aluminium in commercial vehicles - European Aluminium Association

158 EUROPEAN ALUMINIUM ASSOCIATION ALUMINIUM IN COMMERCIAL VEHICLES CHAPTER XIII
1. Foreword
Repair of commercial vehicles
should be done with the same
care as new construction. In
general, all rules, materials and
methods used for new construction
should also be applied for
repair causes.
Repair is a case-to-case decision,
whether small damaged parts
can be repaired without disassembling
the structure or
whether damaged components
(plates, extrusions) must be cut
out and replaced completely.
In any case, damages should
never just be “over-welded”.
This method does not reflect a
reasonable way of repair. Any
parts, which have been cut out
due to damages, must always be
replaced with the same type of
alloy as originally used. This has
to be applied to ensure a safe
and constant stress deviation
across the vehicle and to prevent
a weakening of the construction.
It has to be taken into consideration,
that especially tankers or
silo trailers are regarded as pressurized
vessels under the
Inside view of a repaired aluminium tank (Feldbinder)
European Pressure Vessel
Regulation 97/23/EU. This
requires additional testing
methods for repairs and supervision
by certified supervision
bodies (like TÜV).
Repair should therefore be carried
out by the manufacturer of
the original vehicle or in certified
repair workshops: qualified
welders, working methods
according to state-of-the-art
technologies, suitable work
organisation, etc. are necessary.