Developed lengths of bent pipes/bars 1

[Guest0527211403]

Hi folks,

I have a challenge where I need to calculate the developed length of a pipe which is bent using a modular bending die. The reason we need the developed length is that we want to drill holes in the pipe before we bend it. The die itself can be adjusted to bend pipes to various different sizes & shapes. At the moment we are bending the pipe and using separate tooling to drill the holes, which is cumbersome and difficult to maintain. We would like to be able to drill the holes into the straight sections of stock, and then bend. We are trying to avoid a "trial and error" method if possible.

The problem is that in order to calculate the locations for the holes, we need to initially calculate the developed length of the pipe (much like when designing sheetmetal products). Using the Curve thru points option is not sufficient in calculating this because the bend's neutral axis does not necessarily run at the center of the stock.

The problem is a little more complex than sheetmetal as well because there are more parameters involved (Inner & outer diameters, seam or no seam, seam location, etc).

Has anyone successfully used Pro/E to calculate this? Is there any other software available that assists in calculating these lengths? I've heard of spreadsheet based programs that do this but I can't seem to find anything online.

Thanks,
-Mark

 

[mloew]

Mark,

If you have the parametric equations for the developed length, I suggest using the BMX functionality to position the holes. You can even link in your existing spreadsheet with the Excel Analysis feature.

Best regards,

Matthew Ian Loew
"I don't grow up. In me is the small child of my early days" -- M.C. Escher

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips Fora.

 

[mloew]

Mark,

This was one of the top Tips and Tricks at the PTC/USER conference. I will try to find some documentation of the technique.

Best regards,

Matthew Ian Loew
"I don't grow up. In me is the small child of my early days" -- M.C. Escher

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips Fora.

 

[Guest0527211403]

Thanks, Matthew.

Actually a couple of the guys here went down to the conference and they just got back today (of course, I didn't get to go ... I got to enjoy a few "boss-free" days, though!). I'll see if anyone caught that demonstration.

I remember reading some Tips and Tricks in Pro/E magazine that were from past user conferences, but I've never seen a single repository of all of this information.

Do you have the name/company of the person(s) who presented this technique? Perhaps I can hunt them down myself.

Thanks again,

Mark

 

[mloew]

Mark,

I could not find anything at the PTC/USER website. I have requested some information from one of the directors. I will post back when I figure something out.



Best regards,

Matthew Ian Loew
"I don't grow up. In me is the small child of my early days" -- M.C. Escher

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips Fora.

 

[mloew]

Mark,

I did not forget about you! The presentation material I was searching for was just released on the PTC/USER website. Try this link: Tips and Tricks session slides. The tip Creating Straight Instance of a Bent Tube is tip #1.



Best regards,

Matthew Ian Loew
"I don't grow up. In me is the small child of my early days" -- M.C. Escher

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips Fora.

 

[Guest0527211403]

Thanks Matthew,

The info is great. This is exactly the type of thing I was looking for. Thanks for keeping my question in mind at the conference! Hopefully I can make it to the next one.

Best Regards,

-Mark Morreale

http://www.torgon.com

 

[mloew]

Mark,

No problem at all. Thanks for the feedback; so often people don’t post confirmation that you were helpful. It is always rewarding for me to help others out. Plus, finding the technique from someone else that has done it validated my idea!

I hope we can meet next year at the conference.


Best regards,

Matthew Ian Loew
"I don't grow up. In me is the small child of my early days" -- M.C. Escher

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips Fora.