aircraft aluminum tubing bend radius chart

So the included die angle is decreased accordingly to push the material around the punch nose, helping to relieve springback. Why the different die angles for air bending? The larger the die width gets, the more significant the amount of springback you’ll get. Between 1 and 2 in., your width options are reduced again, and the included die angle closes even further, from 78 to 73 and even less (see Figure 1). you have fewer options, and the included die angle goes from 90 to 88 and 85.

If you review a tooling catalog, you’ll probably find that the number of die widths to choose from is somewhat extensive from 0 to 0.5 in., and each is usually cut with included angles from 88 to 90 degrees.

If you’re not careful, you can completely fracture the bend line.Īs when air forming any other material, when forming aluminum, you choose an appropriate die width based on the material thickness and the radius-to-thickness relationship. Bending these tempered alloys is not impossible, but it is very difficult and will most likely require large bend radii to avoid cracking on the outside of the bend. The aluminum series’ ability to bend tends to decrease as you move down the list of tempers, from annealed to T4 and T6. This is generalizing, of course, as there are ways to form 6061. Ideally, part designers should know that when it comes to aluminum grades, 30 will bend, 6061 will not. 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. When bending aluminum, know that the smaller your inside bend radius, the larger the chance that cracking will occur in the part. The process can take up to four hours to complete, depending on the characteristics of the material. This type of hardening typically is performed in an inert-atmosphere vacuum at temperatures between 900 and 1,150 degrees F. To create these precipitates, the aluminum is heated using a solution treatment at high temperatures and at a prescribed time, then quenched for rapid cooling. Once the particles become dispersed, they hinder any further dislocation of the grain, thereby strengthening the metal. T6 aluminum is precipitation-hardened, which is a form of artificial aging that causes particles within the metal to be spread evenly throughout the grain structure of the metal. Alas, it’s the life of a press brake operator. That’s the ideal, anyway, but the reality is that many parts arrive at the press brake in a less than ideal state. From a bending perspective, it’s always best to bend these parts in an annealed state and then temper them to the correct condition. Question: We’re having trouble bending 6061-T6 aluminum without cracking, and I was wondering if you could give us a few pointers?Īnswer: 6061-T6 aluminum is tempered and notorious for not bending easily.

Aircraft aluminum tubing bend radius chart