How to stiffen 1/2" aluminum tube?

[mihaivapler]

Originally Posted by sphelps

You'll probably need a knee brace or something to add the strength your looking for. Filling the tube with foam or composites wont do anything.

if the distance is short it does work,but for anything longer then 24" i don't think would work as the bar will bend

[sphelps]

Originally Posted by mihaivapler

if the distance is short it does work,but for anything longer then 24" i don't think would work as the bar will bend

Epoxy has a modulus of 3 GPa or less, while aluminium is around 70. Doesn't matter how long the tubes are, it won't do jack.

[WarDog]

Is that your foot? What the hell did you do to your toe?

[intarsiabox]

I would just brace the bend with two pieces of aluminum flat bar. Just put a piece on each side of the tube at a 45° angle so the bend now looks like a triangle, drill a say 1/4" size hole through the bars and tube at both ends and put a 1/4" bolt through the holes and tighten up with a nylock nut. This method does take up some real estate on both the horizontal and vertical part of your tube and I'm not sure how much you have to spare. Hope this made any type of sense at all.