Finite Element Simulation of Punch Shear During Hole Piercing in Auto Chain Components

The capabilities of presses are sometimes limited due to larger cutting force requirement for some sheet metal operations. Reducing the tonnage requirements for such operations will sometimes make the presses capable of doing such operations. FEM simulation can be a reliable tool in predicting the amount of tonnage required for the metal stamping operation. An attempt is taken in this study to analyse the behaviour of the hole piercing operation in an automobile chain part using DEFORM 3D software. The main focus is on the prediction of tonnage requirement with different shear methods on the piercing. Simulations were conducted with flat, single sheared, double sheared, reverse double sheared, convex sheared and concave sheared punches and analyzed for variations in the press load. The phenomena of piercing are also observed through the simulation based on AISI 1060 steel component used for automobile chain as inner plate. Simulation results showed that the shear angles provided on piercing punches will reduce the punch load significantly.