Shearing
From DDL Wiki
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| - | + | == '''Process''' == | |
| + | Shearing is a process of creating sheet metal shapes from a much larger piece of source metal (for example, a roll). It is one of the first steps in creating sheet metal parts; shearing is used to create the starting stock for stamping, bending, and other manufacturing processes. | ||
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| + | The shearing process involves literally shearing a flat piece of metal between two plates (see figure). The process can be described as: | ||
| + | |||
| + | 1. A stop is first used to set the length of the finished (sheared) piece.<br /> | ||
| + | 2. The source material (i.e., the roll) is placed between a holding clamp and a lower stationary shear blade until it reaches the length stop.<br /> | ||
| + | 3) A moving upper shear blade is forced down through some actuator, cleanly breaking the material.<br /> | ||
| + | 4) The finished piece drops away, and the shearer is ready for the next cut.<br /> | ||
| + | |||
| + | The force, F, required to create a cut can be calculated as: | ||
| + | |||
| + | F = L * t * S | ||
| + | |||
| + | where L is the length of the cut, t the thickness of the material, and S the shear strength of the material. | ||
| + | |||
| + | The shearing process does leave a small burr on the sheared edges, as well as some deformation of the edge of the metal. Creating an angle between the upper and lower shear blades can reduce this deformation. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Shearing can only be used to create straight line cuts in sheets, bars, or rods, but through repeated shearing can create fairly complex geometries. | ||
Revision as of 10:38, 5 September 2007
Process
Shearing is a process of creating sheet metal shapes from a much larger piece of source metal (for example, a roll). It is one of the first steps in creating sheet metal parts; shearing is used to create the starting stock for stamping, bending, and other manufacturing processes.
The shearing process involves literally shearing a flat piece of metal between two plates (see figure). The process can be described as:
1. A stop is first used to set the length of the finished (sheared) piece.
2. The source material (i.e., the roll) is placed between a holding clamp and a lower stationary shear blade until it reaches the length stop.
3) A moving upper shear blade is forced down through some actuator, cleanly breaking the material.
4) The finished piece drops away, and the shearer is ready for the next cut.
The force, F, required to create a cut can be calculated as:
F = L * t * S
where L is the length of the cut, t the thickness of the material, and S the shear strength of the material.
The shearing process does leave a small burr on the sheared edges, as well as some deformation of the edge of the metal. Creating an angle between the upper and lower shear blades can reduce this deformation.
Shearing can only be used to create straight line cuts in sheets, bars, or rods, but through repeated shearing can create fairly complex geometries.
