Lateral Forces in Rolling-Cut Shearing and Their Consequences on Common Edge Defects

This paper deals with the detailed analysis of the lateral process forces in rolling-cut shearing of heavy steel plates and their impact on edge defects. Rolling-cut shearing is still the most common method of heavy-plate side trimming. However, this method can entail edge defects like uneven longitudinal shape as well as burr and fractures in the area of the cut-changeover (beginning and end of the periodical cuts). In the existing literature, neither the root cause of these edge defects nor their nexus with the upper blade trajectory (blade drive-kinematics) has been analyzed in detail. In this work, these issues will be explored based on the finite element method (FEM) simulations and measurements from an industrial plant. The complex interrelation between drive-kinematics, varying lateral force, unintended lateral motion of the upper blade, unintended variation of the blade clearance, and quality defects is analyzed. The variation of the lateral force is identified as the root cause of such quality defects and a physical explanation for variations of the lateral force is given. The detailed understanding of the shearing process serves as a solid basis for an optimization and re-design of the drive-kinematics in a future work. Measurements from an industrial plant and simulation results show good agreement and thus confirm the theory. The results are transferable to other rolling-cut trimming shears.