Any of the fabricators on this sight have any quick rules of thumb for bending .125" 5052 aluminum?
I am going to build a new fuel tank and would like to bend as many parts as possible to eliminate as much welding as possible.
So If I need the width of the tank to be 10.5 " wide on the outside can I just move the breakpoint in .125 and bend the 90*?

When I worked with 5052 H32, we bent across the grain and used basic bend tolerances, which is 1.5t. This means the minimum bend radius for cold forming should be 3/16" for 1/8" thick base material, or around .188".

While it's ok to use 5052 for this application, it weakens considerably when welded due to the way its made. 5052 is strain-hardened which is another way to say it has been cold-rolled to final thickness and final yield strength.

6063 works well for tanks and is easier to form and less sensitive to bending with the grain.

Good luck.

http://www.cumberlandmetals.co.../minimum-bend-radii/

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Rick!,

Its all in how your brake is set up. Test pieces, test pieces, test pieces is the best way.


Aside from that, why 1/8" for a gas tank? Street car tanks I build are .090. Race car tanks are .050-.060

What will said plus if you bend to tight it will weaken and crack. I am not familiar with that aluminum as far as grade but I bend a lot of soft stuff for aluminum electrical boxes and even it shows stress marks if brake is set too tight.

I've cracked the fuel cell twice on two different dragsters over the years from tire shake and both times they were made out of 5032. I have no idea why the 5 series aluminum would not work fine but after a second failure, I now use 6063 and bend 2 large "U" pieces and fit them into a box to minimize welds. Also, because of the breakage I've had, I use .125" thick and generous radius bends. I don't care if it's 1-2lbs heavier. Backing up after the burn out, leaving a trail of fuel on the track in a final round, helps me make those hard decisions...lol

I cracked my aluminum fuel cell in my first dragster twice. First time I was backing up after a burnout and thought I saw wet spots out there but made the run and it's a wonder I didn't catch fire!
Second time was after a run and loading my car....the repaired cell cracked open again....I had it welded at the track and cut the tabs off it at the same time...

It was bolted to the frame forward of the footbox. It had tabs on the bottom and was bolted to the frame.......Cannot be mounted that way, to much flex in the chassis...I got rid of it and put a plastic cell in and it was held with straps and not rigid. Floated on rubber below and on the straps...

Current car has an aluminum cell behind the seat and no straps or mounts. It can't go anywhere...Sits on a tray...

I made a second aluminum cell for primer gas when I ran Ron's Injection. I Installed it behind the seat next to regular cell.....1+ gallons...No straps, no mounts. It can't go anywhere...

The typical aluminum is 6061 T-6 heat treat...… 6063 is the filler rod used most often to weld aluminum.....

I made the primer cell by basically bending 2 u bends sized to fit the area I had....I made a cardboard mockup first....

It's still in my car and I haven't used it for years....

Well, apparently, this place has been kind enough to put together hundreds of 6063 tig rods to make sheets of it for me.
https://www.onlinemetals.com/e...uct-guide/alloy/6063

It's much easier to work with and at an 1/8" thick doesn't need the hardness of 6061 T-6......In my humble opinion of course