Steel angle designation

[Mike P]

Hi All,

I'm building some parts for a friend and I'm trying to find some 3" x 2" (ish)x 1/4" steel angle that DOES NOT have an interior fillet, but a sharp inside corner.

Does anyone know what the trade name for such a beast is?

This angle needs to fit tight onto the outside of another existing angle which has a sharp outside corner.

In the aluminum world, they're pretty common, but I've not found a listing anywhere for steel.

Thanks in advance,
Mike P

[Lynn Standish]

I have doubts such a thing exists. Steel angle is generally meant for structural use, and what you are talking about would create a weak point if there were no radius.

[Ries]

I am not aware of this being available commercially. You may be able to have some bent for you on a large press brake, but 1/4" is going to need to have some radius in it, just not as much as the hot rolled angle does.
When I have absolutely needed a right angle like this, I have had to weld it up from two pieces of flat bar. Bevel, clamp, tack, move, tack, move, weld a little, move, etc etc. and even then you often need to tweak the finished product with something strong, like a hydraulic press.
However, you could have someone with a milling machine mill ordinary angle so the root was a right angle instead of a fillet. If your material needs are not too much, this could work.
You could also add a couple of pieces of flat bar to a piece of angle, by welding, or bolting them on, to get either an exact right angle, or a reveal.

This is why most fabricators hate building things designed by people (most often engineers, but not always) who dont actually make things. They design parts with components that dont exist, or wont work together, or must be special ordered by the train car load.
Makes more sense to design according to commonly available parts, unless you are working on Bill Gates' house.

(the oh, duh! solution is to grind a rounded edge on the outside of the sharp angle- remove metal to make it fit the commercially available angle. )

[This message has been edited by Ries (edited 01-06-2005).]

[CCWKen]

Yep, stock angle will have an inside radius. Another problem will be the 3x2. Stock angle comes in equal leg lengths.

If you don't need a lot, you could weld some up from flats.

[SGW]

Your best bet may be to call up a local steel supplier and ask them.

I once got some angle iron like that from an old demolished girder-structure electrical tower, so it was made, once upon a time. No idea if it still is, though.

There's bound to be a slight radius on the inside corner, no matter how straight the legs are, though, so you'll have to round off the outside corner of whatever it is you're fitting it over.



[This message has been edited by SGW (edited 01-06-2005).]

[Mike P]

I'm duplicating an existing part, and it has to attach to another existing part. So I don't get to choose what shapes to use.

I think I'll just use the mill to cut the fillet out, rather than welding up from two pieces of flat stock.

Angle is available with un-equal legs, but I'll still have to cut off a bit of the short leg to make it shorter.

I suspect the original brackets were pieced together from some old scrap, thus the lack of a radius.

Thanks for the input,
Mike P

[wierdscience]

3X2X1/4" is common angle,but it will like said have the radius in the corner,but this is a good thing as it adds root strength.

Dealing with the radius is easy,just grind a 45*bevel on the end leg that you want to but up in the corner.You should be gap fitting the parts for welding anyway,joints will be much stronger that way.

[lynnl]

I've seen steel bed frame angle with very little internal radius. But then you're probably not going to find it 1/4" thick. (...or maybe you might. around an NFL training camp)

[Thrud]

Alloy extrusions are readily available like that.

You can get specialty cold rolled and alloy grade angle in that configuration but it will not be cost effective for you unless you need a few thousand pounds of it - sorry. A scrap yard might might yield a few feet if you look hard enough.