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Hardening Sheet Metal Model

Hardening Sheet Metal Model

Hardening Sheet Metal Model

(OP)
I have aluminum 5052, thickness 1.5 mm.
I want to make it harder in certain critical points. I have heard on a concept using only Geometrical tools to do that, someone make it clear for me?

RE: Hardening Sheet Metal Model

It's called 'work hardening', and occurs in many metals.
For aluminum, the 'temper' that you start with matters.
5052-O is soft and gummy.
5052-H32 is semi-hard and gets a little harder (at the bends) when you form it.
5052-H34 is more hard, and can be bent to 'large' radii, but cracks when bent to 'small' radii.

You need to find an "Alcoa Aluminum Handbook" or something similar, and use it as a starting point to do a lot of reading.

Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

RE: Hardening Sheet Metal Model

Depending on the exact shape/form of these "critical points", you might be able to use some mechanical process such as planishing/peening/burnishing to locally work harden the area.

RE: Hardening Sheet Metal Model

GuyBalas,

Aluminium 5052 is a work hardening grade, as opposed to the heat treatable grades like 6061.

Why not just attach a gusset to the critical points?

--
JHG

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