Minimum bending radius in aluminum
Minimum bending radius in aluminum
(OP)
Hello everybody,
I need to know how can I calculate the minimun bending radius in a aluminum sheet? The sheet has a thickness of 2mm and the radius I want to bend is 90 degrees. Can someone help me?
Thank you
I need to know how can I calculate the minimun bending radius in a aluminum sheet? The sheet has a thickness of 2mm and the radius I want to bend is 90 degrees. Can someone help me?
Thank you





RE: Minimum bending radius in aluminum
Or assuming you know what grade of Aluminium you can look it up in machineries hand book or similar - there are even online resources if you care to google for them such as htt
I'll say this though, individual sheet metal shops will often have values that don't exactly match the text book values so I'd talk to whoever is going to be making it for you.
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: Minimum bending radius in aluminum
RE: Minimum bending radius in aluminum
For example bending 3003 h14 .100" thick to an inside radius of .07" is no problem. Bending 7075 T6 of the same thickness to the the same rad will result in instant breakage.
B.E.
The good engineer does not need to memorize every formula; he just needs to know where he can find them when he needs them. Old professor
RE: Minimum bending radius in aluminum
I only said individual shops values didn't exactly match the text book values, not that they were way off.
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: Minimum bending radius in aluminum
Yes to first half of statement, no to the last.
I can air bend 1/8" thick 5052 H32 to a 1/4" inside radius, but any tighter and it wants to crack. But a punch press can give me clean bends with 1/32" inside radius.
With a hydroforming process, I could go even tighter.
With a hot forming process, tighter even more so.
With blast forming...
etc.
RE: Minimum bending radius in aluminum
RE: Minimum bending radius in aluminum
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: Minimum bending radius in aluminum
That does not compute - One: 5052 h32 will airbend to less than a 1/4" inside rad with no problem. At 1/8" inside radius it will be showing some orange peel on the outside of the bend.
Two: to do a 1/32' inside rad on a press brake you would have to be coining the part, which would close up and hide any incipient cracking in the part.
B.E.
The good engineer does not need to memorize every formula; he just needs to know where he can find them when he needs them. Old professor
RE: Minimum bending radius in aluminum
http://www.aircraftstamping.com/radii4coldbend.htm
I am doing this before this post degenerates into a war of opinions.
B.E.
The good engineer does not need to memorize every formula; he just needs to know where he can find them when he needs them. Old professor
RE: Minimum bending radius in aluminum
However, for many of my designs this would be less critical as I don't have much loading or fatigue etc. If this is what my sheet metal shop is used to then maybe that's why they'll quote smaller radii.
Hmm, nice link, a bit more detailed than mine!
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: Minimum bending radius in aluminum
RE: Minimum bending radius in aluminum
And you are right about cracks being avoided for structural reasons. The latter part of my career was making structural aluminum panels for the outside of buildings. If these things crack when forming, they tend to fall off in high winds much to the dismay of pedestrians. So it was imperative that product quality be maintained. This used to cause conflicts between architects who wanted sharp corners and sheet metal shops that could not produce them.
B.E.
The good engineer does not need to memorize every formula; he just needs to know where he can find them when he needs them. Old professor
RE: Minimum bending radius in aluminum
By the way, it's possible to obtain a approximate value using a formula? I'd like to know due to I want to be sure of my design.
Thanks again!
RE: Minimum bending radius in aluminum
Lepetit, does berkshires link not have your case. I think machineries has some tables & formula related to this. However as you can see from berkshire and my links - it's not a simple linear relationship between thickness and bend radii.
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: Minimum bending radius in aluminum
Ken I am guilty of the same thing. The table I posted is Table 4 from Alcoa's book "forming Alcoa aluminum", I did not want to be guilty of plagiarizing So I went on line and found somebody who had already done that, and used their link.
B.E.
The good engineer does not need to memorize every formula; he just needs to know where he can find them when he needs them. Old professor