Sheet Metal Bending Radius

Bend radii minimum bend sizes.

Sheet metal bending radius.

The bend radii listed are standard minimum if manufacturing for aircraft and aerospace applications. Where ossb is the outside setback. Minimum sheet metal flange bend length is required to avoid cracks in the bending area. The bend deduction is the amount the sheet metal will stretch when bent as measured from the outside edges of the bend.

Minimum sheet metal flange bend length 3 x sheet thickness bend radius. The minimum bend radius data shown in these charts is measured to the inside of the bend. The bend allowance formula takes into account the geometries of bending and the properties of your metal to determine the bend allowance. When sheet metal is bent it stretches in length.

Ossb is defined as illustrated in figure 5 for different bending angles and can be calculated using the equation below. Where a is the bending angle t is the sheet thickness and r is the bending radius. Most frequently expensive sheet metal bending tools called brakes are used to bend sheet metal but you can also complete this task without one. 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.

This is putting a simple hem on a curved piece of zinc with a 7ft radius. Bending sheet metal by hand is a manageable task if the piece of sheet metal is small and thin enough to handle. You will need to know your material thickness mt the bend angle b the inside radius ir and the k factor k. This is done through the application of force on a workpiece.

As explained in my first post the bend deduction can be calculated using the following equation. Also known as press braking flanging die bending folding and edging this method is used to deform a material to an angular shape. The bend radius refers to the inside radius. The material thickness will be measured in decimal form not by the gauge number.

The formed bend radius is dependent upon the dies used the material properties and the material thickness. It is most economical to use a single bend radius throughout the design but if necessary you can utilize multiple radii. Use this document to choose values that are both manufacturable and meet your needs.