Forming Aluminum Sheet for a Handrail System


In order to comply with the building code requirements for a nursing home in South Carolina, a concrete knee wall and attached railing needed to be raised some 15inches.  The current railing is too low.

A “knee wall” is so named because it is about knee high.  It can be used as a room divider or on a front porch.  In this case, a concrete knee wall served to separate a walkway with its support railings.

Rather than build a new concrete wall, a company that specialized in railings turned to a bender/roller to form aluminum sheet “extenders.”

1/8in thick aluminum was rolled to a very tight 3in diameter with 180 degrees of arc and 2ea straight tangents each 15.5in long.  The lengths of material range from 54 to 104in long.  82 formed pieces will cover some 540ft of walkway.

Grade 3003-H14 aluminum was used instead of 6061 because 3003 tends to bend better and will not crack when it is curved to a tight diameter.

The formed aluminum sheet in the photo below will function as an extension or a cap to the concrete knee wall and will be exposed to public view.

The aluminum sheet was formed using a press brake, and there were some concerns about the marks that would come in from the die hitting the material.  A picture and a sample piece were sent to the customer for approval before production began.

The “U” shapes are nested for ease of shipping and to reduce shipping costs.

Formed Aluminum Sheet for a Railing System

By making the extensions out of powder coated aluminum, there will be no corrosion.  Some 3000ft of pipe rail was also supplied  This material will cover 573ft of walkway.

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