One of the UK’s most respected sheet piling suppliers, Sheet Piling (UK) Ltd, is ready to assist the country’s economic recovery as the construction industry emerges from total lockdown and as Tier-1 contractors earnestly seek security in their supply lines. Sheet Piling UK has all bases covered when it comes to the assurances that the procurement managers of the UK’s Tier-1 contractors require, in order to safeguard their own financial security. Thanks to working with numerous Tier-1 contractors and decades of experience in the construction sector, Sheet Piling UK has an enviable amount of stock at its disposal, with 8000 Te of new sheet piles and 3000 Te of temporary sheet piles in store and a further 5000 Te of steel sheet pile orders already placed for June and July. Additionally, it has an exclusive agreement with Emirates Steel which will enable it to reliably fulfil forward orders, with planned quarterly shipments of sheet piles. This means the Sheet Piling UK team, already operating at 95% capacity, can fully commit to the safe, timely delivery of stock and human resource to Tier-1 contractor projects. Sheet Piling (UK) Ltd’s managing director, Andrew Cotton, says: “We understand the critical nature of secure supply, on time and on budget, for our valued Tier-1 contractor clients and have ensured that every element of our operation has been geared up for a rapid recovery post UK lockdown.  We can tick the box of every deliverable required and play our part in getting the construction sector back up and running once again. “Whilst we are painfully aware that some suppliers will not be robust enough to survive the coronavirus crisis, creating delays and additional costs in the supply chain, our stock, resources and liquidity mean we can allay fears and offer full support to any procurement manager. We understand that a strong construction sector is vital, if the UK is to enjoy a strong and resilient future. We are doing everything possible to support our sector as it seeks to get back up and running.” Sheet Piling UK has worked on some emergency projects throughout the lockdown and will be resuming work on smart motorway and HS2 infrastructure projects, using its unique £1.2m long-reach rig, the TM 12/15 LR. A sign of its stability and forward-looking approach lies in the commissioning of a second long-reach rig, with the same 8.1m arm but other capabilities. This rig is due for delivery in a few months’ time, to offer extensive and often unanticipated savings, to projects seeking to not just resume a schedule of works but alto catch up on time lost, by not having to suffer delays around the creation of temporary platforms on which the sheet piling rig can operate.

Sheet metal is very important in construction. It is widely used and is very common.  Sheet metal is formed through an industrial process. The goal is to make a thin and flat piece of metal for a variety of purposes. Sheet metal is one of the basics of metalworking. It can be cut and bent further to make different shapes as needed for whatever application needs it. From cars to housing to machines and even some forms of art. Experts such as Bend-tech can help with any questions you may have about it. Sheet Metal Bending Bending sheet metal is done through the application of force or exerting pressure on certain points or linear. In bending, metal is manufactured to a point along a straight axis. It produces V-shape, U-shape, and channel shape. This can be done with press breaks, roll bending machines, or embossing/coining machines.  The most common way used for bending are box and pan brakes or other break processes. Process During the process of press brake forming, the metal is positioned over a die block. The die block presses the sheet to form a shape. What happens is that the bending has to overcome the stresses. After bending, the residual stresses cause the material to spring back to its original position. The sheet should be over-bent in order to get the desired angle. Factors that come into play are the material and the type of forming.  When a metal sheet is bent, the length is also stretched. Bend Deduction This refers to the amount the metal sheet will stretch as it bends and measured from the outside edges. Bend Radius Bend radius refers to the inside radius. It describes the radius of the inside curvature of a bent sheet metal. It is the minimum radius wherein a pipe, tube, sheet, cable, or hose can be bent without being kinked or damage or shortening its life. The formed radius depends on the dies and material used. It also depends on the thickness of the material. The formed bend radius is dependent upon the dies used, the material properties, and the material thickness The smaller the bend radius is, the greater the material flexibility will be. This is because the radius of the curvature decreases as the curvature increases. Minimum and Maximum Bend Radius The minimum bend radius is the smallest allowable radius a cable is allowed to be bent. Maximum Bend Radius is the determinant on how tight the cable can be bent. This is done with the intent not to add a lot of stress on the cable that can cause damages like kinks and cracks. Calculating Bend Radius The minimum or maximum bend radius can be calculated with a mathematical formula. Minimum bend radius: Step 1: Divide 50 by the material’s tensile reduction percentage. Step 2: Subtract 1 from that answer. Step 3: Multiply that answer by the plate thickness. Maximum bend radius:                 Step 1: Add the minimum bend radius to the part thickness                 Step 2: Multiply the result by 2 Common Bending Methods There are many bending methods. Below are some of the more common methods V-Bending This is the most common bending method. V-bending uses a punch and die. The three sub-grouping of this is bottoming, air bending, and coining. From these, about 90% of the most commonly used V-bending methods are air bending and bottoming. Air Bending This refers to partial bending.  In this method, the working piece is not totally touching the tooling parts.  The workpiece lies on two points. The punch pushes the bend. This process is often done through a press brake without the need for a sided die. A punch tool and a V-shaped bottom die is used in air bending.  Air bending allows the sheet material to be bent to an arbitrary angle even without replacing the die or punch tools. Bottoming This is also referred to as bottom pressing or bottom striking. This means the punch presses the metal sheet onto the die. The die’s angle then determines the angle of the workpiece.  The inner radius of the angled sheet depends on the radius of the die.   Coining In this method, the workpiece is stamped between the punch and die. These penetrate into the metal past a neutral axis with pressure. This used to be a very popular method since it can get accurate results. However, today, machinery can be well-controlled and precise. Hence, coining is not as widely used as before. U-bending This is similar to V-bending.  It also uses a die and a punch. However, in U-bending they are both U-shaped, which results in a similar bend. Roll Bending This is often used during the production of cones and tubes into different shapes. This is also bending with a large radius. The most common machine used for this method is a press or hydraulic brake. The reason for this is that other machines result in flat instead of a well-rounded edge. Folding Clamping beams hold the longer side of the sheet. In this method the beam rises. Then it folds the sheet around a bend profile. Wiping In this method, the longest end of the sheet is clamped. The tool then goes up and down, resulting in the bending of the sheet around the bend profile. Wiping, however, has a higher risk for scratches or damages since the tools are hovering over the sheet. Rotary Bending This method uses a freely rotating cylinder. The final formed shape is cut into it and matching the bottom die. Upon contact with the sheet, the roll contacts on the two points. It then rotates while the forming process bends the sheet. Rotary bending is referred to as a ‘non-marking’ process which is suitable to pre-painted or marred surfaces.