OT: What's this type of bracket called?

Best of luck with an off the shelf replacement, Why not use some 5mm flat bar (steel) from a steel suppler and make it

I'm sure I've seen this kind of bracket in various applications. I suppose they may all be custom manufactured, but I'd have thought they were common enough to be something of a commodity item.

Sylvia.

It's just a generic support bracket ghat manufacturers make for specific applications. You won't find one on the shelf anywhere unless you get

As DBR said, get yourself some 5mm flat bar (in whatever width you fancy), and make a replica out if that.

That ain't flat bar and it ain't 5mm.

.... Phil

Many ladders have those as rung braces.

Try annealing it.

Try tubular angle bracket.

But it would be within the ability of most people to bend flat bar and not crack it, Tube would require a little more skill and unless done well not be as strong. I would guess some 25x5 or possibly 19x5 would work well.

nuh. just get a short galvanised steel strip from bunnings for a few dollars, cut it to length if necessary, bend the two ends to the right angle, and drill holes for the screws.

A followup;

I was going to try that this afternoon. But my blow torch is empty. Strange, as I've barely used it. Slow leak? Or did the workmen I had on site for a couple of weeks just use it?

Another of life's mysteries to which an answer will probably never be known.

Sylvia.

It's work hardening, that's why it is cracking. The annealing before and after should reduce the risk of that happening.

Here you go again, trying to make yourself relevant. Firstly, you have absolutely no idea what the *application at hand* is since it was never explicitly stated. You just wanted to make your statement sound impressive but all it's made you look like is a dick. And you're good at that!

The bracket cracked because it was *work hardened* in the forming process and required annealing before and after to *reset* the aluminium and relax the internal stresses.

Didn't you ever do any metallurgy studies at Richmond Tech? Before you dropped out, that is!

I'd call it an angle bracket but I'd expect it hard to buy a pre-made version as there are so many variables.

What is the difficutly with making one in steel? It looks like a simple vice clamp construction Perhaps a blow torch might be needed to warm the steel to make it bend/ curve better rather than "tear" as the aluminium is doing.

That would work for tension, but not compression. The tubular nature gives it conpression strenth.

Gallows bracket.

OK, thanks guys.

I think I'll try the annealing approach first with aluminium. If it breaks again, I suppose I'll have to have go at the same method but with steel.

Sylvia.

Don't waste your time.

Whoever suggested annealing it is clueless as annealing aluminium is a very complex process compared to other metals such as steel or copper, and unless you know what type of aluminium you're using and what temperature to heat it to then you're going to achieve absolutely nothing.

The problem, as mentioned previously, is that you're using the wrong material for the device you're making. Aluminium tube does *not* like to be crushed and bent as you're doing, and no amount of "home annealing" will help you as aluminium needs to be heated to near melting point to achieve any kind of pliability. Quite simply, it is far to brittle a material to do with what you're looking to do, and all you'll manage to make is something that will fail like it already has.

You'll get far better results using thin wall steel tube while will be just as easy to form and bend and it can be done cold to the point you have in the picture without hurting it. Better yet get some 30x5 flat bar cut to length, bent and drilled as required and your problems will be solved forever.

Don't listen to me thought. Waste shitloads of time and money on something that can be fixed for 10 bucks worth of steel from Bunnings :)

Ordinary electrical conduit is steel.