How to Determine the Force to Bend Aluminum

Aluminum is used to make beverage containers.

Aluminum is a silvery metal commonly used in building and construction as well as the manufacture of consumer goods and tools. It is prized for its high strength to weight ratio and its resistance to corrosion. When bending and forming an aluminum component, it is important that the right amount of force is applied. V bending is a common technique for bending sheets of aluminum that uses a hollow V-shaped die in combination with a solid V-shaped punch.

Things You'll Need

• Scientific calculator

Instructions

1. Multiply the tensile strength of aluminum by the width of the piece to be bent. Make a note of this result.

2. Multiply the result by the square of the thickness of the piece. Make a note of this result.

3. Multiply the result by the constant K, which is 1.33 for V-bending. Make a note of this result.

4. Divide the result by the thickness of the V-shaped punch. This result is the minimum force required to bend the aluminum piece.

Tips & Warnings

• The width of the piece to be bent refers to the length of the piece in the direction of the bend axis. The tensile strength of aluminum is 15,954 pounds per square inch. The thickness of the piece refers to the length of the piece at right angles to the bend axis. The constant K describes the affect of the V-shaped geometry on the theoretical calculation. The whole calculation can be described by a formula F = (kSwt^2)/D, where F is the force required for the bend, K is a constant, S is the tensile strength of aluminum, w is the width of the piece, t is the thickness of the piece and D is the width of the V-shaped punch.

References

• Oregon State University: Metal Forming Bending
• The Engineering Toolbox: Elastic Properties and Young Modulus for some Materials
• Custom Part: Sheet Metal Forming