Sheet Metal Bend Strengthening 1

[chrisg13]

Hi all,

I am trying to strengthen a sheet metal L-bracket at the bend. I have limited past sheet metal experience, but one way I have seen this done is by forming ribs on the inside of the bend by deforming the metal inward from the outside of the bend.

Could someone please give me a bit of guidance on how to spec the size of these ribs, and then how to call them out on the drawing? It is gage 7 aluminum, if that makes a difference, but I'm looking for a more general answer here to expand my knowledge, not necessarily just an answer to this specific problem.

Thanks for reading!

 

[dvd]

A rib acts like a small gusset: look at the moment of inertia for a section of the bracket at the rib compared to a section without the rib. If the quantities are low, a gusset may be cheaper than buying the tooling for the rib, provided that your material is weldable.

 

[MikeHalloran]

How deep a rib you can form depends on what tooling is available, the skill of your tin-knocker, and the alloy and temper you are trying to form.

You need to visit your shop and get acquainted.


Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[ajack1]

Whilst it doesn’t answer the original question Danly produce “of the shelf” tooling to do this which might be some help.