Sheet Metal Thickness Required to Self Support Curved Panel

Are you kidding? 3/8"? Steel? Does it need to support a truck?

How's it supported/mounted? What keeps it standing? Wind laod a factor?

More details, but rignt now I'm at 1/8", could go down with more info.

I was thinking the same thing. Each sheet would weigh 766 pounds for a total load on stage of 46,000 pounds. I wonder if this is one of those heavy metal acts?

Sorry, I read this again.

Now I'm thinking rolled steel U channel on both ends of corrigated plastic board of some kind to give it the curve. You might need some curved straps in the middle to hold the shape.

Here's some corrugated plastic sheets 60" x 120" , cheap and light weight...

http://corrugatedplastics.net/60x120white10mmCorrugatedPlastic.html

I was thinking more of the 4mm correx corrugated plastic sheet used for advertising signs. The OP would need a weighted framework of some kind. Most suppliers would also print any design if that was desirable.

What about bamboo room dividers?

http://www.furniturehomedesign.com/tag/room-dividers/

Metal mesh curtain...

http://sell.lulusoso.com/selling-leads/177209/Metal-Curtain-Aluminum-Cloth.html

Stylish office space dividers....

http://mymodernroom.com/tag/room-divider/

We need to know how these panels are oriented with respect to the audience - do they only see the convex side? the concave side? a combination of the preceeding?

As far as I can see, there are two serious constraints in the execution of the design as described:

dimensions - the panel is 60" X 120" - but all of the cheap, light and readily-available material is 48" X 96".

stability: any material light enough to be reasonably handleable will require a frame. Constructing 60 such frames will represent major manhours.

Given that frames are a possible consideration you could use the corrugated plastic (already suggested) or maybe 1/2" expanded polystyrene (styrofoam) and then wall paper the thing with an appropriate stuff - how about mylar - giving a mirror finish?

The corrugated plastic (or styrofoam) would be applied in horizontal lifts 3'-4" high and bonded to the frame with construction glue ("good-as-nails") or equal. You would need 180 ea. 48" X 96" sheets.

I'd think they would be pretty dangerous made of sheet metal. I wouldn't want one falling on me.
I'd go for a wooden frame covered in 3ply, even that will be fairly heavy, but at least not lethal.
Wood is much easier to work with than plastic.
Del

I would think that a light wood frame (for stiffness & strength) covered with a very thin Lexan sheet would be light enough.

You can glue it together, if necessary.

You can spray paint it any color in the rainbow.

Lexan or plexiglass is certainly easy to bend to the specified radius. I'd say it is most likely cheaper than sheet metal, and lighter too.

Both materials are easy to cut with a jigsaw, scroll saw, and table saw. Also, easy to drill for wood screws.

Can the audience see the sides or a part of the back end Tex?

[BTW, there was no drawing file attached to your post.]

shape the forms identical ( 2 of them) out of metal rod and suspend the bottom rod from the top rod with fabric of your choice. You can hang them from the overhead bars and raise or lower when needed. If your theater is capable. Or suspend them with poles on flat metal plates for weight. When needed to be removed or changed they would collapse to little more than the length o the rods.

16 G will DO just fine!

16G mild steel CRCA/Galvalume WILL DO just fine!

Hi TX!

What is it you want to build? A wall? A roof? Or a fallout shelter? (With 3/8" steel???)

I think all you need is a sheet of PAPER or TEXTILE, i.e a screen, attached to curved bars of the required shape(s) at both ends. Suitable lighting will do the rest.

RTNM

Scallops are intended to provide an opaque backdrop between stage and curtains, behind the vertical light trusses. Gotta be opaque. White plastic won't do. Maybe black plastic corrugated, but that's rare and expensive.

Indoors, no wind issues.

Aluminum would be great, if not for the price...

They must be self-supporting. We cannot suspend any wire frames covered with fabric - there's nothing overhead to hang from, and we've looked at making self-standing frames for fabric - and it's the "fabric frame fabrication" that's kicking us on that because unless we stretch black fabric over a smooth curved sheet, the ribs of the frame show, or, if we only use a top and bottom curve, the stretched fabric tends to go flat in the middle. Frustrating.

We tried using a flat steel 16g sheet, and making short bow strings with clips that would hold the sheets in the correct bend. We tried that, and with 18 gauge, using 6 bow strings, we got a decent curve and the needed face smoothness. We even tried to connect to the next panel with some welding fit-up magnets on sticks - the space between panels needs to be clear so the backlight "leaks" out through the spaces between panels. That whole plan works great. Except... the sheets are expensive and heavy.

We are going to look again at the corrugated plastics, but I'm told that will probably be just as expensive in the sizes we need.

Thanks for all the suggestions! We may just have to bite the bullet and go with the steel. Any other ideas???

OP wanted "roll 60 sheets of 5' x 10' sheet metal into panels with a 2'6" radius curve"

But if you can deviate to NON-METAL --NON SHEET --- Bamboo tubes is the answer. Want these?

Bamboo sounds interesting... we could make bases that would hold the curved panels, and it is lightweight.

We'd need 500 pieces, 3" diameter x 10 feet long

Do you have a source in mind... other than the river bank behind the arena?

This has me thinking about pvc pipe, which could be solvent-welded into the curves fairly easily - like in SolarEagles picture post of the lexan wall divider. Maybe we could sell the parts to Blue Man Group for another whacky instrument when we finish... a giant PVC pipe organ???

www,assambamboo4world.com -- we supply A>Z engineered

And Bamboo Half Splits will be better still. Can paint IN/OUT

If you are going to use metal, it is the temper, not the thickness, that matters. Anything heavier than foil (which is always a soft temper) can be rigid enough for a formed structure that is not supporting any weight. So talk to the supplier about the thinnest available sheet with a half hard temper.

Keep in mind the safety issue too - the edges of sheetmetal panels, even heavier gauge, are SHARP! Just handling the panels can be dangerous, not to mention if someone runs into them, knocks one over, etc. I worked for a time in a sheetmetal fab shop, and to this day have never had so many cuts on my hands at one time.