Sheet of Material with Fluid-Resistant Bend Controlling Displacements and Method of Forming the Same

Abstract

A method of preparing a two-dimensional sheet of material for bending along a bend line to form a three-dimensional article having a fluid-resistant bend includes the steps of forming at least one bend-controlling displacement in the thickness direction of the sheet of material, a portion of a periphery of the bend-controlling displacement proximate the bend line defining a sheared face directed toward an opposed sheet surface in the sheet of material on an opposite side of the bend line, and bending the sheet of material. A balancing of the forces during bending produces face-to-surface engagement between the sheared face and the opposed sheet surface such that the sheet material is substantially fluid-resistant along the bend line.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 974,466 filed Sep. 22, 2007, entitled Sheet Of Material With Fluid-Resistant Bend Controlling Displacements And Method Of Forming The Same, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein for all purposes by this reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]This invention relates, in general, to preparing a sheet of material for bending along a bend line into a three-dimensional structure, and more particularly to preparing a sheet of material with bend controlling displacements for folding into a three-dimensional structure with fluid-resistant bends.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]The present invention is related to techniques for preparing a sheet of material to bend or fold along a desired bend line. Such techniques are disclosed in depth in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,152,449, 7,032,426, 6,877,349, 6,481,259, and 7,263,869, all to Durney et al., which are each incorpo...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The present invention relates to a method of preparing a two-dimensional sheet of material for bending along a bend line to form a three-dimensional article with a fluid-resistant bend. The method involves forming at least one bend-controlling displacement in the sheet of material, which includes a periphery with end portions and a curved crown extending between the end portions. The bend-controlling displacement has a sheared face directed toward an opposed sheet surface in the sheet of material. The method also includes bending the sheet of material about the bend line and sealing the sheet material with a coating material. The resulting three-dimensional article has a fluid-resistant bend. The invention also provides a two-dimensional sheet of material with a bend-controlling displacement for use in forming a three-dimensional article with a fluid-resistant bend."

Problems solved by technology

However, these techniques and other conventional techniques may create a gap in the sheet of material and along the resulting bend line, the edge of the bend-controlling structures may not provide a sealed bend.

For example, slits and displacements with large kerfs, punch heights, and / or planar displacements are more prone to create “light” or gaps in the bend line after bending.

The approach results in little, if any, fluid resistance, which may be entirely insufficient for many applications such as HVAC, ducts, and weather-resistant enclosures.

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