Experimental and Numerical Studies of Tool Wear Processes in the Nibbling Process

The work concerns an analysis of the wear mechanisms of punches in the nibbling process. The nibbling process is the multiple punching of holes or external contours using circular punches, the diameter of which is much smaller than the size of the punched shapes. Analytical, numerical and experimental studies were carried out. In the analytical solution, formulas for determining the pressures in the contact zone were developed, thus enabling a simple estimation of the designed nibbling tools. In numerical studies, the influence of the punch rounding radius on the fatigue wear was investigated. It has been shown that the change in the punch cutting edge radius from r = 0 mm to r = 0.5 mm enables a seven-fold increase in the fatigue wear resistance. It was found that the change in the punch cutting edge rounding radius has an impact on the quality of the product (the greater the radius r, the worse the technological quality of the product). In experimental studies, the abrasive wear process was primarily investigated. For this purpose, the nibbling process was tested on S235JR + AR steel sheets with tools made of NC11LV/1.2379 steel without any coating and with an AlCrTiN layer. It was found that the special AlCrTiN layer used allowed for an increase in the resistance to abrasive wear, and thus increased the service life by approx. three times. The last element of the work is an assessment of the technological quality of the product after nibbling depending on the degree and type of stamp wear (quantitative and qualitative assessment).