Half Shaft

[Steve Jones]

I imagine that it could be recovered somehow. Most things can be these days with sufficient time, effort and money. Loctite probably have an exotic adhesive used to glue engines to space shuttles or whatever that would do the job. The more relevant question is why would you bother? Maybe I'm biased but a long time ago, I had one of these shafts that failed within 15 miles. The thought of driving round having had an exotic repair but waiting for it to fail isn't something I'd relish given that new, one piece, half shafts are readily available as very much a fit and forget option. Somebody had the idea that this 'repair' might work. It didn't. The best plan is to weigh them all in and put it down to experience.

Steve

[Charles P]

I imagine that it could be recovered somehow. Most things can be these days with sufficient time, effort and money. Loctite probably have an exotic adhesive used to glue engines to space shuttles or whatever that would do the job. The more relevant question is why would you bother? Maybe I'm biased but a long time ago, I had one of these shafts that failed within 15 miles. The thought of driving round having had an exotic repair but waiting for it to fail isn't something I'd relish given that new, one piece, half shafts are readily available as very much a fit and forget option. Somebody had the idea that this 'repair' might work. It didn't. The best plan is to weigh them all in and put it down to experience.

Steve

Aside from the academic interest of welding one, I'm very much with you. 
Austin rear axles are best served by being put together properly, with perfect parts and bearings and then left alone.

[Hugh Sammons]

.I have been in touch with the supplier and replacements will be forthcoming next week.
It would appear that the broken shafts may well have, originally, been made for a supplier who is no longer with us.
If you look carefully at the unbroken half Shaft you can see some file marks at exactly the same distance from the end as the broken one.
Many thanks for all the most interesting comments.
Hugh    

[Greig Smith]

We have a welded side shaft in the offset supercharged single seater, it was done by an extremely talented engineering friend of mine and comprehensively tested post welding by me who followed his directive to the letter: "Go and do some fast starts and to try and break it during testing before you take it to the hill climb...." Needless to say I'm conscious of it & a little gentle off the line, but once the wheels are moving, it's foot flat all the way.

He machined the 2 cut ends to a taper and then proceeded to TIG weld the taper back up to size again thus ensuring full penetration of the weld.

I wonder if yours might be a candidate for friction welding ?? Of course it may just be easier to source another side shaft...

Aye
Greig

[Bob Culver]

I appreciate that axles for all sorts of cars have been welded forever. Yet all the good books emphasise the problems of welding higher carbon stressed steels. There is more to it than running layers of common mild steel bead around.
There seems considerable scope for removing the gears, boring and very tight pressing onto a new shaft, and welding the outer end. Dunno if anyone has had success with this. Perhaps it softens the gears too much, or the press fit relaxes.
It is curious that over stressed parts subsequently better resist fatigue, hence the advice. i understand the life of road springs is greatly increased by initial scragging. The endurance tests on the original test Comet appeared satisfactoy because of initial over stressing of the prototype.

[Stuart Giles]

The way the spigot is machined precludes recovery using those two pieces. You'd need full penetration in both halves and that's not possible with that join. The outer, tapered part is too thin. 

Just my opinion.

This - friction welding requires a butt joint. These people have done this work many times on halfshafts for 1/4 mile cars. Not heard of a breakage as yet. http://www.cpsdrivelink.co.uk/ usual disclaimer applies.

[Tony Betts]

Hi hugh,

Must apologies for supplying these.

Needless to say I hadn't known these problems were out there with A7S halfshafts.

It was only brought to my attention late last year.

As you suggested collecting replacements, you are more than welcome.

I've sorted out two original austin unused old stock halfshafts for you. They are still in there protective greased cloth packing. 1A numbered. And Rockwell tested.

I'm a little late to this thread, as I've been struggling to upload pictures. I'll try on another tablet tomorrow.

And of course nothing disrupts the footie.

especially when we are dumping spurs out of the cup. "LETS BE AVIN YOU"

thank you, tony.

[Hugh Sammons]

Many thanks, that's brilliant. I will give you a ring to arrange a convenient time for both of us.