×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Sheet Metal Strength?

Sheet Metal Strength?

Sheet Metal Strength?

(OP)
Hello

I need to determine the 3003 H-14 aluminum equivalent of 304 stainless steel. For instance, I have a .125" thick 304 S/S sheet metal part. I need to determine the thickness of the aluminum sheet metal that will have the same strength as the existing stainless steel part. It's been a while since I've done this and I'm lost. Can anybody please help me get started? Thanks!

RE: Sheet Metal Strength?

Lots of unknowns and nowhere to start.

Need to have some idea of the application, geometry, loading, etc.

<tg>

RE: Sheet Metal Strength?

(OP)
Just assume 200lbs of tensile strength.  Also assume the sheet is being hung vertically with the top mounted and the bottom supporting the load.

RE: Sheet Metal Strength?

If this is a structural bracket you might want to think about 2024-T3 instead of 3003-H14.

Can you post a picture of the bracket installed in its intended use.  Is this bracket mounted in an enclosure or a vehicle (plane, or truck)

Heckler
Sr. Mechanical Engineer
SWx 2007 SP 2.0 & Pro/E 2001
XP Pro SP2.0 P4 3.6 GHz, 1GB RAM
NVIDIA Quadro FX 1400
      o
  _`\(,_
(_)/ (_)

(In reference to David Beckham) "He can't kick with his left foot, he can't tackle, he can't head the ball and he doesn't score many goals. Apart from that, he's all right."  -- George Best

RE: Sheet Metal Strength?

Annealed 304 stainless steel has a yield strength of approximately 200 MPa.

3003-H14 aluminium has a yield strength of 145 MPa.

If your Al part needs to have equivalent strength to 3 mm thick 304 stainless steel, then the thickness would need to be t =(200 MPa/145 MPa)· 3 mm = 4 mm.

Regards,

Cory

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips Fora.

RE: Sheet Metal Strength?

(OP)
Thanks guys.

Cory, I double checked my calcs according to your suggestion and it seems I was doing it correctly.  Thanks again.

RE: Sheet Metal Strength?

Since your application is simple tension it can be approached this way.  A complex beam or shear application could yield different results.  Also, your definition of same strength might impact the results.  

Think about a rubberband and a string.  If you incrementally add weights hanging from a string and rubberband and they both break at the same weight, does that mean they were the same strength?  Not if your concern was you wanted a small deflection from the rubberband, similar to the string.  Then you'd need alot thicker rubberband...

<tg>

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources