<VV> rusted tie rod sleeves

[Tony Underwood]

At 10:53 AM 10/2/2011, djtcz at comcast.net wrote:

>Rust seizes parts together partly because it is less dense than the 
>steel it used to be, so "swells up" in the available space. But it 
>is also relatively weak, so can be crushed.
>
>
>I think that squeezing the sleeve all alont its length Vice grip 
>maxi HARD in multiple directions before attempting to turn it will 
>help break the rust's connection between the parts.
>Similarly, there is a benefit of heating a seized bolt red hot 
>before attempting removal. The thermal expansion crushes the rust, 
>perhaps more effectively than warming the nut to create "extra 
>clearance." The metallurgical effect of taking various steels to red 
>heat, followed by uncontrolled cooling, is another topic.
>
>
>Dan T



Heat rusty steel/iron hot enough and the heat drives the oxygen from 
the iron oxide.   The rust shrinks and turns gray, which is the 
ferrite left behind once the O2 is gone.   It's one of the reasons 
heating loosens rusted fasteners (plus expanding a rusted-on nut 
which also loosens the parts).    It's the same way that acids (well 
some acids) can remove rust.   They leech O2 from the rust, leaving 
behind ferrite which is loose and powdery and not all that good at 
sticking stuff together.


...well, it all works something like that, not a chemist so the 
terminology is lacking but for the most part, that's pretty much how 
it works.


Now, for that tie rod sleeve, it's either expanding the sleeve or 
lots of heat... either way, it's certainly a candidate for antiseize 
after the fact, once it IS a fact that you got the stuff loose.



tony..