Possible to bend heatpipes?

[Val]

Is it safe to bend heatpipes? I want to buy Thermalright cooler for my 8800GTX and straighten it a bit it so that it doesnt bend 180 deg but instead 90 deg.

Possible?

 

[LogitechFreak]

doubt it.. a torch maybe n some plyers with a light grip maybe but idk

 

[Val]

Dont mind giving it to some shop maybe some of you guys did it already, would be great if you pointed out some problems etc...

The reason im asking is that i would sit right intfront of the fan in Lian Li plus 2 case it would be just a perfect arrangment. You could say passively cooled 8800GTX

 

[ghost6303]

once you heat them, they will rupture (if not explode) and be as useless as hollow copper tubing. heatpipes are specificly engineered for their specific interior volume and filled with a very specific amount of gas, when you bend them you will most likely change this volume and they will not work nearly as well, if it still works at all.

 

[horndog]

Once you bend them, you will pinch it at the bends, unless you know how to mandrel bend copper

 

[Kaos_Drem]

once you heat them, they will rupture (if not explode) and be as useless as hollow copper tubing. heatpipes are specificly engineered for their specific interior volume and filled with a very specific amount of gas, when you bend them you will most likely change this volume and they will not work nearly as well, if it still works at all.

I don't think you understand how volume works in close spaces...

He isn't trying to elongate the heatpipes, simply trying to change their orientation which should be fine as he is not going to change the volume by simply bending them, if he was adding more bends i might see a problem as he might be condensing it down, but by simply unbending the pipes i don't think it would have a harmful effect

 

[jackknife]

What did you guys smoke?
Heatpipes are usually not under pressure, quite the opposite is true. There is not enough liquid inside them so they could explode, the solder with which they are usually sealed will melt long before that and let the liquid evaporate (if you heat them up that is, which is completely unneccesary for bending them)

They can be easily bent like copper tubes, you can buy springs for bending hollow tubes without kinking them at every home depot over here in Germany. The trick is getting the right diameter. Also, avoid sharp bends, bend them around a soft edge.
Conrad (www.conrad.de) sells unbent heatpipes in different diameters and lengths for DIY usage, what good would that be if you couldn´t adapt them to your needs?
You habe to be careful, but it´s no rocket science.

I would recommend AGAINST bending pre-bent heatpipes though, if you really HAVE to do it try to wrap springs around the pipes as mentioned before and be double careful how you do it. Never ever clamp the pipes down somewhere in the middle, use the cooling blocks at the end to apply force and do it slowly. Be prepared to destroy any shiny paintwork / coating on the pipes.

 

[ghost6303]

I don't think you understand how volume works in close spaces... He isn't trying to elongate the heatpipes, simply trying to change their orientation which should be fine as he is not going to change the volume by simply bending them, if he was adding more bends i might see a problem as he might be condensing it down, but by simply unbending the pipes i don't think it would have a harmful effect

when you bend or unbend a pipe without supporting the bend (like in a mandrel or filling it with salt/sand before hand) the bend flattens out the pipe, causing a change in volume. and since heatpipes are sealed theres no way of filling it. you might be able to get away with a small bend and not notice the difference in performance. springs might work but theres no way of getting them on the pipe because on most heatsinks the pipes are not removable.

There is not enough liquid inside them so they could explode, the solder with which they are usually sealed will melt long before that and let the liquid evaporate

ive done it before on a thermostat to an A/C unit, i wish i had a heatpipe layin around so i could get some pictures.... but if you hold a torch to the end opposite the solder, it has no time to heat up, at best the solder plug shoots off into the wall, at worst the pipe splits down the side making a good loud bang. and yes you dont need to do this to bend a little pipe like that, its not steel or iron.

 

[cerebrex]

Once you bend them, you will pinch it at the bends, unless you know how to mandrel bend copper

yeah it's called a copper pipe bender, they cost about $5 at any local hardware store. I'm not familar with the thickness of the heatpipe walls, but you can bend them with the tool, however getting leverage and singling out each line would be far too difficult in my opinion. as for exploding heatpipes...etc...come on seriously guys, grab a tool or put your hand in a toolbox, and step out of the baby crib... don't be terrified of modifying things. You're bending the heat pipes on a computer heat sink, not realigning booster cooling lines on the space shuttle.

 

[Nenu]

Bending without any tools is ok if you dont go too far and cause a kink in a pipe.
You have to be careful though as once you have gone too far its very hard to undo and maybe not possible.
You wont know when its going to kink until it starts.

I put a heatpipe/heatsink on a GF5700 a while back.
The pipes were bent with slight kinks in them but they still cooled really well so it might not even matter with a mild kink.
I wouldnt risk it again though.
The above is just in case you do mess up, it might still be ok

 

[luihed]

Its been done before, there's a thread at XS somewhere....

 

[Michael Daly]

springs might work but theres no way of getting them on the pipe because on most heatsinks the pipes are not removable.

Just open up the spring and force the wire over the pipe. Then wrap it around and around until the tube is covered. Time-consuming and you might scratch the heatpipe, but it should be doable.

Note as well that he's straightening the pipe, not bending it. The risk is that in straightening, he might cause it to bend in another location. Not likely a problem unless he rushes.

How easy it will be to do depends on the copper. Pure copper is pretty malleable, alloys are stiffer.

 

[killingfield1975]

no i wouldnt do it. because if you bend it to a 90 degree angle you'll be pinching off the heat transfer.

 

[Val]

Bah... Blowing up a heatpipe

Ok, i gues i just have to try it and see how it goes