An apparatus for the support and the controlled advancement of a sheet in a bending machine for forming a cylindrical or conical structure, in particular of a truncated cone structure, comprises a base structural frame adapted to be positioned upstream of said bending machine, with respect to an advancement direction of the sheet, a plurality of conveying modules which can be mounted, removable, on the structural frame so as to generate a plan of modular support and advancement which can be configured geometrically according to the shape and dimensions of the sheet to be produced; the modular support and advancement plane is geometrically configured to keep the sheet metal part supported by the plane in a flat condition; an lifting and tilting device configured to vary the position of the structural frame, supporting the conveying modules, from a horizontal lying position to an inclined lying position in which the support and advancement plane is inclined downwards towards the bending machine; repositioning and position correcting members configured to orient and arrange the sheet in a correct position before starting a bending cycle and configured to correct, during the bending cycle, the position of the sheet to impose it a predetermined advancement trajectory towards and through the bending machine. The relative method is also envisaged.

A guide rail of a guidance system for a push element is provided. The guide rail is formed as a hollow profile enclosed by wall sections of the guide rail. The wall sections comprise a horizontal wall section and two side wall sections. The horizontal wall sections extend parallel and perpendicular to a lengthwise extension of the guide rail, and the side wall section extends parallel and perpendicular to the lengthwise extension of the guide rail. The side wall sections are oriented at an angle to the horizontal wall sections. The horizontal wall sections and the two side wall sections, in a cross section perpendicular to a lengthwise extension of the guide rail, form at least for a portion the three side lines of a triangle, wherein the horizontal wall section defines a distal wall of the hollow profile.

A guide rail of a guidance system for a push element is provided. The guide rail is formed as a hollow profile enclosed by wall sections of the guide rail. The wall sections comprise a horizontal wall section and two side wall sections. The horizontal wall sections extend parallel and perpendicular to a lengthwise extension of the guide rail, and the side wall section extends parallel and perpendicular to the lengthwise extension of the guide rail. The side wall sections are oriented at an angle to the horizontal wall sections. The horizontal wall sections and the two side wall sections, in a cross section perpendicular to a lengthwise extension of the guide rail, form at least for a portion the three side lines of a triangle, wherein the horizontal wall section defines a distal wall of the hollow profile.

A hydraulic roll bending machine and method includes loading a plate between top and bottom rollers, receiving a user input indicative of a desired plate radius, calculating a pre-bend radius for the plate based on the desired plate radius and information from the material database, providing a bending signal to the actuator to position the at least one bending roller relative to the top and bottom rollers based on the pre-bend radius, providing a feed signal to advance a leading portion of the plate against the at least one bending roller, determining an actual pre-bend radius of the leading portion of the plate, and calculating an adjustment to the material database based on a difference between the pre-bend radius and the actual pre-bend radius.

A hydraulic roll bending machine and method includes loading a plate between top and bottom rollers, receiving a user input indicative of a desired plate radius, calculating a pre-bend radius for the plate based on the desired plate radius and information from the material database, providing a bending signal to the actuator to position the at least one bending roller relative to the top and bottom rollers based on the pre-bend radius, providing a feed signal to advance a leading portion of the plate against the at least one bending roller, determining an actual pre-bend radius of the leading portion of the plate, and calculating an adjustment to the material database based on a difference between the pre-bend radius and the actual pre-bend radius.

A helically wound tubular structure is disclosed. The tubular structure has a first sheet metal helically wound about a longitudinal axis, a second sheet metal having voids disposed therein helically wound about the longitudinal axis and coaxially about the first sheet metal, and a third sheet metal helically wound about the longitudinal axis and coaxially about the first sheet metal and the second sheet metal.

A tubular structure is disclosed. The tubular structure has a first sheet metal having a machine direction. The first sheet metal is convolutely wound about a longitudinal axis and has a tail portion. The tail portion of the first sheet metal is disposed upon and bonded to an immediately subjacent convolution of the first sheet metal.

An elongate tubular structure is disclosed. The elongate tubular structure has a first and second tubular structure wherein a first end of the first tubular structure is matingly and fasteningly engaged to a first end of the second tubular structure. The first and second tubular structures each have a first sheet metal having a machine direction being convolutely wound about a first longitudinal axis. The first sheet metal has a tail portion that is disposed upon and bonded to an immediately subjacent convolution of the first sheet metal to form the respective first and second tubular structures.

An elongate tubular structure is disclosed. The elongate tubular structure has a first and second tubular structure wherein a first end of the first tubular structure is matingly and fasteningly engaged to a first end of the second tubular structure. The first and second tubular structures each have a first sheet metal having a machine direction being convolutely wound about a first longitudinal axis. The first sheet metal has a tail portion that is disposed upon and bonded to an immediately subjacent convolution of the first sheet metal to form the respective first and second tubular structures.

A vehicle reinforcement beam is roll formed from a metal sheet to provide a multi-tubular reinforcement beam that includes two adjacent tubular sections that share a common center wall. The outer sections the metal sheet extend from opposing ends of the common center wall and are formed to enclose the adjacent tubular sections. An edge portion of the metal sheet that is bent to have a bend radius of about 3-9 mm, where the edge portions attach in abutting and continuous contact with the common center wall to form crevices between the adjacent tubular sections along the first and second faces. A weld is formed in each of the crevices to define crevice ribs in general alignment with and at each of the opposing first and second ends of the common center wall that are configured to improve bending strength and torsional strength of the reinforcement beam.