The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology (2018) 99:819–831

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-018-2475-y

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Effect of AlTiN-coating oblique guillotine tools on their performance

when shearing electrical steel sheets
Qiusheng Yan 1 & Zhihui Kuang 1 & Jiabin Lu 1

Received: 16 March 2018 / Accepted: 17 July 2018 / Published online: 11 August 2018
# Springer-Verlag London Ltd., part of Springer Nature 2018

Abstract
An AlTiN coating was deposited onto a cemented carbide oblique guillotine tool using arc ion plating technology to improve its
shearing performance and wear resistance. Shearing experiments were subsequently conducted using sheets of electrical steel to
study the performance of the coated and uncoated tools. Other important aspects, such as the quality of the shearing fracture
surface, edge radius, shear force, and degree of tool wear, were also investigated as a function of shearing time. The results show
that the performance of the AlTiN-coated tool is greatly superior to that of the uncoated tool. During the normal shear stage, the
shear force of the coated tool was 14.7% less than that of the uncoated tool. The coated tool also suffered smaller amounts of tool
wear and change in edge radius compared to the uncoated tool. Moreover, the electrical steel sheet sheared using the coated tool
was found to have fracture surfaces of significantly higher quality than that sheared using the uncoated tool. Evidence of this can
be seen in the larger sheared zones, lower fracture zones, shorter burrs, and much-reduced degree of work hardening obtained
using the coated tool. The uncoated cemented carbide tool was mainly subjected to cobalt-loss induced wear, abrasive wear, and
oxidative wear. The results indicate that the AlTiN coating is able to significantly improve the shear performance and service life
of shearing tools.

Keywords AlTiN coating . Oblique guillotine tool . Electrical steel sheets . Shearing performance . Wear

1 Introduction Many researchers have treated tools using various surface

The shear quality of metal sheets is a critical factor influencing
the precision of metalware [1]. As the requirements specified
by high-precision machining technology become stricter,
higher standards are imposed on the performance indices rel-
evant to the production of metal strips made of alloy steel,
electrical steel sheet, and copper-alloy sheet (dimensional ac-
curacy, form accuracy, occurrence of burr, etc.) [2].
In the shearing process, a metal sheet undergoes large
strain deformation and fracture. Therefore, the cutting edge
of the tool in contact with the metal sheet is subjected to a
large stress concentration and friction, leading to tool wear
and tipping. As a result, the sheared sheet may be cut with
low precision and exhibit large burrs and a fracture surface
of inferior quality [3–5].
* Jiabin Lu
lujiabin@gdut.edu.cn
1 ones show a lower rate of wear and enjoy a longer service life
School of Electromechanical Engineering, Guangdong University of
Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
coating techniques to improve their machinability and service
life [6–10]. The aim is to deposit a coating onto the surface of
the tool so it presents higher thermostability, abrasive resis-
tance, and cutting performance, so that wear is subsequently
delayed. As a result, the tool can still deliver normal cutting
performance, especially at high temperature (700 °C) [11].
Wang et al. [12, 13] deposited a coating onto cemented
carbide and found that the coated tool showed more favorable
wear and oxidation resistance, and higher thermostability, in-
dicating that the tool was protected more effectively during
shearing after coating. Ilyuschenko et al. [14] deposited a
coating onto a twist drill and found that the holes drilled using
the coated drill presented only tiny burrs or were burr-free. In
contrast, an untreated drill produced large burrs. Furthermore,
the service life of the drill bit was enhanced by the coating
treatment by a factor of ~ 2.5 times.
In their experiments, Kottfer et al. [15] found that the wear
suffered by the bit of an untreated twist drill was two to four
times that of a coated twist drill. As for turning tools, coated
compared to uncoated ones—the quality of the surface can
820
also be guaranteed to be better when machining using coated
tools [16–19].
Studies have shown that the incorporation of metallic ele-
ments into a coating of TiN (replacing some of the titanium
atoms) can greatly change the properties of the coating [20]. In
particular, the introduction of aluminum into the TiN to form a
coating of Ti–Al–N has been seen as a major breakthrough in
terms of both oxidation resistance and enhanced mechanical
properties. Thus, it has become a research hotspot in the tool-
coating field.
Aluminum is readily oxidized at high temperature forming
a dense layer of oxide (A12O3) on its surface. This can effec-
tively prevent the oxygen atoms from continuing to diffuse
inside the coating and improves the high-temperature oxida-
tion resistance of the coating. This is a major advantage of Al-
containing coatings in practical applications [21]. Due to its
oxidation resistance, TiAlN is preferred for mechanical
abrasion.
Kulkarni and Sargade [20] found that AlTiN-coated car-
bide cutting tools used to machine SUS 304 steel were mainly
subject to wear by abrasion and chipping. Kalss et al. [22]
studied the performance of AlCrN- and AlTiN-coated tools
during milling and drilling operations. They discovered that
the AlCrN coating engendered excellent oxidation and wear-
resistant properties. The thermal stability offered by AlCrN-
and AlTiN-based coatings make them excellent candidates for
hard machining tools where large amounts of heat are gener-
ated [23]. Furthermore, the coatings exhibit excellent impact
wear behavior which makes them suitable candidates for coat-
ing ceramics that are much less tolerant to shock loads [24].
After depositing a coating onto a punching die, Col et al.
[25] found that the sheared zone in the fracture surface of the
metal sheet was improved. In addition, the machining quality
was also elevated. Podgornik et al. [26] conducted compara-
tive experiments on punching dies with different surface coat-
ings and found that the shear quality of the workpieces im-
proved after applying the coating.
As a tool wears, its edge radius becomes enlarged. This
leads to a larger shear force being needed to shear a metal
sheet and a higher degree of work hardening on the edge of
the sheared sheet [27, 28]. Compared with uncoated tools,
coated tools have better wear resistance and, therefore, the
coating effectively reduces the wear of the tool and the cutting
force required. The coating improves the cutting performance
of the tool, maintains the stability of the cutting geometry, and
increases the machining precision and cutting efficiency [29].
At present, binary coatings, such as TiN and AlN, are wide-
ly used. However, their hardness and wear resistance are not
very satisfactory [30, 31]. In comparison, ternary coatings are
more advantageous as they result in harder and more wear-
resistant tools [13].
In order to improve the shear performance and wear resis-
tance of tools intended for shearing metal sheets, we prepared
Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2018) 99:819–831
an oblique guillotine tool covered with a ternary coating of
AlTiN. This was achieved using the arc ion plating technique.
We then carried out shearing experiments on electrical steel
sheet using the AlTiN-coated and uncoated oblique guillotine
tools and compared the performances of the two tools (in
terms of the shear forces involved, quality of the shear fracture
surface, and the wear). The results prove that the AlTiN ter-
nary coating effectively improves the shear performance and
wear resistance of the tool when shearing metal sheets.
2 Shearing principles and equipment
2.1 Shearing principle
The principle by which shearing tools with inclined edges cut
metal sheets, and the arrangement of the parts of the tool, are
illustrated in Fig. 1. The upper and lower straight cutters are
set to a certain angle. The lower cutter is fixed onto the frame
and the upper cutter is fixed onto the tool carrier giving a
certain shear angle α with respect to the lower tool and leaving
a shear clearance c (Fig. 1c).
The upper and lower tools shear the metal sheet
therebetween when the tool carrier drives the upper cutter
downwards at high speed. Under the shearing effect of the
upper and lower tools, the metal sheet undergoes, successive-
ly, elastic then plastic deformation, followed by the initiation,
extension, and convergence of cracks. The sheet is finally
separated, featuring characteristics such as roll over, sheared
zone, fracture zone, and burr, as demonstrated in Fig. 2. The
shear fracture surface is said to have favorable quality when
there is a large sheared zone but small roll over, fracture zone,
and amount of burr. This is also indicative of a high shear
performance of the tool.
2.2 Preparation of the coated tool
An automatic (computer-controlled) ion-plating machine
(model AS500DMTXBH) was used to prepare the coating
on the cemented carbide oblique guillotine tool. The upper
cutter measured 480 mm × 25 mm × 50 mm (length ×
thickness × height) and the corresponding dimensions of
the lower cutter are 480 mm × 40 mm × 70 mm. The
chemical composition of the tool material is as specified
in Table 1.
Before coating, the tool surfaces were polished and then
cleaned with metal brightener for 15 min. This was followed
by cleaning with pure water for 20 min and ultrasonic cleaning
(in ethanol) for 30 min. The tool was then blow-dried and
placed in a vacuum chamber to finish the drying process and
keep it dry.
To improve the tool–coating binding force, the tool was
subjected to glow-discharge cleaning under bias (− 1000 V)
Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2018) 99:819–831
(a) Experimental equipment (b) Shearing process
Fig. 1 Operating principle of an oblique guillotine and arrangement of tool parts
for 30 min, chromium-bombardment cleaning (− 800 V) for
3 min, and deposition of a CrN transition layer for 10 min.
Deposition was carried out using an AlTi alloy cathode (Al/
Ti = 67 at.%:33 at.%) with a purity of 99.99% (mass ratio) as
the target in the vacuum chamber (at 400 °C and a base pres-
sure of 5 × 10−3 Pa).
The AlTiN coating was deposited in the vacuum chamber
at a pressure of 3 Pa and a substrate bias of − 120 V with an
AlTi target current of 80 A for 60 min. The properties of the
coating were characterized after deposition. Table 2 presents
the performance parameters of the AlTiN coating thus
determined.
2.3 Shearing experiments
The shearing experiments were conducted using a numerically
controlled inclined-throat shearing machine (model KFJG-
400), with a shear angle of 1.2° between the upper and lower
cutters and a shearing clearance of 0.02 mm. The experiments
were carried out at a shearing speed of 0.387 m/s, and the
sheets sheared were made of electrical steel of 0.35 mm thick-
ness (Table 3).
To investigate the effect of wear on the oblique guillotine
tool during machining, a profilometer (model RC-120C) was
used to track the change in the edge radius of the tool after
different shearing times, as illustrated in Fig. 3. A confocal
laser scanning microscope (model OLS4000) and scanning
electron microscope (SEM; model S3400 N) were also used
Fig. 2 Morphology of the shear
fracture surface
(a) Shear fracture surface
821
(c) Sketch map of the shear clearance
to observe the wear on the tool edge. Change in elemental
content was also detected using an energy dispersive spec-
trometer (EDS).
A Kistler dynamometer (model 5073A) was employed
to test the shear force involved in the shearing process, as
demonstrated in Fig. 1a, to investigate the changes in the
various forces as shearing proceeded. The forces of interest
include the horizontal force parallel to the tool edge (Fx),
the lateral pressure on the tool in the feeding direction (Fy),
and the shear force vertical to the sheet (Fz). As the shear
clearance and shear angle of the tool are small in these
tests, the changes occurring in the forces Fx and Fy are
only small. Therefore, only the shear force, Fz, is discussed
in detail in this research.
The sheared electrical steel sheets were cut vertically
along their shear fracture surfaces using a line-cutting ma-
chine to obtain their cross-sections (Fig. 2a). These were
then polished. A microscope with a high depth of field
(Keyence model VHX-600) was then used to observe and
measure the morphologies of the shear fracture surfaces
and cross-sections and the heights of various characteristic
strips. In addition, a micro-Vickers hardness tester (model
HXD-1000TM) was used to test the microhardness of the
sheared edges to investigate the work hardening occurring
during shearing. The hardness test points employed were
arranged as a 6 × 9 matrix with an interval of 50 μm
(Fig. 2b). The applied load (0.490 N) was maintained
for 10 s during testing.
(b) Shear cross section
822
Table 1 The chemical
compositions of the tool Element at.%
C 21.579
W 52.709
Co 25.712
3 Experimental results and analysis
3.1 Change in the edge radius of the tool
The oblique guillotine tool gradually becomes worn under the
action of the concentrated stress formed during the shearing
process. As shearing time increases, the degree of wear in-
creases and the originally sharp edge gradually became blunt
so that “knuckles” appear. To evaluate the degree of wear of
the tool, the radii (edge radii) of the knuckles were measured.
Figure 4 illustrates the morphologies of the edges of the
uncoated and AlTiN-coated oblique guillotine tools after dif-
ferent shearing times. It can be seen that, initially, both tools
had sharp edges (Fig. 4a, d), with grinding texture visible on
their surfaces along the direction of the edges. However, the
edges of the coated tool had several zones that were not
smooth. This implies that the coating was not very uniform
on the edge of the coated tool so that it was less sharp than the
uncoated tool.
Figure 4b and e shows the situation encountered after 6000
shearing times. Clearly, the edges of the uncoated tool are
seriously worn, while the coated tool still has a sharp edge
that has only slightly changed. After 12,000 shearing times,
the differences become even more obvious (Fig. 4c, f). Under
these conditions, the edges of the uncoated tool had become
seriously worn, making the tool appear blunt. In comparison,
the coated tool still had a sharp edge and was significantly less
worn.
To evaluate the degree of wear of the oblique guillotine
tools more quantitatively, the profilometer was used to find
the change in the edge radii of the tools after different shearing
times. The results are depicted in Fig. 5. It can be observed
that the edge radius of the coated tool gently increased as the
shearing time increased, indicating that the tool was worn
slowly.
In contrast, the edge radius of the uncoated tool increased
rapidly at first and then more slowly. This implies that the
edge of the uncoated tool was rapidly worn to begin with
because the sharp edge initially present caused a high stress
concentration when the tool began shearing the metal sheet.
Table 2 The performance properties of AlTiN coatings
Properties Hardness (GPa) Thickness (μm) Bonding force (N)
Values 33.207 3.32 57.38
Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2018) 99:819–831
As shearing continued, the edge radius was already enlarged,
wt.%
leading to a more stable rate of wear of the tool. Under these
2.261 conditions, the edge radius increased more slowly. However,
84.522 the rate of growth of the edge radius of the uncoated tool was
13.217 clearly greater than that of the coated tool.
Initially, the edge radius of the uncoated tool was 26.2 μm
and the tool was sharp and in good condition. In comparison,
the coated tool had an edge radius of about 36.2 μm, signifi-
cantly larger than that of the uncoated tool. This is because the
coating on the edge of the coated tool was relatively thick. As
the coating is difficult to attach to the edge, it is difficult to
form a sharp edge. As shearing proceeded, however, the edge
of the uncoated tool became worn at a faster rate than the
coated tool. As a result, the edge radii of the two tools were
both around 40 μm after 1700 shearing times. Thereafter, the
edge radius of the coated tool continued to increase slowly, as
shearing time increased, and was always smaller than that of
the uncoated tool.
In contrast, the edge radius of the uncoated tool increased at
a faster rate. After 6000 shearing times, the edge radius of the
uncoated tool was 51.7 μm (compared to 44.9 μm for the
coated tool). After 12,000 shearing times, the difference was
further enlarged: the edge radius of the uncoated tool was
60.7 μm which is ~ 25% larger than that of the coated tool
(48.6 μm). At this point, the coated tool is significantly sharp-
er than the uncoated one. These results suggest that the AlTiN
coating is capable of maintaining the edge of the tool, keeping
it sharp. Thus, the tool has a superior wear resistance com-
pared to the uncoated tool.
3.2 Change in the shear force
To compare the mechanical properties of the uncoated and
coated tools when shearing the electrical steel sheets, the dy-
namometer was used to track and measure the shear force as a
function of shearing time (Fig. 6).
Figure 6 shows that the shear force increases with the
shearing time. Moreover, for the same shearing conditions,
the increase can be divided into two stages: (1) a stage in
which the shear force grows quickly and (2) a stage in which
the shear force tends to become gradually stabilized and
changes slightly. Compare the shear forces of the uncoated
and coated tools. Initially, it can be seen that the shear force
Fz of the uncoated tool was smaller than that of the coated one.
However, after a certain amount of machining time, the shear
force of the uncoated tool became larger than the coated one.
As shearing continued, the difference between the shear forces
of the two tools became larger.
In the beginning, the uncoated tool required almost 1800 N
of shear force and this rapidly grew to 2200 N after about 200
shearing times. During this time, the shear force of the AlTiN-
coated tool was larger than that of the uncoated tool (increas-
ing from 2300 to ~ 2400 N, a relatively much slower rate of
Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2018) 99:819–831
Table 3 Mechanical properties and parameters of the electric steel sheets
Type Sheet thickness (mm) Tensile strength (MPa)
B35AYSX 0.35 337
growth). After 1700 shearing times, the shear forces of the two
tools were essentially the same. As shearing continued further,
the shear force of the coated tool maintained its slow growth
and was always smaller than that of the uncoated tool whose
shear force grew much more significantly. After 12,000 shear-
ing times, the shear forces of the uncoated and coated tools
corresponded to 3400 and 2900 N, respectively (a difference
of 14.7%).
A comparison of the change in the shear forces of the two
tools and variation of the edge radii of the tools shown in
Fig. 5 show that the two factors are closely related. More
precisely, the smaller the edge radius, the smaller the shear
force. In the beginning, the tools were unworn and had sharp
edges and so a small amount of pressure was needed to make
them shear the metal sheet. As stated above, the initial edge
radius of the uncoated tool was smaller than that of the AlTiN-
coated tool, so that the shear force of the uncoated tool was
smaller than that of the coated tool.
However, as the shearing experiment progressed (2000
shearing times and above), the edge radius of the uncoated
tool became significantly larger than that of the coated tool.
Hence, the shear force of the uncoated tool gradually
exceeded that of the coated one. This is also indicative of
the fact that the degree of wear of the coated tool was signif-
icantly lower than that of the uncoated tool.
3.3 Morphologies of the shear fracture surfaces
Figures 7 and 8 show the morphologies of the fracture surface
and cross-section of the electrical steel sheet sheared using the
uncoated and coated tools, respectively.
Figure 7 shows that in both cases the size of the sheared
zone in the sheet decreased, while that of the fracture zone
tended to increase, as the shearing time increased. In addition,
the stripping of material from the fracture zone became more
(a) Structural diagram of the horizontal shearing tool (b) Changes of the wear of the tool edge (c) Detection device of the tool edge
Fig. 3 Sketch map of the edge profile of the horizontal shearing tool and detection device
823
Shear strength (MPa) Hardness (HV) Yield strength (MPa) Ductility δ5 (%)
254 215 291 24.8
serious. The sheets sheared using the coated tool are of much
better quality with a smoother fracture surface compared to
those sheared using the uncoated tool. The former also show
larger sheared zones, smaller fracture zones, and smoother
transitions between the sheared and fracture zones (with
smaller steps). In comparison, the fracture surfaces of the
electrical steel sheets sheared using the uncoated tool had
obvious boundaries between their roll over and sheared zones,
and the sheared zones appear to be smaller.
As shown in Fig. 8, the quality of the fracture surfaces
machined using the coated tool are clearly superior to those
processed using the uncoated tool (the shear planes are
straight and burrs smaller). The burrs on the sheets sheared
using both tools tended to grow as the shearing time increased.
To further study the quality of the fracture surfaces ma-
chined using the two tools, the morphological characteristics
of the fracture surfaces and the burrs on the electrical steel
sheets were observed (Figs. 9 and 10). As can be seen from
Fig. 9, as the shearing time increased, the sheared zones in the
fracture surfaces of the sheets sheared using both tools grad-
ually became smaller but the sheared zone was always larger
when the coated tool was used. The opposite variation oc-
curred in the height of the fracture zones: the fracture zones
in the sheets processed using the coated tool were always
smaller than those in the sheets machined using the uncoated
tool. The rollover of the sheets processed using the two tools
were little different and maintained a certain size after a certain
shearing time.
To be more specific, after 6000 shearing times, the sheared
zone in the fracture surface of the metal sheet machined using
the coated tool was 227.47 μm high, some 18.6% greater than
that produced using the uncoated tool (191.87 μm). After
12,000 shearing times, the sheared zone produced using the
coated tool was 205.62 μm high (13.4% greater than that
produced by the uncoated tool). The fracture zone of the sheet
824
(a) (b)
100μm
(d) (e)
100μm
Fig. 4 The morphologies of the edges of the tools after different shearing
times. a Uncoated tool before shearing. b Uncoated tool after 6000
shearing times. c Uncoated tool after 12,000 shearing times. d Coated
produced using the uncoated tool was 20% larger than that
produced using the coated tool. The roll over caused by using
both tools essentially remained ~ 60 μm.
As illustrated in Fig. 10, the burrs appearing after shearing
using the two tools exhibit the same variation. That is, the
height of the burr (in both cases) increased sharply at first,
and then more slowly, as the shearing time increased. The
burrs produced using the uncoated tool were markedly larger
The edge radius μm
The shearing times n
Fig. 5 The effect of shearing time on the edge radius
Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2018) 99:819–831
(c)
100μm 100μm
(f)
100μm 100μm
tool before shearing. e Coated tool after 6000 shearing times. f Coated
tool after 12,000 shearing times
than those produced using the coated tool. Comparing these
trends with Fig. 5 implies that the size of the burr produced is
closely associated with the edge radii of the tools. That is, the
larger the edge radii, the greater the burr height. After 6000
shearing times, the burr produced by the coated and uncoated
tools increased to 12.99 and 19.58 μm, respectively. After
12,000 shearing times, the height of the burr produced by
the uncoated tool had increased to 26.65 μm, some 70% larger
than that produced by the coated tool (15.64 μm).
The shear force F N
The shearing times n
Fig. 6 The effect of shearing time on the shear force
Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2018) 99:819–831 825

(a) (b) (c)

Roll over
Sheared zone
Fracture zone
100μm 100μm 100μm

(d) (e) (f)

100μm 100μm 100μm

Fig. 7 Characteristics of the electrical steel sheets after different shearing tool before shearing. e Coated tool after 6000 shearing times. f Coated
times. a Uncoated tool before shearing. b Uncoated tool after 6000 tool after 12,000 shearing times
shearing times. c Uncoated tool after 12,000 shearing times. d Coated

Combining these observations with the variations shown in
Figs. 5 and 6 suggests that the quality of the fracture surfaces
sheared using the two tools is closely related to the variation in
edge radii and shear force. That is, as the edge radius and shear
force increase, the sheared zone shrinks, the height of the burr
increases, and the quality of the shear fracture surface is
reduced.
4 Discussion and analysis
4.1 The state of the wear on the edges of the tools
To compare the amount of wear on the edges of the tools, we
observed their edges using SEM. We also used EDS to deter-
mine the energy spectra of the entire area of observation

(a) (b) (c)

Burr 100μm 100μm 100μm

(d) (e) (f)

100μm 100μm 100μm

Fig. 8 Heights of the burrs on the electrical steel after different shearing tool before shearing. e Coated tool after 6000 shearing times. f Coated
times. a Uncoated tool before shearing. b Uncoated tool after 6000 tool after 12,000 shearing times
shearing times. c Uncoated tool after 12,000 shearing times. d Coated
826
The heights of characteristic strips μm Roll over(coated)
Roll over(uncoated)
Sheared zone(coated)
Sheared zone(uncoated)
Ductile zone(coated)
Ductile zone(uncoated)
The shearing times n
Fig. 9 Effect of shearing time on the heights of characteristic strips
(Fig. 11). The figure clearly shows the state of the wear on the
edges of the two tools—both are worn, but the uncoated tool is
significantly more worn than the coated tool.
Figure 11a and b reveals that the surface of the uncoated
tool is mainly composed of a WC hard phase and Co binder
phase. The former is hard and not apt to be deformed, while
the latter is soft, susceptible to wear, and likely to undergo
plastic deformation. During the shearing process, the Co
phase on the surface of the tool will undergo plastic deforma-
tion and may even be extruded out under the high compressive
stress present when shearing the sheets. As a result, the WC
grains will lose stability and then they may break and peel off
when the contact stress exceeds the breaking limit of the
grains, leaving pits on the surface.
Consider now the appearance of the surface of the uncoated
tool and its elemental composition as a function of shearing
time. After 12,000 shearing times, the Co content of the sur-
face of the uncoated tool had sharply decreased from 25.7 to
7.7%. The W content had also dropped, from 52.7 to 33.7%.
coated
uncoated
The heights of burrs μm
The shearing times n
Fig. 10 Effect of shearing time on the height of the burr
Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2018) 99:819–831
At the same time, the mass fraction of C, Fe, and O rose. The
C and Fe components came from the electrical steel sheets and
the O component from the air.
Our results indicate that the uncoated tool is mainly sub-
jected to induced Co-loss wear, oxidative wear, and a small
amount of adhesive wear. This is in accordance with the con-
clusions of other reports appearing in the literature [32–35]. In
such cemented carbide tools, the loss of the Co binder phase
damages the stability of the WC phase, so that the hard WC
phase is more apt to fall off, leaving the surface of the tool
pitted. Consequently, the edge of the tool is bluntened—the
edge radius increases and the shear force needed to shear the
electrical steel sheet also increases. At the same time, the zone
of the sheet influenced by stress is also enlarged, resulting in
reduced shear quality and higher degree of work hardening.
For the coated tool, Fig. 11c and d shows that only small
amounts of the matrix elements, as well as Fe and O, were
detected on the tool’s surface after 12,000 shearing times. In
addition, only a small amount of coating fell off from the edge
so that most of the surface was still covered by the AlTiN
coating. As a result, only small areas of cemented carbide
were exposed and the cemented carbide matrix was only mild-
ly worn. These observations imply that the deposition of the
coating greatly improves the wear resistance of the cemented
carbide tool. Consequently, the coated tool is not apt to be-
come worn during the shearing process and so the edge radius
of the tool stays smaller than that of the uncoated tool.
Therefore, less shear force is needed to process the electrical
steel sheets—the stress concentration is borne by the sheets
during shearing—leading to shear fracture surfaces of higher
quality and a lower degree of work hardening.
4.2 Work hardening of the fracture surfaces
The local hardening of the sheared edges of the sheets in the
shearing process is a complex physical process accompanied
with plastic deformation and stress concentration. The more
severe the work hardening of the plate during shearing, the
worse the processing quality of the plate. In order to study the
effect of tool wear on the work hardening of the electrical
silicon steel, a microhardness tester was used to measure the
hardness of each part of the shear cross-section (see Fig. 2b).
The distance between each measurement was 50 μm. The
hardness data generated was imported into data analysis soft-
ware (Origin) and used to generate a cross-sectional hardness
cloud image for further analysis (Fig. 12).
As shown in Fig. 12, the two tools produced similar chang-
es in the hardness of the edges of the sheared sheets. The most
significant level of work hardening occurred at the boundary
between the sheared and fracture zones of the sheared edge.
As one moves further away from the sheared edge, the degree
of work hardening decreases and finally approaches the hard-
ness of the matrix material. As the shearing time increases, the
Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2018) 99:819–831 827

Fig. 11 SEM images and energy spectra of the tools’ edges. a Uncoated tool before shearing. b Uncoated tool after 12,000 shearing times. c Coated tool
before shearing. d Coated tool after 12,000 shearing times

maximum hardness of the edges sheared by the two tools, and
the size of the zones affected, both become larger. However,
the hardness of the fracture surface sheared using the coated
tool and the size of the zone affected by work hardening were
both smaller than those produced using the uncoated tool.
Figure 13 shows the change in the depth of the material
affected by work hardening and the maximum hardness of the
fracture surface after different shearing times. The figure
shows that both of these factors exhibit the same trends.
That is, they both increase as the shearing time increases.
828 Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2018) 99:819–831

(a) Uncoated tool before shearing (b) Uncoated tool after 6,000 shearing times (c) Uncoated tool after 12,000 shearing times

(d) Coated tool before shearing (e) coated tool after 6,000 shearing times (f) coated tool after 12,000 shearing times
Fig. 12 The distribution of the hardness of the sheared edges of the sheets as a function of shearing time

However, the changes observed in the sheets processed using work hardening measured 170 and 125 μm when the uncoated
the uncoated tool are more rapid. and coated tools were used, respectively.
In the beginning, when shearing had just been started, the After 6000 shearing times, the maximum hardness of
maximum hardness of the edges sheared using the uncoated the edge sheared using the uncoated tool (300.11 HV)
tool and the size of the zone affected by work hardening were and the zone affected by work hardening (195 μm) were
smaller than those produced using the coated tool. Under these larger than the corresponding values produced using the
conditions, the maximum hardness of the edges sheared using coated tool (292.44 HV and 180 μm, respectively). After
the uncoated and coated tools were 274.22 and 281.29 HV, 12,000 shearing times, the maximum hardness of the
respectively (much larger than the hardness of the matrix, edge sheared using the uncoated tool (321.15 HV) and
215 HV, of the unperturbed sheet). The zones affected by the depth affected by work hardening (290 μm) were
again larger than the corresponding values obtained
using the coated tool (296.29 HV and 220 μm).
In other words, initially, the maximum hardness of the
The max hardness of section(coated tool)
The max hardness of section(uncoated tool)
fracture surface produced using the uncoated tool and the
The hardening depth μm

The hardening depth(coated tool) zone affected by work hardening were both smaller than
The hardening depth(uncoated tool)
those obtained using the coated tool. However, these trends
The hardness HV

were reversed after a certain amount of shearing had been

carried out. Furthermore, the difference between the two
continued to get larger as the shearing time increased.
Comparing these trends with Figs. 5 and 6, it can be seen
that the work hardening of the edges sheared is closely related
to the variation in the edge radius and shear force. That is, the
smaller the edge radius of the tool, the smaller the shear force
required and thus the lower the degree of work hardening
occurring. During the shearing process, the wear and speed
The shearing times n of the tool directly affects the edge radius and shear force, and
Fig. 13 Statistical graphs of the depth affected by work hardening and it also has an impact on the degree of work hardening of the
maximum hardness of the sheared edges fracture surface of the sheared sheet.
Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2018) 99:819–831
Fig. 14 Force diagram for the
tool during the shearing process
(a) Contact when the edge radius is small
4.3 Mechanical model of the shearing tool
To study the effect of tool wear on the shearing of the electrical
steel sheet further, the state of the forces acting on the upper
and lower cutters was analyzed during the shearing process,
and a mechanical model established (Fig. 14).
During the shearing process, the tools are essentially subject
to the action of four forces: the shear forces Fz1 and Fz2 acting
on the tools, and the pressures Fy1 and Fy2 acting on the tool
flanks (all coming from the sheet being sheared). As there is a
certain shear clearance, c, between the upper and lower cutters,
a torque, M, is produced during shearing as a result of these
forces. This causes the sheet to turn slightly as it is sheared.
When the edge radius of the tool is small (Fig. 14a), the
load is concentrated when shearing the sheet and the shear
force Fz acts a short distance, c0, from the shear fracture sur-
face, so the tool easily cuts the sheet. As a result, the defor-
mation region of the sheet is small, as is the degree of work
hardening.
When the tool becomes worn and the edge becomes blunt
(Fig. 14b), the radius of the edge is enlarged and the distance
c0 between the load concentration Fz and shear fracture sur-
face is lengthened. The distance between the lateral pressures
Fy1 and Fy2 also increases. As a result, the sheet disperses the
force so a larger pressure is required to shear the sheet. Under
these conditions, the shear force and the torque M are both
increased, leading to aggravated work hardening. As the
shearing time increases, the uncoated and coated tools both
become worn and their edge radii increase (see Fig. 5). This
leads to an increase in the shear force used (Fig. 6), declining
shearing quality (Figs. 7 and 8), and an increase in the degree
of work hardening (Fig. 12).
In summary, the sharpness of the tool edge is a critical
parameter influencing the shearing of electrical steel sheet.
Therefore, avoiding tool wear and maintaining a sharp tool
edge is of great significance to the shearing process. Doing
so improves the quality of the shear fracture surface and re-
duces the degree of work hardening.
829
(b) Contact when the edge radius is increased
5 Conclusions
1. Coating a cemented carbide tool with AlTiN gives the tool
superior wear resistance compared to an uncoated one.
The coated tool needs a smaller shear force, presents bet-
ter shear performance, and produces a shear fracture sur-
face of higher quality.
2. As the shearing time increases, the edges of the
oblique guillotine tools become more worn and there-
by their edge radii become enlarged, calling for larger
shear forces. As a result, the sheared zone in the shear
fracture surface decreases in height while the heights
of the fracture zone and burr increase. The degree of
work hardening also increases, leading to fracture sur-
faces of lower quality.
3. The shear force required, morphology of the shear fracture
surface, and degree of work hardening during the shearing
process are directly related to the edge radius of the tool—
the larger the edge radius, the sharper the tool, the more
concentrated the stress on the sheet, and the smaller the
zone of deformation in the sheet. As a result, the shear
force and degree of work hardening decline, contributing
to a shear fracture surface of higher quality.
4. The uncoated cemented carbide tool wears mainly as a
result of induced Co-loss wear, abrasive wear, and oxida-
tive wear. After depositing the AlTiN coating, the tool was
endowed with a markedly higher wear resistance. The
coating was thus able to greatly improve shear perfor-
mance and lengthen the service life of the tool.
Acknowledgments The authors would like to thank the National Natural
Science Foundation of China (no. 51575112) and Guangdong Provincial
Science and Technology Project (no. 2016A050503043) for their finan-
cial support. At the same time, the authors would like to thank Professor
Qimin Wang from Guangdong University of Technology for his help in
the preparation of coatings.
Publisher’s Note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdic-
tional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
830
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