On Thu, 25 Jun 1998, Allen Nugent wrote:
> BTW, a friend of mine reckons copper brake lines will work-harden and
> fatigue, due to vibration, and that I should stick with the factory steel
> ones. Any comments from the Listers?
In an ideal situation the copper won't vibrate; and thus, can't work
harden. As the entire hose is moving as the car moves (unless you have
LOTS of chassis/body flex), there's no way the metal can fatigue.
I think they'd be more prone to hardening if exposed to heat. Copper
works differently than steel; it gets brittle if, after heating, it cools
slowly; to anneal copper, heat it up and quench it in water (cool
quickly).
I've never heard of a copper hose actually breaking. We don't see them
much around here though. Perhaps they snap when exposed to too much heat
(braking heat?) for extended periods.
A few thoughts,
-Malcolm
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