Correct Nomenclature for Steel Measuring Tape Material 1

[emicen]

Can anybody tell me what the correct engineering term is for the steel convex strip used to make the tape on retracting measuring tapes? I have been using the term convex to describe it, as it is convex shaped, but this has lead me to a dead end in my search for manufacturers of the material.

There are plenty of places that manufacture steel measuring tapes, surely there dont all own tooling to form the material from normal steel strip!

 

[diamondjim]

My guess is that it is some form
of spring steel.

 

[arto]

There was an ASME paper on this a while ago by R.C.Benson: #84-APM-4 "Nonlinear Bending and Collapse of Long, Thin, Open Beam Sections and Corrugated Panels"

 

[unclesyd]

The material, treatment, and fabrication techniques used in manufacture of pocket tape measures is considered a trade secret by most companies. A TV show on Tools made this fact very clear during the segment on tape measures.

Aside from the paper mentioned by arto there was considerable work by NASA and the DOD on the manufacture and use of thin convex/concave metal bands for use as antenna and others.

I would try NASA Tech Briefs first as they had several articles on same.