Aluminum Tube Transport Services

Aluminum tube ends for precision hydraulic, pneumatic, and structural applications are the dimensional reference surfaces for fitting connections, welded joints, and mechanical assemblies. End damage from impact during loading creates ovality and burr formation that prevents proper fitting engagement and welded joint preparation. Because aluminum is softer than steel, end damage from the same impact force is more severe on aluminum tube than on steel tube of equivalent wall thickness, and the resulting dimensional deviation is larger relative to the tube's wall thickness.

Aluminum tube in contact with carbon steel blocking materials, carbon steel binder hardware, or carbon steel freight on the same trailer develops galvanic corrosion at the contact locations when moisture is present during transit. That corrosion appears as a whitish oxidation pattern at the contact geometry on the tube surface. For aluminum tube in structural and architectural applications where surface condition is visible in the finished assembly, galvanic contact marks are a cosmetic rejection. For tube in fluid handling applications where surface integrity affects pressure containment, galvanic pitting at contact locations is a functional concern.

Round aluminum tube has the same lateral rolling tendency as round steel tube, but aluminum's lighter weight means the inertia forces that keep a rolling tube moving are lower, making individual tube rolling events less immediately obvious to the driver during transit. A bundle of round aluminum tube that shifts slightly on the trailer without creating a detectable cab vibration can develop progressive contact damage between tubes at the shift location that accumulates over the haul without being corrected.

Thin-wall aluminum tube for lightweight structural and aerospace applications is vulnerable to wall crush from binder straps placed directly on the tube bundle without load distribution devices. The same binder tension that secures a steel tube bundle without wall deformation can crush thin-wall aluminum tube wall sections at the binder contact arc. That crush deformation creates a local dimensional deviation that affects pressure containment in fluid handling applications and creates a stress concentration in structural applications at the deformed location.

Anodized aluminum tube for architectural handrail, furniture, and decorative applications, and painted aluminum tube for transportation and outdoor structural use, arrive with surface treatments that define the end product's appearance. Contact between anodized tube sections during transit creates abrasion marks in the anodized surface that are not field-repairable without re-anodizing the affected sections. For architectural applications where the anodized finish is visible in the installed product, surface marks from transit contact are a rejection regardless of their size.

Aluminum tube in standard mill lengths and custom cut lengths for specific fabrication applications covers a wide range of overall lengths. For long structural tube and custom extrusions, rear overhang beyond the trailer end requires flagging and in some states additional permits. For mixed-length tube loads where the longest pieces determine the overhang distance, load planning has to account for the maximum length in the load rather than the average length.