Experimental Investigation of the Shear Cutting Behaviour of Sandwich Panels

Abstract

Continually increasing exhaust emission standards for automobiles and an increasing environmental awareness push design engineers to develop new constructive and material concepts. So-called sandwich panels, consisting of stiff facings and light-weight cores, offer the possibility to combine properties of different materials synergistically. When processing large quantities, as is the case in the automotive industry commonly used manufacturing processes for cutting sandwich panels, like sawing or milling, are not applicable. A common manufacturing process to cut metal sheets in high quantities is shear cutting. However, pre-trials of shear cutting of sandwich panels have shown that it is not possible to achieve flawless cutting surfaces with current process layouts. Characteristic types of failure like high bending of the facings, delamination effects, burr formation and an undefined cracking of the core material were ascertained. Thus, in this study, the influence of cutting parameters, such as the clearance and the punch diameter, on these types of failure is examined. Five different clearances between 0.025 mm and 0.4 mm with two punch diameters, 8 mm and 32 mm, were investigated. In order to compare the influence of different materials, three commercially available sandwich panels were studied. The chosen sandwich panels differ both in the face sheet thickness and the core material. Finally, the shear cutting force is measured to identify a possible correlation between the cutting force and the face bending. As a result, optimal clearances to minimize the face bending are derived. Additionally, the influence of the core stiffness on the cutting force is determined.