New metals, cheap Superalloys

[Irvine.J]

As some of you know I've been making my pulsejets/ ramjets from a wonderous metal called Zincanneal. Originally I thought it was Zincalum, but I went to the metal place today and spoke with the same guy who gave me the last stuff, and he said no its ZINCANNEAL and better then the Zincalum for my applications. Basically, Its DESIGNED to be easily formed, but its still can take major tensile pressure, is corrosion resistant, and has good heat resistant properties. Here are some documents I found on it. I can't rate this stuff highly enough for prototype engines for testing...why?
3 reasons.

1- A standard mild steel welder works excellently on it, which is cheap mig wire, cheap tig rods, or a simple coathanger for mild steel oxy-acet welding :D

2- Its very easy to form and seems to really take the heat well. I've run my little ramjet alot now, and it sure has held up a *pooload* better then the .5mm mild steel I was using. It isn't soft, it hasn't corroded, its as strong as when I first built the thing. But first and formost, formability with the 1.15mm which I'm using, is just excellent.

3- ITS CHEAP!!! I just bought for $12US (or about) Two sheets 1500mmx 900mm! Enough to make darn near 7 or 8 pj's. It really does last well, won't rust whilst sitting in the corner either, also, I can easily use the tinsnips on it, even at 1.15mm. It is also a fair bit lighter then if it was 1.15mm straight mild steel. i'm not sure if I'm using the GS2 or GS3, but the guy said they use it in cars a fair bit, and it wont rust for years.

Anyway, its still an interesting read to see whats out there. I recommend it if your building a prototype to see if it works before investing in all SS parts and welding rods.
Cheers.

[Irvine.J]

Stick to the 1mm or the .95mm, 1.15 is chit hard to bend, and it getting to me. Atleast, zincanneal looks nicer and atleast doesn't rust like mild steel when it gets hot, wont flake either.

[Mike Everman]

So, but aren't you getting fumes off of the zinc when red hot?

[Irvine.J]

Well thats the thing, I've never seen, smelled, or noticed any deformation on the outside at all. On the inside, I think the zinc tends to turn into small balls of molten HE metal and get shot out like tiny bullets at high velocity. Looks great at night... But for one reason or another it doesn't seem to heat up too exorbinantly on the outside, all of the coating is still on the tail of my ramjet though its been run for 10/20 minute intervals, but you can see where its been loosing the coating on the inside... maybe its just a matter of time.

Either way its some pretty wierd stuff, I've got some "Cold Rolled" 1mm steel here, interesting enough I have a feeling that the zincanneal might be slightly harder to bend now, interesting. When it gets hot you don't seem to get the colour darkening like you would with mild steel.

I guess the best thing about it is it wont rust while your trying to figure out what to do with it.