Straightening Bent Sheet Metal

Aluminum is highly malleable which makes it easy to work with but also easy to accidentally bend.

Straightening bent sheet metal.

Heat straightening does not symmetrically straighten the metal and is a gradual process. 4 patting and pushing straightening of sheet metal. The process of straightening metal is one that while seeming easy is actually a fairly difficult thing to do correctly. Put simply an experienced practitioner can apply heat in specific areas to straighten load bearing steel whilst still in place without adversely affecting its natural properties.

With the right tools you can easily straighten aluminum yourself rather than spending money on a new piece of metal. This allows you to relive the stress surrounding the bent area of the rod by applying heat on and around the bent area. Most frequently expensive sheet metal bending tools called brakes are used to bend sheet metal but you can also complete this task without one. Mild and high yield steel plate may be cold bent or formed as part of the normal fabrication process.

A serrated metal disc when spun at 5 000 to 6 000 rpm against the sheetmetal will heat any high spots though not to red hot as with the torch without touching the surrounding areas. Heat straightening is the art of strategically applying heat to sections of a piece of steel that has been bent out of shape. As shown in figure 9 using a clapper iron to slap on the sheet can shorten the protruding part of the sheet while the tension part is stretched under pressure to achieve the purpose of straightening. There is however a limit of 5 outer fibre strain in most application standards where when deformation exceeds this hot working is mandatory.

Fig 8 straightening of diagonal warpage. The reason for this is that metal tends to stretch when it is bent. Bending sheet metal by hand is a manageable task if the piece of sheet metal is small and thin enough to handle. In order to counteract this stretch you have to be able to shrink the metal back to its original position.

Heat straightening involves applying controlled heat to a deformed part of steel in heating and cooling cycles until the metal gradually straightens. In order to straighten it you have to bend it slightly beyond flat. If so it will not. Unlike hollow metal tubing a solid metal rod transfers heat evenly throughout its body.

Fig 9 patting and pushing straightening of. Fabricators straighten metal using many methods including heat straightening. Restoring bent metal rods to their original form requires little effort when the correct tools are used. Sheet metal that won t flatten could have had an area of it expanded.