Tool wear and two-stage cutting investigation

This white paper examines the influence of progressive tool wear on sheared-edge integrity and the resulting formability of metallic sheets. The investigation comprises experimental sheet punching and hole expansion tests conducted per the ISO 16630 Hole Expansion Test standard [1] and numerical simulations based on the Particle Finite Element Method (PFEM) framework described by Sandin et al. [2, 3]. The performance of a two-step punching strategy aimed at enhancing sheared-edge quality and sheet formability is also assessed. By combining experimental findings with computational modeling, this study provides a comprehensive evaluation of edge-damage progression and proposes practical tooling solutions for industrial sheet-metal processing. While Sandin et al. [4] investigates the influence of cutting clearance on sheared edge formability, this contribution rather focuses on the influence of tool wear and 2 stage cutting (shaving) on the cut edge characteristics and related ISO16630 hole expansion ratio (HER) properties.