Background: Strain and stress conditions in sheet metal shearing are of interest for calibration of various fracture criteria. Most fracture criteria are governed by effective strain and stress triaxiality.

Methods: This work is an attempt to extend previous measurements of strain fields in shearing of steel sheets with the stress state calculated from the measured displacement fields. Results are presented in terms of von Mises stress and stress triaxiality fields, and a comparison was made with finite element simulations. Also, an evaluation of the similarities of the stress conditions on the sheet surface and inside the bulk material was presented.

Results: Strains and von Mises stresses were similar to the surface and the bulk material, but the stress triaxiality was not comparable. There were large gradients in strain and stress around the curved tool profiles that made the result resolution dependent and comparisons of maximum strain and stress values difficult.

Conclusions: The stress state on the sheet surface calculated from displacement field measurements is useful for validation of a three-dimensional finite element model.