Prediction of Ductile Fracture in Metal Blanking

This study is focused on the description of ductile fracture initiation, which is needed to predict product shapes in the blanking process. Two approaches are elaborated using a local ductile fracture model. According to literature, characterization of such a model should take place under loading conditions, comparable to the application. Therefore, the first approach incorporates the characterization of a ductile fracture model in a blanking experiment. The second approach is more favorable for industry. In this approach a tensile test is used to characterize the fracture model, instead of a complex and elaborate blanking experiment. Finite element simulations and blanking experiments are performed for five different clearances to validate both approaches. In conclusion it can be stated that for the investigated material, the first approach gives very good results within the experimental error. The second approach, the more favorable one for industry, yields results within 6 percent of the experiments over a wide, industrial range of clearances, when a newly proposed criterion is used. [S1087-1357(00)02202-4]