A particle finite element method approach to model shear cutting of high-strength steel sheets

Shear cutting introduces residual strains, notches and cracks, which negatively affects edge-formability. This is especially relevant for forming of high-strength sheets, where edge-cracking is a serious industrial problem. Numerical modelling of the shear cutting process can aid the understanding of the sheared edge damage and help preventing edge-cracking. However, modelling of the shear cutting process requires robust and accurate numerical tools that handle plasticity, large deformation and ductile failure. The use of conventional finite element methods (FEM) may give rise to distorted elements or loss of accuracy during re-meshing schemes, while mesh-free methods have tendencies of tensile instability or excessive computational cost. In this article, the authors propose the particle finite element method (PFEM) for modelling the shear cutting process of high-strength steel sheets, acquiring high accuracy results and overcoming the stated challenges associated with FEM. The article describe the implementation of a mixed axisymmetric formulation, with the novelty of adding a ductile damage- and failure model to account for material fracture in the shear-cutting process. The PFEM shear-cutting model was validated against experiments using varying process parameters to ensure the predictive capacity of the model. Likewise, a thorough sensitivity analysis of the numerical implementation was conducted. The results show that the PFEM model is able to predict the process forces and cut edge shapes over a wide range of cutting clearances, while efficiently handling the numerical challenges involved with large material deformation. It is thus concluded that the PFEM implementation is an accurate predictive tool for sheared edge damage assessment.