What is the theoretical effect of bending a copper pipe either 90 or 180 degrees with a given bend radius and known starting wall thickness. Starting and ending lengths are not given. Only the extreme values matter, I am simply looking for best and worst case values. I know the outer wall will decrease and the inner will increase but is there a reliable, formulaic approach to predicting either?Some sample data:3/8 outer diameter pipe with .02 wall thickness180 degree bend at .5 bend radiusThickest wall ?Thinnest wall ?If this cannot be done without knowing starting and ending length, what would be the method of doing so if those values were known.
you have to use bending equipment in the simplest this is an inner or outer spring the choice of bending equipment controls the dimensions without the pipe has zero diameter (it folds) take the centre line as the mean close enough
One issue with the calculation the way I see it is that the reduction (in thickness on outside) may not be constant throughout the bend so there would be another thing to factor and I don't know how you would get that information. The increase on the inside is almost certainly not going to be constant as it tries to corrugate. I'm sure that pipe and benders are sold so that some minimum thickness is maintained and if that's all you want to know then maybe ask a manufacturer or supplier of the bender.
