When bending copper tubing, what is an important consideration?

When bending copper tubing, what is an important consideration?

• A. Do not affect the pipe diameters.
• B. Increase the pipe diameter at bends.
• C. Use tight 90-degree bends to save space.
• D. Flatten the tube at bends.

Answer: (A)

When bending copper tubing, the bore (and thus the diameter) should stay the same. Bending changes the path of the tube, not its cross-sectional size. If you bend with the proper radius and tooling, the inner bore remains essentially unchanged and the wall isn’t excessively thinned. Problems arise if the bend is too tight or done with improper techniques, which can cause thinning, flattening, or kinking and reduce flow. So the important idea is to preserve the tube’s diameter at bends by using the right bend radius and tools, avoiding any deformation that would restrict the bore. Increasing the diameter at bends, using tight 90-degree bends, or flattening the tube would all compromise flow and are not acceptable practices.

When bending copper tubing, the bore (and thus the diameter) should stay the same. Bending changes the path of the tube, not its cross-sectional size. If you bend with the proper radius and tooling, the inner bore remains essentially unchanged and the wall isn’t excessively thinned. Problems arise if the bend is too tight or done with improper techniques, which can cause thinning, flattening, or kinking and reduce flow.

So the important idea is to preserve the tube’s diameter at bends by using the right bend radius and tools, avoiding any deformation that would restrict the bore. Increasing the diameter at bends, using tight 90-degree bends, or flattening the tube would all compromise flow and are not acceptable practices.