force needed to bend tubing
I'm an electronics / controls guy with a basic knowledge of mechanical engineering - possibly just enough to be dangerous. I want to bend some 3/4" aluminum 6061 tubing with a 35 or 49 mil wall. The resulting strength isn't an issue but the cost and bending force is. In some places Ive looked it seems that 49 mil tubing may be cheaper than 35 mill tubing but it will be harder to bend. Crutches are commonly made with 49 mil tubing so that may be the material to use.
It looks like I'm going to make my own bender to get the radius I need. This I can do. However I can't seem to understand the bending force calculations I would use to calculate the force I will need on the end of an arm for manual bends, important so I know how long an arm I'll need and what I need to mount the bender.
Are there any charts or simple calculations out there with even approximate calculations? I have seen the yield strength mentioned to be related to the bend force without saying exactly how they are related. I would think this is a common issue so I figure I'm just looking in the wrong place. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks