FINITE ELEMENT SIMULATION

OF SHEET FINE BLANKING PROCESS

N. Mole1*, B. Štok1
1
LNMS – Laboratory for Numerical Modelling and Simulation,
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia

ABSTRACT: The metal sheet fine blanking process of a circular hole is simulated using a two-dimensional
axisymmetric finite element model. A numerical model used in our computer simulation is based on a dynamic explicit
scheme. Yield curve that is implemented in the numerical model is obtained upon tension test data. Its particularity is
first the extension into a post-necking part, which is determined by an inverse identification procedure, and second, the
abrupt reduction to a small constant value after the maximal equivalent plastic strain is reached. To reduce finite
element mesh distortion in the sheared zone remeshing steps, based on arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian formulation, are
implemented during the simulation. After the apparent crack is developed through the metal sheet, the sheet domain is
divided into two domains with possible friction contact evolution between the separated domains enabled. Taking
contact evolution between the separated domains into account results in a better determination of the final fine blanked
surface. Time evolution of the punch force obtained in computer simulation proves good agreement with the
experimental one.

KEYWORDS: Fine blanking, Computer simulation, Finite element method, Yield curve, Experiment

1 INTRODUCTION is used. The FE mesh quality is strongly affected in the

The metal sheet fine blanking process is a cutting
process widely used in several industrial applications to
obtain precise parts. The separation of a part from the
metal sheet blank is caused by relative movement of the
punch against the die through the whole blank thickness.
The process of material deformation is characterized by
appearance of a localised plastic shear band which
develops, by progressing of the punch, into a ductile
fracture. Finally, when the critical size of the fractured
area is attained the separation occurs. The design of such
processes involves design of respective tool elements
and estimation of the punch force needed to overcome
material resistance of the blank. They both depend on the
blank thickness and required shape of the cut parts, and
last but not least on the mechanical properties of the
blank material.
In attempts to reduce time and cost of the process
design a computer simulation of the blanking process
can be of great benefit. But, to give a simulation results
the expected reliability a proper numerical model must
be built, which should be also validated experimentally,
if possible. In this paper, the metal sheet fine blanking
process of a circular hole is simulated using a two-
dimensional axisymmetric finite element (FE) model.
Following the explicit approach in order to overcome the
convergence problems, associated with complexity of
the analysed process, the ABAQUS/Explicit FE code [1]
____________________
* Assist. Prof. Nikolaj Mole, Aškerčeva 6, SI-1000 Ljubljana; e-mail: nikolaj.mole@fs.uni-lj.si
shearing area (Figure 3) by large deformations. If not
treated properly the mesh distortion may give rise to
unrealistic evolution of the contact between part and tool
elements. To cope with the problem of mesh distortion
remeshing steps, based on arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian
(ALE) formulation, are implemented.
The material behaviour is elastic-plastic. However,
with regard to the first crack initiation and its subsequent
growth through the blank thickness until final rupture a
special care must be paid in the numerical model, when
modelling the material behaviour. Namely, considering
the yield curves are mostly described by functional
exponential laws with no limitation on the plastic
deformation, it is on the adopted failure criteria that
initiation of a crack and its propagation through the
blank are so strongly dependent. The yield curve in our
numerical model is obtained by considering data from
the standard tensile test of the metal sheet specimen and
is described by a piecewise linear function which
extends beyond the necking point.
For the purpose of numerical analysis the yield curve
is abruptly reduced to a small non zero value when the
ultimate strain is attained, and is assumed constant
afterwards. It is on this supposition that the problem of
crack propagation through the sheet thickness is
addressed in the numerical simulation of blanking
process. Only when the apparent crack, represented by
the FEs domain with material resistance drastically
reduced, is developed through the metal sheet, the
material bonds are torn all through the sheet thickness.
From this point on the sheet is in fact divided in two
independent subdomains in contact.
The developed numerical model was validated
experimentally in order to establish the degree of its
physical credibility. In particular, the fine blanking of a
circular hole in the metal sheet was considered in the
experiment. The validation of the numerical model is
based on the measured time variation of the force
resulting on the punch during blanking [4]. By
performing a computer simulation of the blanking it is
found that the predicted punch force time variation is in
good agreement with the experimentally observed one.
2 FINITE ELEMENT MODELLING
The metal sheet fine blanking process was simulated
using two-dimensional four nodes axisymmetric FEs
model (ABAQUS FE notation is CAX4R) by dynamic
explicit method. The FE model of the tool set-up, used
for the experimental validation, and boundary conditions
applied in the simulation are shown in Figure 1.
Rp=0.99
Vp=40mm/s [mm]
Rs=5.00
rp=0.08
t=0.65
rd=0.08
Rd=1.01
Figure 1: FE model and boundary conditions
The blank is modelled as a deformable body
exhibiting elastic-plastic material behaviour, whereas the
tools, i.e. the punch and the die, are supposed to be rigid.
The friction coefficient of 0.2 is assumed at the contact
interface between the tool set-up and metal sheet. The
clearance between the punch and the die is 0.02mm.
1.1 YIELD CURVE
Fine blanking experimental tests were performed on
EN 10341 M800-65K cold-rolled electrotechnical steel
sheet, 0.65mm thick, that is used in production of
magnetic cores of rotors and stators of electric motors.
The isotropic elastic-plastic material behaviour is
assumed. Instead of adopting an exponential functional
form of the respective yield curve we construct from
given tensile test experimental data a piecewise linear
function, as shown in Figure 2. The pre-necking part of
the yield curve is determined directly from the tensile
test data in a standard way. But to define the post-
necking part of the yield curve we apply, taking the
measured variation of the tensile force and the specimen
elongation after onset of necking into account, an inverse
identification procedure, in which a general triaxial
stress field distribution is taken into account in the
necking domain instead of a uniaxial one [2, 3]. The
determination of the ultimate equivalent plastic strain is
a part of the inverse identification as well.
Beyond the ultimate equivalent plastic strain point,
where the maximal equivalent stress is obtained, the
material is supposed to loose his strength resistance
completely. In fact, a material particle that is deformed
at some stage of the blanking process to its ultimate
loading state is no more considered to behave as one
homogeneous domain, but it is split in two separated
subdomains. The adjacent surfaces of the cracked zone
are in the continuation of the blanking process behaving
in accordance with the rules of contact mechanics.
In the numerical model we retain however, contrary
to the physical facts, continuity of the material domain
regardless of whether the ultimate mechanical state is
reached. Consequently, in order to ensure that a
numerically obtained mechanical response is similar to
the real one the yield curve is abruptly reduced to a small
non zero value when the ultimate strain is attained, and
is assumed constant afterwards, as shown in Figure 2.
1200
1000
800
σ [MPa]
600
400
measured
200 inverse identification
artificial
0
0,0 0,3 0,6 0,9 1,2 1,5
ϕ [/]
Figure 2: Yield curve considered in the numerical model
1.2 CRACK PROPAGATION
Initiation of a crack and its growth depend, in general, on
the material microstructural properties and the actual
stress state. Not only the intensity of stresses, but also
the principal stress directions play an important role in
the fracture analysis. All those aspects are addressed in
different ways when a corresponding fracture criterion is
mathematically modelled.
With regard to sheet blanking in particular we may
state that the developed stress field in the blanking area is
rather homogeneous, a proof for that being the equivalent
plastic strain distribution, displayed in Figure 5b. In
consequence, a much simpler approach with no complex
fracture criterion really needed may be used in modelling
the crack propagation, which is evidently unidirectional.
In FE simulations the element killing approach, in
which an element meeting a given fracture criterion is
eliminated in further analysis from the FE mesh, is often
used to follow the crack propagation through the sheet
thickness. Alternatively, instead of removing the affected
element could be subjected to severe stiffness reduction.
Unfortunately, neither element removing nor element
stiffness reduction procedure makes it possible to
consider contact conditions in the cracked zone properly.
In a numerical simulation of the blanking process the
initial FE mesh becomes, if no remeshing is applied, also
highly distorted, due to large deformation of the blank.
Application of any of the above procedures considering
crack propagation would affect the simulation additionally
in an improper way.
In our computer simulation we model cracking of the
element, in which ultimate plastic strain is reached, by
abrupt reduction of its resistance according to the above
described material behaviour (Fig. 2), i.e. by pushing the
plastic flow stress to a small value. Advantage of the
plastic flow stress reduction is that the element, because
of the considered volume conservation during dominant
plastic strain evolution, does not distort so much, and
also that the element does not loose its compression load
capability during crack evolution through the sheet
thickness.
It is only when the band of "cracked" elements with
drastically reduced material resistance is developed
through the sheet thickness that the material bonds are
torn all through the sheet thickness. From that point on
the two parts behave independently as two deformable
bodies in contact.
1.3 REMESHING PROCEDURE
During numerical simulation of the blanking process the
FE mesh is subjected, due to extensive and continuing
variation of the actual shape of the forming material, to
significant distortion in the sheared zone between the
moving punch and the die. To reduce degeneration of the
FE mesh and to avoid possible severe distortion of FEs
in the sheared zone, adaptive meshing steps, based on
arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) formulation, are
implemented. Adaptive meshing is a solution-dependent
meshing, which in the considered case enables, with the
performed FE mesh refinement, to follow the variation
of the domain boundary contour and crack propagation
correctly.
In an adaptive meshing increment nodes in the
adapted FE mesh domain are positioned in such a way
that FEs distortion manifested by the old FE mesh is
reduced. In our simulation we have performed, in order
to retain optimal FE mesh topology all through the
simulation and to keep the difference between the old
and the modified FE mesh as small as possible, adaptive
meshing at each time increment. Namely, keeping a small
difference between the two FE meshes is advantageous
for accuracy of numerical mapping of the field variables
from the old to the new FE mesh.
The initial FE mesh gradation in the domain, where
the crack is expected to appear and afterwards propagate,
should be fine enough. The average FE size in this zone
is chosen equal to 0.005mm. Since it has strong influence
on the FE mesh quality it should maintain the same
gradation during adaptive mesh steps as well. Initial FE
mesh for the analysed case is shown in Figure 1, whereas
the modified FE mesh with actual boundary curvature
taken into account is shown in Figure 3a.
After the apparent crack is developed through the
sheet thickness (Fig. 5b), the sheet domain separates into
two domains. The separated sheet domains are actually in
a friction contact along the apparent crack line, with the
respective friction coefficient of magnitude 0.3 assumed.
Within the numerical separation process the two domains
are meshed anew (Fig. 3b) considering the corresponding
mapping of the field variables from the previous one-
domain mesh (Fig. 3a).
a)
one domain
two domains in contact
b)
Figure 3: Separation in two domains after apparent crack
is developed through the sheet thickness
3 COMPARISON OF SIMULATION
AND EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS
A comparison of the product shape obtained by FE
simulation (in Fig. 5e visible as a cross section line) with
the surface in the circular hole after real fine blanking
operation, the photography of the latter is given in Figure 4,
clearly shows a top roll over zone, a central zone with
rather smooth shape and a burr at the bottom of the
circular hole. But there is a difference in the size of the
tearing zone, which seems, when looking only at the
cross section profile in Figure 5e, to be smaller in the
numerically obtained results. By careful inspection of the
whole time evolution of the equivalent plastic strain
distribution, displayed in Figure 5, it can be however
found out that tearing process does really take place in
the bottom part of the product before the crack
propagation has continuously come through the sheet
thickness (Fig. 5b), and that its size is in fact larger. Namely,
when looking at picture in Figure 5e one must be aware
that the obtained cross section profile is actually a result
of further plastic smoothing caused by the punch action
when moving through the blanked sheet (Figure 5c-e).
 roll over zone Also a comparison between the numerically and
experimentally obtained punch force-displacement curves,
plotted in Figure 6, shows good agreement of the
maximum force. The punch penetration into the sheet
(about 32% of the sheet thickness) at the moment when
the sheet rupture happens and the resulting force on the
punch decreases, is very similar as well.
after cracking by the punch

400µm
deformed zone 2000
experiment [4]

1600 simulation

punch force [N]

1200

tearing zone
800
burr
400
Figure 4: Surface after fine blanking of the circular hole [4]

0
0,0 0,1 0,2 0,3 0,4 0,5 0,6 0,7
punch displacement [mm]
a)
Figure 6: Resulting force on the punch

4 CONCLUSIONS
Instead of using any of complex fracture criteria with
b) critical fracture value prescribed, the yield curve,
extended by inverse identification procedure from the
pre-necking part to the ultimate equivalent plastic strain
by considering given experimental data and abruptly
equivalent plastic reduced beyond that point to an artificial constant small
strain [/] value, has been used in the numerical model. In this
manner adopted yield curve reduces the FE mesh
c) 1.3 degeneration during crack propagation through the sheet
thickness. After the sheet rupture happens the sheet
domain is divided into two domains, which are in contact
during the punch penetration through the sheet thickness.
Results of the performed FE simulation of fine blanking
process of a circular hole agree well with the
experimentally obtained results.

d) 0.0
REFERENCES
[1] SIMULIA: ABAQUS/Explicit, Version 6.6, 2006.
[2] P. Koc, B. Štok, Computer-aided identification of
the yield curve of a sheet metal after onset of
necking. Computational Material Science, 31:155-
168, 2004.
[3] P. Koc, B. Štok, Usage of the yield curve in
numerical simulations. Strojniški vestnik – J. of
Mechanical Engineering, 54:821-829, 2008.
e)
[4] B. Zajec, Influence of hard coatings on tribological
process of stamping (in Slovenian), PhD Thesis,
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of
Ljubljana, Slovenia, 2008

Figure 5: Time evolution of the equivalent plastic strain field