Finite element analysis on the effect of die clearance on shear planes in fine blanking

Finite element analysis was performed to investigate the effect of the die clearance on shear planes in the fine blanking of a part of an automobile safety belt. For the analysis, AISI1045 was selected as the material, which was used in manufacturing part of an automobile safety belt, and Cockcroft–Latham fracture criterion was applied. The effect of die clearance on die-roll width, die-roll depth, burnish zone, and fracture zone has been investigated in a finite element analysis by a rigid–plastic FEM code, DEFORM-2D. From the analysis, it was found that die-roll width and depth of the shear plane increase with increasing die clearance. The burnish zone decreases with increasing die clearance, but the variation of the fracture zone is the opposite that of the burnish zone, because the increase in die clearance requires less fracture energy. Theoretical predictions were compared with experimental results. There was significant agreement between theory and experiment.