[DeTomaso] Distributor gear

[Espen Graffer]

I'm no expet in this matter, but I know aluminum oxide is very hard. There's
a reason they use it as abrasive materal in the blowgun.
I belive it's difficult to get a real hardness measure because of the very
thin layer of oxide on the much softer base material.
Also, if you for some reason have loose aluminum oxide in a process, the
particles might wear on components in the process (for instance in an
engine).

espen in norway


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>> The cast iron gear is softer than the cam, just like the bronze gear,
>> so will it kill the cam or wear down just as a bronze gear?
> 
> It'll likely kill the cam gear.  Materials compatibility is
> a tricky subject and one not covered in any of my engineering
> textbooks.  I know of cases where aluminum will wear steel
> (aluminum Buick rocker arms riding on steel rocker shafts),
> so it's not just an issue of what's softer.

Yep, I've had an old BMW where the aluminum rockers had almost cut the 
steel shafts.

> 
> Dan Jones

Thomas