Metal sheet production
Metal sheets are produced by cold or hot rolling. The hot-rolling method uses low-alloy and carbohydrate steel. In this case, a perfectly flat surface is not obtained due to its uneven cooling. These thin metal sheets are used for the manufacture of household appliances, housings, in construction and mechanical engineering.
The cold-rolling method involves the use of hot-rolled billets made of carbon and low-carbon steel. After undergoing additional processing to remove scale, the sheet is cold rolled. The result is a thinner metal sheet with high surface quality, a thickness tolerance of no more than ±0.01 mm and improved technological properties. It is subsequently used for the manufacture of various machines and mechanisms. In any case, the production of sheet metal requires the use of specialized equipment.
Standard sizes
Standard measurements apply to both sheet sizes and thicknesses. Although to achieve larger sheet sizes there are several workarounds using welding.
Standard Sheet Metal Sizes
Knowing standard sheet sizes will help you optimize the layout of your parts. Slightly larger than standard size. This means more scrap and higher overall costs for the customer.
You should also keep in mind that sheets are available in different sizes. While small, medium and large sheets are almost always in stock at every sheet metal manufacturer's warehouse, oversized sheets may not be.
Many of them may also not have the equipment to cut such large sheets. So knowing the capabilities of your manufacturers will come in handy here.
Sometimes you can simply weld two smaller sheets, but this is not the optimal solution. Especially if you pay a lot of attention to the aesthetics of your project.
Standard Sheet Metal Thickness
It's good to not only pay attention to the start and end points, but also to the actual values. Quite often someone asks for a non-standard thickness.
There are definitely exceptions. We just advise you to keep an eye on the thickness values due to the difficulty of sourcing materials. All are readily available from many sheet metal fabricators.
Properties of metal sheet
Sheets made by hot-rolled and cold-rolled methods differ in their properties. These features are taken into account when using this building material. Hot-rolled sheet has increased rigidity, so it is practically not amenable to stamping and embossing. Welding such a sheet can lead to its thermal deformation.
The popularity enjoyed by thin metal sheets is explained by the presence of a large number of positive characteristics, such as reliability, versatility, strength, durability, ease of installation, etc. Galvanized sheets (coated with one or more layers) are especially in demand in the production of equipment, construction and the medical industry. both sides with zinc). The surface of such a sheet with high-quality galvanization is very clean, smooth, without the slightest cracks.
Main types of plastics
Polyethylene is used to make films for greenhouses, bottles, etc. Organic glass is used in the automotive industry and for eyeglass lenses. Nylon is used to make fishing nets, threads, fabrics, etc. Getinax (layered material made of compressed paper impregnated with resin) is used, for example, for the internal lining of passenger cars. Decorative elements for ceilings are made from polystyrene foam (light material in the form of frozen foam), used as insulation, packaging, etc.
Getting to know the professions
A rolling operator is a specialist who services rolling mills at factories. He carries out adjustments and adjustments of rolling equipment and is well versed in the properties of metals.
A wire drawer is a specialist who operates wire drawing machines. He knows the design of drawing mills, knows how to adjust their devices for gripping rods, and monitors the quality of wire production.
Laboratory and practical work No. 17
Familiarization with samples of thin sheet metal, wire and plastics
- Consider the samples of thin sheet metal, wire and artificial materials proposed by the teacher.
- Determine the color of the sample and the name of the metal or alloy.
- Measure the thickness of the metal and wire sample.
- Carry out this experiment: bend steel and copper wires of the same diameter. Draw conclusions.
- Record your observations in a table. Write where the sample material is used.
- Consider and examine the plastic samples proposed by the teacher (polyethylene, organic glass, getinax, polystyrene foam). Record the results of the study in a table.
Find information on the Internet about what other artificial materials people use in research, technology, and everyday life.
Testing your knowledge
- What is the difference between metals and wood?
- What sheet metal and wire products are available where you live?
- How do you protect the surfaces of roofing steel and sheet metal so that they do not rust?
- What color is copper, aluminum, lead?
- What products are made from wire?
- Why is polystyrene foam so light?
Application
Rolled sheets are used in a wide variety of production areas. It is almost impossible to name an area where thin metal sheets would not be in demand. This includes the construction of fences, roofs, and wall cladding, the manufacture of stairs and metal structures. Rolled sheets are used for the manufacture of refrigerators, various containers, and drainpipes. This material has recently been in great demand for decorating summer cottages. It is impossible to imagine the creation of cars, airplanes and other equipment without it. A thin metal sheet with a wavy surface, so-called profiled or corrugated, is used for roofing and fencing. It is made from galvanized steel. Waves can have very different shapes - rounded, trapezoidal and others, and also differ in height and width. Rolled sheets also serve as raw materials for the production of other building materials (corrugated sheets, metal tiles, etc.).
A very thin sheet of metal is called foil. In radio engineering, copper foil has been used as packaging, and aluminum foil has been used for tea packaging. Its thickness is no more than 0.2 mm.
Story
Sheet metal has been used by mankind since ancient times. One of the outstanding achievements in this area is the bronze Balavat Gate (English)Russian, made in Assyria in the 9th century BC. e.
In Ancient Greece, sheet metal (usually bronze, less often silver, brass, and extremely rarely gold) was made by hand forging and had relatively small sizes; After applying a relief design using embossing, it was used to make metal vessels and decorate friezes. Warriors' shields were sometimes covered with sheet iron.
In Ancient Rome, lead sheets were used for:
- manufacturing gutters, drains, pipes using soldering;
- coatings of wooden parts of ships.
Rolling technology was not used in antiquity. The appearance of rolling dates back to post-medieval times (the first known mention dates back to the 16th century and is contained in the papers of Leonardo da Vinci); At first, it was used to make copper sheets for paintings (such sheets, made first by forging and then by rolling, were known already at the beginning of the 17th century). The widespread use of rolling began in Europe in the 19th century.
Methods for processing thin sheet metal
When manufacturing a product of a certain configuration, it is necessary to carry out appropriate processing of the sheet profile. As a result, the material and its quality should not suffer. There are several different processing steps that are used to process thin sheet metal. This includes welding, cutting, bending, etc.
The most common processing method is bending. Performed by stretching and compressing the outer layer. It can be manual, when tools such as a hammer, pliers, vice are used, or mechanical, performed on modern equipment. Manual bending is a rather labor-intensive process, so it is performed only for bending thin metal sheets with a thickness of no more than 0.6 mm.
Welding is used when there are no special requirements for the appearance of the product. A metal sheet less than 3 mm thick can be melted quite easily, resulting in holes that are very difficult to weld. It is used for welding sheets up to 2 mm thick. When it is necessary to weld thinner metal, low currents and electrodes of smaller diameter are used.
The range of metal sheets on the construction market is quite large, which allows you to choose the material that best suits the task.
Thin-sheet hot-dip galvanized steel has a wide range of applications from construction to instrument making, and other types of this steel product are not inferior in prevalence. In general, without such an assortment it is difficult to imagine the modern world with its industries. Building frames and foundations, mechanical engineering, the food industry and many other areas of today's life are constantly in need of this type of product.
Hot rolled steel
Hot rolled sheet steel is the most popular analogue material. All thanks to the affordable cost and wide possibilities of use. Hot-rolled sheets are highly elastic: they can be given any shape, as well as other characteristics of the material can be changed. At the same time, they are resistant to corrosion, mechanical stress and ultraviolet rays. However, to maintain the properties and presentable appearance, the sheets must be frequently coated with paint. In addition, they do not have high fire-resistant properties. This is where the disadvantages of hot-rolled steel end.
During production, hot-rolled steel is heated to high temperatures, more than 760 °C. In this state, it is passed between the shafts to thin it. After cooling, the steel sheet is rolled again to finally adjust the thickness. Hot rolled steel can be thin sheet (0.5–3.9 mm) or thick sheet (4–160 mm).
Hot-rolled plates are produced from the following steel grades: St0, St2kp, St2ps, St2sp, St3Gsp, St3sp, St3Gps, St3ps, St4sp, St4ps, St5sp, St5ps, St5Gps and St5ps.
Hot rolled steel can also be supplied in coils
