On Sun, 26 Oct 2003 21:12:45 GMT, "Jim"
wrote:

I have a shop making a digging tool which I resell. They use CRS 1".
My customers want to know what it would take to bend this bar if they pry
with it.
short of immobilizing one end of the bar in a horizontal position and adding
weights to the end of it, how can I describe it's "bendability"? *and*
where can I find that info?
I realize there are a lot of variables, like how long the bar is (48"), and
the range of temper and tensile strength it reached during it's manf., but
given all the above, what would it take to bend this bar?

I assume you mean bend so it stays bent. As others have said, it
depends on a lot of variables, but I found a quick look surprising, if
I got my sums right.

Assuming a 1" dia bar 48" long constrained on one end with all force
applied to the other end, a force of only 61.25 lb results in max
stress of 30KPSI at the support. I think 25KPSI to 30KPSI is
generallly used as a max safe stress for ordinary structural steel
or CRS.

If you double that to 60KPSI I think it would be quite likely to bend.
That would be a force of only 122.5 lbf.