Calculating K Factor Sheet Metal Bending

The k factor is nothing more than a multiplier that can give you an accurate value for the relocated neutral axis.

Calculating k factor sheet metal bending.

And if you know the bend allowance you can extract the k factor from it. The k factor is the most important and elusive variable of bending because it varies both as a function of the material and according to parameters such as angle and tooling. K factor in sheet metal bending is a constant that is used to calculate sheet metal flat length. The k factor is a key basic concept in solidworks sheet metal design and must be understood in order to learn sheet metal design and fabrication well.

Whereas the outer surface is stretched. The k factor is fundamental to designing precise sheet metal. Also known as press braking flanging die bending folding and edging this method is used to deform a material to an angular shape. What is the k factor.

Figure 2 illustrates the sheet that is bent with the bend angle of 90 degrees. From there we can calculate the k factor and the bend deduction. Calculate k factor bend allowance and y factor for sheet metal bending. Sheet metal bend allowance chart pdf.

Once you know the k factor you can use it to predict the bend allowance for various angles. The inside radii are based off of a standard air bend force chart. After bending the sheet we need to do some measurements as shown in figure 2. The k factor is defined as the ratio between the material thickness t and the neutral fibre axis t i e.

Then input leg length a and b to get the flat size of the sheet. The below microsoft excel chart is for even numbered gauges 8 through 24 and has a default k factor of 33 for each. You can easily modify the material thickness inside radius and k factor for each thickness at the top of each column. This change in sheet length depends on the position of neutral axis or k factor.

Sheet metal bending methods design tips k factor bending is one of the most common sheet metal fabrication operations. In order to find the k factor you will need to bend a sample piece and deduce the bend allowance. The part of the material that bends. We will start by calculating the bend allowance.

Since the k factor is based on the property of the metal and its thickness there is no simple way to calculate it ahead of the first bend. The k factor is the ratio between the distance from the neutral layer to the bent inner surface and the thickness of the sheet metal. As a result overall sheet length increases. When sheet metal is bend the inside bending surface is compressed.

For example if the value of k factor for given material thickness and bending machines is known. Best way to calculate k factor in sheet metal is by reverse engineering. Typically the k factor is going to be between 0 and 5. Then input the bend angle to get the arc length bend allowance and bend deduction.

Sheet metal flat length can be calculated using cad softwares.