Developed length refers to the length of the unstretched fiber measured over both bent and straight sections of a bent sheet. Bend allowance is a term coined by Sachs as a measure of the length of the unstretched fiber in the bent section. Sachs' empirical equation for calculating bend allowance is not physically based and is independent of material and forming conditions. A physics-based model for calculating bend allowance and developed length for a strain hardening sheet metal formed by pressbrake bending is presented. Effects of material properties and tooling geometry on the calculation of these parameters are considered. It is shown that unlike Sachs' assumption, it is the deformed shape and not the neutral axis shift or thinning that is important for calculating the developed length in pressbrake bending. It is also shown, by comparing calculated and measured data, that better accuracy can be obtained when the proposed method is used instead of Sachs' empirical equation.
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