Which Sheet Steel?

[tetwin11]

I'm looking to make a type of L-bracket with a formed gusset out of sheet steel. Aluminum looks like it won't cut it for strength. Any recommendations for which type of sheet steel (~1/8" thick) would provide greatest strength and formability?
Thanks

 

[swall]

Is this a production run or just a prototype part? Do you have a rough idea of what yield strength you need?

 

[tetwin11]

We're in the prototype stages, but it will be for a production part.
As for yield strength, I was looking to see how strong of a material we could reasonably use, then adjust geometry accordingly

 

[CoryPad]

Based on the limited application information provided, you appear to have an almost unlimited variety of steels to choose from, with yield strength ranging from 180 MPa to 1000 MPa.

 

[KENAT]

Are you really asking for relative formability information for the most common sheet steel grades?

I deal mostly with aluminum & SST but I suspect a Google search will find you at least one sheet metal shop that has some guidelines.

Also, be careful when you say strength, some grades of Aluminum are comparable to some steels.

Posting guidelines faq731-376

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

(probably not aimed specifically at you)
What is Engineering anyway: faq1088-1484​

 

[ornerynorsk]

Check out the HSLA steels. Grade 50, Domex 100, etc. Very commonly available and stocked by most service centers, cost effective, highly formable, good strength.

It is better to have enough ideas for some of them to be wrong, than to be always right by having no ideas at all.

 

[MiketheEngineer]

Call a vendor and find out what they offer, price, quality, delivery, strength, etc. -- Pick 3 out of 4!!

 

[tetwin11]

Thanks for the advice everyone.
We've further refined the requirements and we are looking for ~400 MPa yield strength.
What about spring steels like 1074/1075? Would that be too hard to form?

 

[MiketheEngineer]

That's why they call it "spring" steel - it bounces back after you bend it. Depending on what you are doing - it may be hard to form. Might consider using a lesser grade, form it and then heat treat to "spring" steel specs.

 

[swall]

Your strength requirements are leading you to an HSLA grade, such as would be covered by ASTM A 1011. You would need to consult with a tech rep from a steel supplier about formability to meet your design.

 

[CoryPad]

HSLA steel would be best for this application.

 

[dvd]

If you are making a bracket that is going to provide a reasonable level of support, it probably should not be stressed at close to yield strength, since the deflection may be high. Elastic deflection is a function of Young's modulus and section properties, not strength. I vote for good section properties produced by using thicker material; not higher strength material.

What type of tooling is the proposed part going to be produced on? Open setup with press brake, or a dedicated forming die with trimming operations afterward? If you are making parts on a press brake, the formability is probably not going to be an issue, unless there are constraints that you haven't mentioned yet.

 

[BillPSU]

Use 10ga .1345" material.
A569 gives 36,000 psi yield with 1T formability.
A715 Grade 50 gives 50,000 psi yield with 1/2T formability.
A715 Grade 80 gives 80,000 psi yield with 1 1/2T formability.

Availibility may be a problem with A715 depending on your volumes.

I would recommend the A569 based availability and price.