COLD-FORMING PROCESS AND APPARATUS

摘要

This invention relates to sheet metal buildings of relatively large size and more particularly but not exclusively to processes and apparatus for cold-forming elongate building elements of such buildings and methods of building construction. The invention provides in one aspect cold-forming dies (30), mounted on intermediate transverse members (21) of a frame (1), comprising a set of coextensive generally in register dies between which the strip is received. The set comprises a male die (22) having a concave leading edge (24) and a female die (23) having a convex leading edge (18). The male die (22) and female die (23) are driven towards one another to plastically deform the strip (6) into a channel section. The concave leading edge (24) is provided with a coextensive protrusion (26) and the convex leading edge is provided with a coextensive recess (27). At the same time that the dies (22, 23) mate to plastically deform the strip (6) into a channel section the protrusion (26) and recess (27) of the respective dies (22, 23) mate to form a transverse rib (28) in the strip (6).