Hi all.I'm working on a project which requires about 3 steel pipes at 25mm in diametre and about a foot each in length.The qualities I need with the steel is that:1. I need it to be easy enough to weld together2. I need to be able to drill holes through them with a basic drill (I could buy different bits, that's fine)3. I need the steel to be able to take short intense repeated bursts of strain through said holes4. The lighter the steel the better5. Could I please have a ballpark figure for price. I can't imagine such a small amount of steel would cost too muchThank you in advance for your replyRegardsSean
Call the steel pipe company or check their website
Sprinkler pipe or black pipe. Designed for fire suppression systems, it is often used for coping on skateboard and BMX fixtures. Not sure of the price, you could probably pick up some scrap from a plumbing supply house or a sprinkler installer. Can't imagine the cost to be more than $10
I do not understand what is meant by, ...repeated bursts of strain through said holes, but I would think that standard a pipe for home plumbing would do. In my vicinity, and I practice own home plumbing, I buy a whole pipe 6 meters long for about the equivalent of $(20-15). A local plumber might give you the short pieces you after for free.
For a structural product you want tubing instead of pipe. ERW (Electric resistance welded) steel tubing is generally a fairly good compromise between cost and strength. They are available in various wall thicknesses for either lighter weight or greater strength. DOM (dimensioned over mandrel) tubing generally uses a stronger steel allow and is more dimensionally uniform but the cost is much higher. These products are probably available at a local steel supplier. They are both mild steel so they can be arc welded or brazed with ease. Strength of these steel alloys is generally about 70,000 psi so you need to analyze the specific applied stress over the specific surface area to determine what wall thickness you need. If you are applying tension or compression to pins in holes in the tubing, you could braze in hardened steel bushings. You would bore a larger hole in the tubing in which to insert the bushing. Bushings would distribute the force over a significantly larger surface area and the holes will not tend to elongate.
