both in manufacture and repair. Auto
manufacturers are coming to
realize that aluminum is practical and economical to manufacture and
that the same will be true of
repair. There is a certain amount of art to metal working and it
requires experience to perfect
that art. The aluminum industry has an informal motto that working
aluminum is "different, not
difficult" and it is hoped this publication will help show the
accuracy of that statement.
The Aluminum Association acknowledges the pioneering work in
developing repair techniques done by
the auto manufacturers, the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Repair
(I-CAR)(Footnote *), and many
others from the auto insurance and repair equipment supply industries.
In the preparation of this
guide, much of the material has also been drawn from other related
Aluminum Association
publications.
Footnote * - I-CAR can de contacted at:
3701 Algonguin Rd.
Suite 400
Rolling Meadows, IL 60008
1/800-ICAR-USA-T
1/800-590-1215-F
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