FLATTENED STAINLESS STEEL PIPE FABRICATION

[asimpson]

I am finding it difficult to find supplier to make up flattened stainless steel pipe similar to attached drawing.

Most suppliers consider cold forming and welding up segments and there is a strong possibility of cracking

Would hot forming be a practical solution?

Does anybody know a fabricator who does this type of work?


Many thanks

 

[kingnero]

there's many different kinds of stainless steels, depends on what you need there should be a solution.
Not too sure on how you're going to keep that 1.5mm cavity in those bends...

 

[btrueblood]

Pretty tight bend radius at the corners of the flattened section. Probably requires an annealing step or two to prevent cracking there.

 

[boo1]

Fully annealed, Type 304, or 316 (seamless or welded and drawn) stainless steel to ASTM A269 or A213, or equivalent. Hardness 90 HRB (200 HV or less). Inside mandril will probablty be required for the bends, consider making in sections and welding. If welded use 316L.

Will be difficult to fab, if this is for production consider a different design.

 

[mfgenggear]

ya back to the drawing board. this is almost impossible.

Mfgenggear
if it can be built it can be calculated.
if it can be calculated it can be built.

 

[1gibson]

What is the purpose? Could you use multiple small diameter tubes that have common rectangular end tanks?

 

[dvd]

You might try filling the flattened straight tube sections with fine sand prior to bending: it could be contained by pinching ends of tube closed. If that isn't appealling, you might try filling with a low-melt temperature alloy like cerro bend.

http://www.hitechalloys.com/hitechalloys_005.htm

http://www.mcmaster.com/#metal-casting-alloys/=k2w365

 

[dvd]

... or you might play around with eutectic salts. I don't know if they would hold up during the bending though.

 

[asimpson]

thanks guys

 

[MikeHalloran]

Flatten a straight tube in a press brake.
Just before the resulting oval collapses on itself, insert a strip of bismuth/cerrobend,
then continue pressing until the tube cross section is nice and flat.
Make the bends of the filled tube on a pin bender, then
melt out the bismuth with boiling water.


Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[asimpson]

Very interisting