Experimental study on the shearing behaviour of fine-blanking versus bar cropping

This paper presents an investigation into the shearing behaviour of the fine-blanking and bar cropping processes through their experimental performance. In this study, an individual set of tooling was designed and fabricated to carry out experiments for each type of metal cutting process. In order to investigate the phenomena of the shearing behaviour and effects during the cutting operation, certain equipment was employed to examine some major parameters, i.e. the surface finish, hardness distribution, etc. Furthermore, macro-examination was also carried out to study other parameters, such as clearance and portion of fracture. During the operations, all numerical data collected via experiments are based on a system of measurement known as 'Figures of Merit' proposed by Organ and Mellor [1]. Consequently, it is expected to obtain some reliable findings which make it possible to judge which of the two can produce the better quality metal parts and cheaper components.