TY - JFULL AU - R. O. Santos and L. P. Moreira and M. C. Cardoso PY - 2015/10/ TI - Finite Element Analysis of the Blanking and Stamping Processes of Nuclear Fuel Spacer Grids T2 - International Journal of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering SP - 1095 EP - 1104 VL - 9 SN - 1307-6892 UR - https://publications.waset.org/pdf/10002147 PU - World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology NX - Open Science Index 105, 2015 N2 - Spacer grid assembly supporting the nuclear fuel rods is an important concern in the design of structural components of a Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR). The spacer grid is composed by springs and dimples which are formed from a strip sheet by means of blanking and stamping processes. In this paper, the blanking process and tooling parameters are evaluated by means of a 2D plane-strain finite element model in order to evaluate the punch load and quality of the sheared edges of Inconel 718 strips used for nuclear spacer grids. A 3D finite element model is also proposed to predict the tooling loads resulting from the stamping process of a preformed Inconel 718 strip and to analyse the residual stress effects upon the spring and dimple design geometries of a nuclear spacer grid. ER -