That bullshit with the sledgehammer doesn't prove anything, though. That's not how destructive testing is done.
Bingo
ohh then whats the right way? jack the vehicle up on them
Again like I said before, this easily dictated by physics and engineering. No mysteries here.
Ron already laid it out for you...
I'll bring a stock J/K arm. You fab a replica of what you have there. We will load them in a test load vise and see at what point each fails.
If yours wins, I will pay you $1,000 cash. If the stock arm wins you agree to donate the same amount to a Christian charity of the boards choosing. You down to put your money where your mouth is?
Testing the failure limit of metals is a well-established process that has been done for over a century. No magic.
Even if not testing to failure, if the goal is the replication of real-world handling, then you add a load that replicates the forces it could actually see.
How much force could you poissble apply wit ha 20 lb sledge? 100 lbs? Lets say you are a really strong fucker and can swing it up to 200 lbs.
How much is the force it actually sees? Lets do some math. Lets say you're just "resting" the vehicle on the arm, and it's even supported elsewhere. Truck weighs, what, 4500 lbs? Thats 2250 lbs on your arm. Now lets say you are dropping/banging it on a rock, you have the upward force from the drop, that will multiply this depending on height/speed etc.
The point is your 20 lb sledge will get nowhere close.
This is basic Engineering 101. Once again, you don't seem to accept the fact that what you are doing is engineering, without actually going through teh steps of doing it properly.
