Finite element analysis of the thermal effect in high-speed blanking of thick sheet metal

Abstract

Investigating the shear zone temperature is one of the major challenges in the study of high-speed blanking in thick sheet metals. Several studies have shown that a clear temperature change occurs even at low speed and that this significantly influences the blanked edge quality and die life; however, the thermal effects of high-speed blanking of thick sheet metals have received comparably little attention. This study proposes a methodology to predict the temperature distribution in the blanking process using a coupled thermo-mechanical finite element method for thin phosphorous bronze. The finite element model of blanking was developed to characterize the quality of the blanked edge for different punch speeds. The effect of material softening due to the heat generated during plastic work was considered in the blanking simulations. To verify the validity of the proposed model, several simulations were performed and the results, such as the blanking force and proportion of sheared area, were compared with those obtained from experimental studies. It was found that the thermal effect in thin phosphorous bronze at high punch speeds does not significantly affect the product quality. Therefore, a higher productivity can be attained while maintaining a high quality of the finished product using high-speed blanking.