Rolling steel plate is usually a rather straightforward process. When the plate has cut-outs, however, a number of concerns arise about how it will react when it is curved. When rolling over a section that has cut-outs, the plate might kink. Alternately, a cut-out might result in the plate not being curved at all. It often requires the best judgment of a project manager collaborating with a machine operator to determine the feasibility of curving a given plate with given cut-outs.
For example, Corten steel plate with cut-outs representing plants, butterflies, and birds was to be rolled to a rather tight radius and even into an “S” curve to be part of an outdoor sign for a park district in Urbana, Illinois. The sign will provide information about the surrounding aspects of nature.
Three sections of curved steel plate comprise the design at the base of the tree. Despite the large cut-outs and tight radii, the plate curved smoothly with no distortion, kinks or undesired straight sections.
