Got a $3,550 quote from Luther's, Bristol, RI, for the four tanks made of 1/8" 5052 aluminum. Bud Luther, who built Sally W's tanks, redesigned them to be easier to make and also reduced each tank's height by 1/2". Some of this 1/2" space will be used by plastic strips attached to the bottom of the tanks; the idea being to keep the aluminum away from any water.
The LNVTs original mild steel tanks are 14ga or .0747" thick. Aluminum weighs 1/3 as much as steel. So, tanks made from 1/8" aluminum weigh 44% less than those made of 14ga mild steel. Similarly, a tank made of 3/16" aluminum would weigh 16% less than if made from 14ga mild steel. 3/16" aluminum is about four times the price of 14 ga mild steel.
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| A tooth pick marks the hole. At the point of failure corrosion is evident both inside and outside the tank. |
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| The location of the leak became obvious after pressurizing the aft port tank to 3 psi. |
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