Determine Natural Bend Of Sheet Aluminum

The bend radii listed are standard minimum if manufacturing for aircraft and aerospace applications.

Determine natural bend of sheet aluminum.

We will start by calculating the bend allowance. In other words if you re bending 1 8 sheet use a tool with a 1 8 radius to form the inside of the bend. For most applications with stainless steel or aluminum you can get away with a zero radius bend on anything under 0 050 thick. Determine your minimum bend by measuring the distance from your closest feature i e.

If you have any questions or want to discuss your design contact us. If you re bending 0 020 thick material use a 0 020 radius. Choose a bend radius that matches your minimum bend. You can use a tape measure or ruler to measure the thickness of your sheet metal.

This measurement will be necessary for calculating your bend allowance. When bending aluminum know that the smaller your inside bend radius the larger the chance that cracking will occur in the part. Determine the thickness of your sheet. Also know that for the best results and fewer cracks on the outside of the bend the bend line should go across or diagonal to the material grain when and where possible.

General advice on aluminum. You only have to insert interior angle flange lengths k factor inside radius and material thickness. A cutout or the edge of your flange to your bend. After bending the sheet we need to do some measurements as shown in figure 2.

The minimum bend radius data shown in these charts is measured to the inside of the bend. 90 degrees bend angle. Cells on the right will output the desired values. You will use the protractor to gauge the brake as you bend the metal little by little.

Since commercial sheet metal bending can be done with less concern for stresses caused during forming operation the radius can be near zero for thin sheet metal. The bend allowance formula takes into account the geometries of bending and the properties of your metal to determine the bend allowance. Bend allowance calculator the bend allowance and bend deduction are two measures that relate the bent length of a piece of sheet metal to the flat length. Determine the angle at which you want to brake the metal and mark it on the protractor.

If your sheet metal is too thick you may need special machinery like a brake or a torch to bend your sheet into the desired shape. The material thickness will be measured in decimal form not by the gauge number. The bend allowance describes the length of the neutral axis between the bend lines or in other words the arc length of the bend. From there we can calculate the k factor and the bend deduction.

Cut the section of metal out or otherwise prepare the metal to be bent by removing any burrs or sharp edges.