fleurys Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Consider 2 pieces of metal at a 90degree angle. What would be the strongest in terms of resistance to bend and hit between a bended 1 piece and 2 pieces welded together ? S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 I believe that the thickness matters also since you can only effectively bend so much. Welding bonds the metals, while bending can fatigue it. A radius (bent) is stronger than a sharp corner though (welded). Without better understanding of what you are planning, I don't think that helps much. B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSlowReliable Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 (edited) Yeah, a scenario would be nice.... That being said, I can't think of many cases where there is just a piece of steel welded to another @ a 90 degree angle in a situation where this would MATTER (as in the forces being put on it in such a way that it would stress the weld to break) where the fabricator wouldn't put a gusset in to counteract any deficiencies. Edited February 11, 2011 by OldSlowReliable Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleurys Posted February 11, 2011 Author Share Posted February 11, 2011 I believe that the thickness matters also since you can only effectively bend so much. Welding bonds the metals, while bending can fatigue it. A radius (bent) is stronger than a sharp corner though (welded). Without better understanding of what you are planning, I don't think that helps much. B I'm thinking for bumper construction. Would it be more rugged and resistant to shock if I bent a piece of steel 3/16 into a 90 degree angle, or using 2 pieces (same thickness) and weld them at 90 ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Quiet frankly, in that application, I really don't know. I would think that the welds would be more prone to cracking due to shock than a homogeneous sheet. Also if the primary face/top/bottom was bent out of one sheet, it would be cleaner and look better than seams everywhere (obviously you can't bend everything). The advantage to welding would be patch type section replacement if it was damaged, where once you crease a radius (bend) there is no real way of fixing it. 3/16" will be plenty strong in either case and one seriously heavy bumper!! I seem to recall a discussion about fabing and the general consensus was 1/8" was plenty sufficient. B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northernpathy Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 3/16" will be plenty strong in either case and one seriously heavy bumper!! I seem to recall a discussion about fabing and the general consensus was 1/8" was plenty sufficient. Mine is thicker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MY1PATH Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 (edited) Right up my alley, I do sheetmetal, aircracft fabrication. (lots of bending) A bend is always stonger as long as the radius of the bend is within the limits for the materials thickness and given stress level. In english; some grades of aluminum crack under the stress when bent too sharp but most grades of Mild steel can be bent with no increase in stress. Your truly strongest would be and extrusion because the material is generally thicker at the "bend" the added material inside the bend is called the web and the material on the outside(if added) is called the corner. Welding is generally more common because tools to cut and weld are more affordable and take up less space than tools used to bend and press. My favorite bending machine at work is about the size of my pathy. Edited February 12, 2011 by MY1PATH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Channel595 Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 angle iron. enough said Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSlowReliable Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 angle iron. enough said Or C tubing, or square tubing, or round tubing...these are all very good options.. There's a company about a mile from me that makes offroad stuff for jeeps, their bumpers use a combination of sheet steel and steel tube. They make the main body with two 2x4's of steel tubing, weld it all together, then add sheet steel to make it look like what the customer is looking for by welding it on and grinding it smooth. Strength where it counts, convenience where its necessary! That being said, I used only 3/16"x2"x5" rectangular tubing to make my bumper, 1/4"x2" strap for the upper mounts, and 2"x2"x3/16" square tubing for the lower mounts. Mine is completely welded together, and aside from some miter edges it is all in the form that I bought it where it matters (in the center portion where the weight will be applied during recovery) the only cut/bent/welded steel is on the wings, and those could be made out of paper for all I care, they serve two purposes 1)Protect the corners if I happen to brush up against a tree or rock, or 2) make it look perty! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 Mine is thicker Than?? B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewebster Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 You should machine your bumper from a single ingot of steel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleurys Posted February 16, 2011 Author Share Posted February 16, 2011 Ho well..... Thanks for the opinions.... I have decided to go another way... 3/8" t6-6061 aluminum all around with some 1/4" minor parts. I will be posting my adventure as I go along... but i'm shooting for start to middle of my season to be done (front and back).... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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