is it possible to bend 2 inch o.d. CDS tube (3mm wall thickness) with a centre bender (hydraulic type) ??
ive had a quick search of the site but others have asked about either thinner walled or smaller o.d. tube
thank you for reading
any replies greatly appreciated
Hi MacMig, I would say no, you need a rotary hydraulic bender which rolls the tube round the bend. The machine mart ones are press benders and I think 3mm will kink if you press bend it, could be worth a try as rotary benders are generally dearer. I have a couple I use for copper and stainless, thet are made by tubela , and Staffa. I know tubela has a web site that might be worth a look
a pipebender is designed for bending pipe,but most pipe that i bend is based on good old british barrel tube,which is based on I.D. and not O.D.,but if the former is not a good fit you will get a poor bend,it will either crease on the throat,or crack on the heel,scaffold tube can be bent,but not with the conventional formers supplied,that tube is manufactured so it cannot be used in pipework installations,i have bent scaf tube either with heat,sand loaded or on a bending block,not being familiar with the machine mart product,so i could'nt comment,i use a staffa in work a i can bend upto 4".
busa;168968 A bender is just that.........a bender. [/QUOTE said:Hmm, is this PC? Ooops sorry! W/A
I think thats why the off-road boys spec BS1387 for their roll cages - there is only grade (but different weights) for it and it is easily weldable. W/AI seem to remember there are different grades of CDS tube. Some that will bend quite easily and some that won't. If you look in the specifications there should be something about workability, elongation etc.
I have seen some tube used in roll cages which has exhibited brittle fracture on failure, not absorbing much energy. Far better to be using a grade which will deform and continue to absorb the impact energy.
In some ways pipe (gas) is better than CDS in that it is malleable, made to be cold formed without going brittle and will deform well on impact. CDS may well have a higher ultimate tensile strength and may be what your motorsport club (MSA) requires you to use, it is just more difficult for the home builder to work with.