Bendablity of Metals

We need more information.

1.) the type and size of material.

Reasons; If the thickness is great, all material has grain, while bending perpendicular to the grain is good, but if you bend parallel to the grain, with thicker material such as 6061 aluminium, it may split.

2.) what type bend complex or simple such as, 90 degree, 32 degree, ect... is it compound bend.

Reason; This will help define what equipment and dies required (brake press is a start)

The matherials are steel and alluminium. (and the bends are lesser than 32º)

The size is variable (but more than 5 metres)

What is the SHAPE of the material ?How thick in each dimension, and which direction will the bend take place? At what angle will the bend be when finished? Will it be a 90 degree bend or less?

Is it an I beam, an H beam, a railroad track, a square tube, a cylinder, solid, or a pipe or a sheet? Dimensions of the subject material will affect the methods and tooling required.

Think about it. If you cannot give a detailed description you cannot get a good answer. Too many unknown variables to give a good answer to your questions.

A picture would help.

Even specifying steel or aluminum doesn't help. Different alloys behave differently. Also, it depends on the size and shape. When you bend a piece of material, the inner edge is compressed and the outer edge is stretched. The amount of deformation depends on the thickness and the radius of curvature.

And, by bending, do you mean permanently bent or springing back to its original shape when force is removed?

your correctm As an example 5020 Aluminium is different than 6061 T6, (T6 being a tempering)?

This post is for the OP...

What seems like another life, when I was at the ship yard, i had to ’bump’ 1-1/2“ aluminum for lifting lugs for a SOC for the Navy Seals contract.

We had drops of where i would place the alumimium to cut out lifting lugs, I was able to place it where the lifting lugs would fit within the drop where the grain ran perpendicular for 3 of lugs, but the 4th one ran in parallel and I cut (4) of them out, sent it to the plate shop to bend about 10 degrees, the 3 lugs bend great, while the lug 4 with the bend running parallel with the grain had split.

I had to look for another drop and do the 4th correctly.

The moral of this post is, ’Details matter.’

permanent bend.

"The size is variable (but more than 5 metres)"

"Size" is a poorly defined quantity; one common meaning is the greatest dimension of an assembly.

Without a LOT more detail, the term "bend" is also poorly defined. In addition to the many specifications mentioned already by others, the radius of curvature of the centerline of the bend is extremely important, especially for thicker materials and structures that have a complex cross-section, like an H-beam or a tube.

A small copper or aluminum wire can be bent into a coil at room temperature using nothing but a form to determine the shape, and one's fingers. Bending a 5-metre steel H-beam will require some major machinery and probably some major heat.

It is possible to give a lot more detail without revealing your exact project...

You say a metallic structure, is this an assembly with more than 1 component?

Need more information. Any metal can be bent at the right temperature up to the melting point.

The procedure will vary with type, temperature and the initial and the required final shape.

I have some questions for you:

How deep is that mud puddle? How high is the sky? How much are those bananas, when does the next train leave?

It´s an horizontal structure that vary in shape. more than one component.

Your sounding like a failed presidential candidate… details are needed.

IF you cannot describe in detail what you want, how do you expect us to?

Do you even know what you want ?

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With information provided thus far, I would suggest a car crusher might be an appropriate machine to bend your assembly.

Electronick, better information may get you some better suggestions.

So far we have a "5" meter long composite structure with a Curvature of less than 32° possibly Aluminium or steel.

So I have some questions: your steel / Alu material is 3 Dimensional, you have only given 1 dimension, the length.

How thick is the Steel / Alu
How wide is the Steel / Alu ?
Is it flat sheet or an extruded section ? (Box, "L", Round etc.?
What is the other material involved?
Is the other material already bonded ( HOW?) to the Steel or Alu ? before or after Bending ?
For anybody here to even give you a potential answer you need to be more forthcoming with information.
As a indication, it will require a very large machine to produce a 5 meter long part, not to mention a possible tool form. Not many manufacturers will have presses / bending machines capable of handling such a large structure.
Also you have not given an indication of the number of parts you will require. If its only a handfull of parts and the material is relatively thin, you may get away with using a Hardwood form and panel beating by hand like the old coachbuilding days where car bodies were hand-formed.
WIthout the missing info needed, you micht as well ask "how long is a piece of string"

I had a initial project for the structure , but i had to cast it out cos i need more details to shape the final form of the structure, Like i said is horizontal that vary in shape. The structure is to suport a veicule. I need to have the dimesion of the veicule before project the structure. It will take time.

Let's see: You don't know what you want, you don't know exactly what it is going to be used for to support a vehicle of some kind...a motorcycle, car or semi, and you expect anyone to specify what you need?

Oh shoot! I misplaced my genie bottle. It is around here somewhere....

Oh well! Let me consult my crystal ball, and I will get back to you with the answer ..I will put you on hold for just a little while, just listen to the music and wait...

Yes, you can bend metal structures either cold (no heat) or hot (with heat), depending on the metal type and thickness. Cold bending uses machines like press brakes or rollers. Hot bending requires a heat source and a press or jig. The method depends on material, bend radius, and equipment available.