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Compare Rivets, Welding
and TruckAds® Frame Adhesive
A trailer manufacturer evaluated
various fastening techniques as alternative methods to welding of interior
and exterior truckside body panels. The traditional assembly process consisted
of welding metal panels to the underlying aluminum frame.
Test Procedure
The outdoor "Vibration and
Cold Weather Test" ran continuously for 7 months (September thru March),
with an estimated 7.45 million cycles - equivalent to about 15 years of
over the road truck panel stress. The lifespan of a truck or trailer is
estimated at eight years.
Four fastening techniques were tested. Welding, rivets, one and two-part
epoxy resin adhesives and VHB® adhesive, used in the construction of TruckAds®
frames and Truck Ads® Secur-tabs®.
A metal frame testing bed was used for performance analysis of each of these
fastening methods. The test device was suspended by a motorized rocking
arm. The rocking arm, flexed the truck body panel in a 1.24 inch elliptical
path at 44 degrees from the panel's vertical center line at a rate of 500-600
cycles per minute. A test sample of each fastening type was attached to
the device.
Results
After the first week, all epoxy bonds failed. By the end of the test period,
all riveted portions had broken free and half of the welded panels had failed
or welds had cracked as a result of the continuous pounding.
The panel fastened with the TruckAds® frame adhesive was still secure
at the end of the seven month test period and showed no signs of failure.
Conclusion
TruckAds® Frames are constructed with the strongest materials available
for attaching vinyl banners to trucks and trailers.
We back our frame system with the
TruckAds® Lifetime Frame Warranty.
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