Numerical simulations of preliminary state of stress in bundles of metal sheets on the guillotine

Abstract

Purpose: The work is aimed at determination of the influence of selected technological parameters on the preliminary state of stress in bundles of metal sheets being compressed by the pressure beam and submitted to the cutting process on a guillotine. Design/methodology/approach: The numerical simulations concerning the preliminary state of stress in the bundle of sheets were conducted by means of the finite element method and the computer system MSC.Patran with the computational module MSC.Marc. The experimental studies concerning the influence of a force loading the pressure beam on the quality of metal sheets were carried out using scanning electron microscopy. Findings: Possibilities of finding the optimum cutting parameters to maximise the values of preliminary state of stress in the bundle of metal sheets subjected to cutting. Higher values of stresses in the bundle coming from loading the pressure beam on the one hand decrease the maximum values of cutting force and thereby facilitate the performance of the cutting process, however on the other hand too high values of stresses might damage the surface of the top sheet in a bundle. Research limitations/implications: The main task of the presented research concerns the reduction of the maximum force generated on a knife during the cutting process. It is possible by increasing the values of preliminary state of stress realized in practice by applying higher values of a force loading the pressure beam. The force should not be too high in order to avoid damaging of the top sheet in the bundle loading by the pressure beam. Practical implications: The appropriate selection of the cutting parameters on account of preliminary state of stress in the bundle of sheets is essential in terms of industrial economy. It enables reducing the amount of waste caused by defects in bundles of sheets and decreases wear of the cutting tool. The research has been conducted in order to reduce the number of randomly occurring defects during cutting of metal sheets on a guillotine. Originality/value: The results acquired from the research facilitate selection of the best parameter settings required for conducting the optimum cutting process on a guillotine. The optimum set of cutting parameters leads to the reduction of defects’ number occurring during the process.