KEVOS® MAKEOS · Fabrication
Plate Shear Capacity Check (Shearing Force, Largest Thickness, Knife Length)
Can my guillotine or plate shear cut this plate, and what is the thickest plate of this material it can cut?
Check of a plate shear (guillotine) for a cut: the shear strength from the tensile strength, the shearing force for parallel blades or raked (inclined) blades with the penetration at fracture, and the machine force with an allowance for parallel blades (as the shearing force tool), then the largest thickness of the same material the shear can cut at its rated capacity, and the cut length against the knife length.
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How this tool works
Inputs, units and where to find them
| Input | Unit | Typical source |
|---|---|---|
| Blades | choice | Parallel blades cut the whole length at once; raked blades cut progressively with much less force. |
| Material thickness | mm | Thickness of the plate. |
| Cut length | mm | Length of the cut (parallel blades shear it all at once). |
| Tensile strength | MPa | Tensile strength of the plate. |
| Shear strength ÷ tensile strength | Shear strength as a share of tensile strength (about 0.8 for steels). | |
| Blade rake angle | ° | Rake angle of the moving blade. |
| Relative blade penetration at fracture | Share of the thickness the blade penetrates before the plate fractures. | |
| Inclined blade factor n | Factor for the inclined blade formula. | |
| Shear rated capacity | kN | Rated force of the shear. |
| Knife (blade) length | mm | Length of the knives. |
Method and formulas
- Parallel blades F = τ b t; inclined F = n τ_ratio σ_u p t² ÷ tan (rake); machine force = 1.3F for parallel blades (as the shearing force tool).
- Largest thickness: force grows with t for parallel blades and with t² for raked blades, so t_max = t × (capacity ÷ force) or t × √(capacity ÷ force).
- Cut length against the knife length.
- Example: 118.76 kN of the 500 kN capacity; the shear can cut up to 12.311 mm of this material.
Limitations
- Sharp blades with correct clearance; dull blades or wrong clearance raise the force considerably.
- Rated capacity as given by the maker, usually for mild steel at its rated thickness.
- Example values are illustrations. Replace them with values for your actual task.
Typical uses
- Check a guillotine before cutting a stronger plate
- Find the thickest stainless a mild-steel-rated shear can take
- Compare raked and parallel blades
Who it is for
- Fabrication supervisors
- Sheet metal workers
- Manufacturing engineers
What you get
- Shearing and machine force
- Use of the rated capacity
- Largest thickness and cut length
Interpreting the result
- Raked blades cut force roughly in proportion to plate thickness, which is why most plate shears have them.
References
- Machinery’s Handbook, 29th edition (Industrial Press, 2012), printed pp. 1336–1339. Topic reference; no source tables or recommended settings are reproduced.
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Open the Plate Shear Capacity Check (Shearing Force, Largest Thickness, Knife Length) calculator
