How To Find K Factor In Sheet Metal

Calculating the k factor 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.

How to find k factor in sheet metal.

You ll need the k factor to find the y factor. Best way to calculate k factor in sheet metal is by reverse engineering. K factor 180 x ba π x complementary bend angle x mt ir mt 2. In order to find the k factor you will need to bend a sample piece and deduce the bend allowance.

In my previous post i talked about k factor bend allowance and bend deduction and what they mean in sheet metal design. After bending the sheet insert the inner radius and flanges a and b. To calculate y factor you should multiply k factor by pi and divide the result by two. As i mentioned in my last post you need to do some tests to calculate these values for a specific sheet.

How k and y factors affect metal bending. You can also use our flat pattern calculator for blank size calculation. The k factor is defined mathematically as t mt where t is the neutral axis location and mt is the material thickness. To calculate the bend allowance the k factor and the derived coefficient called the y factor insert the thickness and initial length of the sheet into the cells on the left.

So if the thickness of the sheet was a distance of t 1 mm and the location of the neutral axis was a distance of t 0 5 mm measured from the inside bend then you would have a k factor of t t 0 5 1 0 5. Bending angle is 90. The area within the sheet defined as the neutral axis does not get compressed on the inside of the neutral axis or expanded on the outside. Finding y factor for sheet metal bending.

K factor is a coefficient that is affected by the brake tooling as well as the material. K factor in sheet metal bending is a constant used to calculate sheet metal flat length or flat pattern. Flat blank dimension l1 l2 l3. Cad tools use k factor to calculate sheet metal blank size.

Now let s see how we can obtain these values for a specific sheet. Typically the k factor is going to be between 0 and 5. You can use this k factor calculator to calculate k factor using reverse engineering method. Because of the specific properties of any given metal there is no easy way to calculate that value perfectly hence the chart in figure 2.

Y factor k factor x π 2. This is defined as the length of the neutral fibre from the beginning to the end of the arc generated by the bend. The k factor is usually somewhere between 0 3 and 0 5. Mathematically k factor value is equal to the ratio of position of neutral axis and sheet thickness.

The k factor is a constant determined by dividing the material thickness of the sheet by the location of the neutral axis.