What do you think is best way to brace 3x3' corner for display that brakes down?

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The below piece is backlit with LED lights. As you can see due to the middle cross brace there is a big dark shadow going right through the middle of the piece. I want to redesign this so there aren't any shadows. The whole wall should be evenly lit by the led lights.  this is what framing looks like in normal daylight a top and bottom section. Obvioulsy if I remove the middle cross bracing there would be a lot of potential torque on the remaining frame. The size of each piece is about 3x3'. Together they make 3x6' rectangle. So I need to brace it more. /img6/5469/img0925small.jpg[/IMG] I was thinking of using a corner brace like this? or perhaps a cross brace that is straight instead of curved like the above picture shows a .5x.5x16 gauge piece of aluminum. the extra space will prevent a shadowthe top and bottom sections will be held together using a nested piece that goes into both hollow sections of pipe.What do you think is the best method. Perhaps do both methods, corner and cross brace? The piece will be assembled and disassembled a lot.
Reply:'re using acrylics?Mauricio
Reply:No it is not acrylic, it is PC plastic. acrylic would easily crack.
Reply:using a heat gun, apply heat, wait to cool and continue. It is a very slow process but it works.I had done this work with 1/8" acrylicMauricio
Reply:Electric heat gunMauricio
Reply:why not do braces that go across the circle instead just across 1 frame? I'm thinking a central hub and tabs or nesting pipes on the frames creating a star effect or wheel effect if you were looking from the top.Also, if you connect the frames together in the middle they will help support eachother. while standing. you'd still be at risk for torque and bending when you're moving the pannels.There are no problems. There are only solutions. It's your duty to determine the right one.Hobart Handler 210Airco 225 Amp MSM Stinger
Reply:mauricio_daniel_62 this issue has nothing to do with plastic. I am looking to reinforce the metal frame.ThorsHammer thanks for suggestion, but like you said "you'd still be at risk for torque and bending when you're moving the pannels. " That is the problem. When it's set up it will be fine. I am worried about moving it. Trust me the roadies that pack this up with not be gentle with it!
Reply:Thicker tube, better welds.  Problem solved....My name's not Jim....
Reply:Seems like you need to get a catalog with extrusions to slide your plastic into and tee connectors for the vertical supports.  Project just got easier?  Looks like 2 rings and some vertical.
Reply:Build a frame with full length up rights and weld in your arcs top and bottom. I assume the plastic is riveted? The plastic once curved will want to stand on it's own with little support. I suspect once the plastic is attached to the frame it would become rigid. If bracing is required use monofilament lines  cross bracing top to bottom and across your arcs like a bow string if required. Heavy monofilament should be plenty strong and not likely cast too much shadow.If you rivet your plastic with a few more rivets in the corner that the plastic becomes your corner brace.
Reply:@Boostinjdm, thanks, but making it heavier would introduce $$$ and weight issues I dont' want to deal with. @7A749 thanks for the gusset idea, had to look that one uphttp://www.offroadboss.com.au/prices...-cage-gussets/has some nice looking ones looking at pricing, but still worried about bracing the middle some how.@tapwelder, I'm tacking on some 1x1x.063 angle to the vertical edges to the plastic slides in. What kind of T connectors are you talking about? If you are thinking that I can just make two 6' diameter circles and put straight tube inbetween them, that is not possible, You'd need a cargo van to haul something that big. This needs to fit into an SUV, hence all the sectional pieces. If I was able to transport via cargo van, this thing would be a LOT easier!@forhire thanks for the response, unfortunately the plastic is NOT part of the frame. it just slips in and can be changed with different graphics. It cannot be attached permanently because as I mentioned above it needs to fit in SUV. So the plastic is rolled up and put in a storage tube. Your idea is correct though. I thought about putting clear 1/16th thick PC plastic on the inside as a bracing piece, but it would add considerably to the cost, about $300 for 5 sheets 4x8' in size. .Last edited by AluminumWelder; 01-18-2013 at 03:52 PM.
Reply:The monofilament lines wouldn't be that much though, it would act like the lines on a suspension bridge. the issue I see with that is it would only prevent the frames from pulling appart. not stop it from coming closer together. infact it would incourage that.another option is to make your frames full lenght and just use some thin stock to keep the frame from buckling, instead of using the wide tubing. use 1/4"x1/2" strap. would greatly reduce your shadow, and depending on how it's light might eliminate it completely.There are no problems. There are only solutions. It's your duty to determine the right one.Hobart Handler 210Airco 225 Amp MSM Stinger
Reply:I think you need to do much more research.  There are many many many connectors and extrusions to solve your  issues.  Search.   Your situation is not unique.  With the proper connector you can divide the ring however you want. In my opinion, You really should re-think your design.  There is minimal need for welding in this project.  I have on many occasions, reinvented the wheel...too.Good luck Perhaps, you can contract a machinist from this forum to fabricate something you cannot find.Last edited by tapwelder; 01-18-2013 at 04:29 PM.
Reply:tap welder if only you knew how much thought I've put into this....I've quite frankly spent the last month researching how to build a 6' diameter circular structure so that it can fit in a suv/car, be assembled by one person Quickly and not weight a ton. I further more need the panels to roll up so the structure has as few seams as possible.  You are right there are many connectors and extrusions and systems out there from esto.com to t3 airframe to moss graphics, 80/20 to etc, etc. and as far as I know none of them (besides t3 have circular designs ) that would work. If you know of a specific solution for round structures please let me know.
Reply:yeah I'm going to use a hinge for attaching the panels together, thanks for that idea as well. Maybe I'll just weld some things together and stress test them, the metal is not that expensive, just time consuming to do.
Reply:Originally Posted by BoostinjdmThicker tube, better welds.  Problem solved....
Reply:Your engineering problem is something that manufacturers of video walls face. Their rear projection display cubes have sheet metal enclosures that contain the light source/lenses/mirrors and a translucent film surface that the image is projected upon. Making an array of tiled rear projection displays requires the manufacturer to have small spaces between the screens and to diffuse the light evenly accross the entire screen. Your project should take into account the material width of your supports and the optical path of the light. First, minimize your mullion width. Could you use strap (bent the hard way) to lessen the width of the backlight obstruction compared to the use of tubing?
Reply:@84jsd I think strap  will block just as much light since it would be the same width, just moving the tube back a few inches gets rid of the shadow. going from 0.047 to 0.093 thick tube adds about 18 pounds, which is not that muchat the same time removing the center cross pieces and replacing them with straight tube will not add any weight at all, so I'll probably try that first.