11. Bending of Sheet Metal

This chapter develops the skill of performing correct sheet-metal bending operations for manufacturing good-quality components for applications in automobile body panels, aircraft structures, storage tanks, pressure vessels, race car bumpers, steel furniture, fridges, electronic casings, brackets, and the like. The principal types of bending methods (V-bending, air bending, bottoming, edge bending, roll bending, etc.) have been discussed and analyzed, including the recent advances in bending technology. Important terminologies in bending (e.g., neutral axis, bend radius, bend angle, bending angle, bent angle, springback, and bend allowance) have been defined with the aid of sketches. An in-depth explanation and analysis of the springback effect has been presented. This chapter contains 19 diagrams/photos, 15 worked numerical examples, 9 formulae/equations, 7 problems, and 7 MCQs with their answers given at the end of the book.