Experimental and FE Investigation of Trimming of Aluminum Sheet Materials

Aluminum alloy sheet materials AA6111‐T4 and AA5754‐O were evaluated with experimental and FE methods on the trimming behaviour. Influences of clearance and punch speed were investigated from different tool configurations, in which various combinations of parts were utilized. Load curves of punch force versus displacement and cut edge morphologies were compared at different categories. Optimal configurations of tooling, clearance and speed were analyzed. FE simulations of the trimming process with two‐dimensional plane strain models using the element deletion technique were carried out. General agreements were obtained in studied trimming conditions for both materials.