Replaceing bolts with stainless

[L'Bie]

 

Although the voltage is small' date=' it has a great affect on corrosion. This is based on the principle of the Anode & cathode.

Dont know if you can remember the experiment where you insert two dissimilar metals into a lemon, and connect the two ends of the metal (via a wire) to a small lightbulb, and there is enough current to light the bulb.

 

This is known as Electrochemical Corollary - a chemical reaction where Oxidation (rusting) takes place

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I remember my chemistry reasonably well. But my question was "to what effect" and you'll see that the effect is negligible for any of the metals in question. Go ahead, put gold bolts in if you like. As it is, you're sitting with steel on aluminium and they come out reasonably easily. On The Hub we've only seen one case of a bolt that seized.

 

This battery is one of the reasons I replaced my amalgam fillings with porcelain. Now I can chew aluminium foil without any ill effects.

 

 

 

 

The battery effect is the smallest of your problems. Your problem

arises from the natural property of each metal to have a natural electric potential.

Bring two different metals together and the one with the lower voltage become

sacrificial to the other! Your problem is not knowing which is the negative

metal. And just to scare you a little more. Given the right conditions, your

Titanium could be the one failing without you knowing it! However, there is the

little matter of conductivity and the potential difference and several other metallic

properties to consider and therefore it is VERY unlikely for your bike's metal

components to fail due to this phenomenon while you are using it. This technology

is used as corrosion protector on shipping vessels. They place zinc under the

waterline as the sacrificial metal to the rest of the vessel. The bigger the

vessel the more surface area the zinc requires. These are replaced each time

the vessel come into dry dock!

 

Another piece of useless info. 306 and 316 are just two of

several stainless steel variants. Carbon is the biggest corrosion culprit in

the steel and the partial or complete removal of carbon from steel makes it

stainless in the various degrees. Add to the steel a little tin and chrome and

the product improves it?s anti-corrosion properties. 316 is one of the better S/S

to use, but it is also of the hardest and most expensive. You want a shining

bike? Spec the 316 S/S bolts, but if you?re a weight watcher get the Titanium

bolts. For the rest?..spit and polish is my two cents worth.