The success of bending precision tubes can be estimated from the tubes’ elongation at fracture, A, which correlates well with fracture in draw bending. Tubes with higher elongation values have many advantages, including the potential for using smaller bending radii, achieving a more uniform bending quality, and reducing scrap costs. The high elongation at fracture also makes other forming processes easier to perform, such as expansion and flattening.
Precision tubes that allow for smaller-than-usual bending radii also have design benefits. The tubes can be used for sharp corners, for either aesthetics or for use in space-restricted structures or areas. Bending sharp corners can eliminate the need to weld together two tubes to form the corner. The smaller bending radii enable new designs that stand out from the competition.
SSAB Form Tube 220 has an elongation at fracture of 28% (minimum), the minimum elongation at fracture required by standard EN 10305 is 23%.
Their best-in-class elongation makes SSAB Form Tubes ideal for bending, expanding, and flattening. The precision tubes’ high elongation gives final products many advantages: greater design freedom with regard to bending, easier and faster forming, reduced scrap, shorter lead times (by potentially eliminating welding), and more uniform bending, for a higher quality finished product.
SSAB Form Tubes meet the requirements of standard EN 10305 and – in many aspects, such as elongation – exceed its requirements. The tubes are available in yield strengths of 220, 320 and 420 MPa, with a choice of surface qualities: pickled, cold rolled and metal coated.
