Study and modelling of the opening and tearing-off process of tinplate lids

Through specially designed and constructed devices, the study and modeling of the opening process (perforation and tearing) of R-200 cans was carried out. This type of can is mainly used in storing food. This study included measuring the loads necessary for opening and tearing-off the lid. Because the material used to fabricate the ends is T5 tinplate, the tearing process was simulated on this material by manufacturing two parallel notches of different residual thicknesses, with the objective of obtaining a correlation between this parameter and the tearing load. The modeling of this process by the finite element method was made considering a three dimensional mesh. The software used was Algor TM. The model permits computing the necessary force to open the can and the tearing force of both the cans and the base material, finding a good agreement between experimental and predicted values. A set of mechanical and microstructural characterizations were also made in order to identify the principal features of these materials.