Quote:
Originally Posted by Nuttyman54
Beautiful drivetrain! 1983 accidentally cut some 1/16th 6061 on the waterjet in the pre-season and decided to try it rather than scrap it. We found it bent quite well when we used a large radius tool, and didn't show any issues with cracking in the corners. I am surprised that your shop was set up to bend 6061, since most sheet metal places I've worked with heavily encourage 5052.
Regarding the flange, I suspect your shafts will be enough support considering you'll have bumpers on the chassis during competitions. The only scenario of concern would be a point load low on the side panel in between shafts, and that's going to be hard to do with a flat field and bumper-to-bumper contact.
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Evan,
6061 sheet stock comes in different tempers. T0 to T6. The T0 temper will bend easily. Heat treating after the bending process to get the part strong and stress free.
The T6 temper will crack if the radius is sharp. Another way to bend 6061 T6 is with a wrapper. The wrapper will make a large radius using sharp 1/32 inch dies.