Aluminum Plate Bendable???

[Can'tWeld]

Guys,can a piece of aluminum plate which is 1/8 thick be bent on a brake into a 90 without cracking or will I have to take two pieces and just weld it?Its just the garden variety aluminum plate nothing special.Tks----Carroll

[aevald]

Hello Carrol, unfortunately "garden variety" doesn't help to determine the bendability of an aluminum alloy. Without getting into a lot of specifics, see if you can bend some of it without cracking. If it cracks, you can "anneal" it by using the acetylene only flame of a oxy-acetylene torch to blacken the bend line and then use a neutral flame to heat it until the carbon burns off. Then do your bending and likely you won't experience any cracks. That's the short answer to your question. Good luck and best regards, Allan

[jbyrd]

Im no aluminum expert, but you really need to know what series the aluminum is to tell if you can bend it, other than just trying to do it. 6000 series is prone to cracking I believe. I have had good luck with 5000 series and have bent 90s in 3/16 plate.

[weldbead]

Hello Carrol, unfortunately "garden variety" doesn't help to determine the bendability of an aluminum alloy. Without getting into a lot of specifics, see if you can bend some of it without cracking. If it cracks, you can "anneal" it by using the acetylene only flame of a oxy-acetylene torch to blacken the bend line and then use a neutral flame to heat it until the carbon burns off. Then do your bending and likely you won't experience any cracks. That's the short answer to your question. Good luck and best regards, Allan

i have heard this method described to add carbon to mild steel and "case" or surface harden it..what is it doing to the allie?

[aevald]

Hello weldbead, the carbon/sooting acts as a temperature indicator. when it burns off the aluminum will be roughly at the temperature where annealing/softening will occur. It isn't the same as the "case hardening" that can be done with steel. Best regards, Allan