Abstract
Experimental research has been carried out to investigate the characteristics of the fatigue crack initiation and propagation behavior of Tailor Welded Blank(TB) sheet used for vehicle body. We used three types of specimens which were machined of the same base metal: one is 1.4mm thick, another is 1.6mm thick, and the third(TB specimen) is laser-welded of two specimens(1.4mm and 1.6mm thick ones). The results of tensile and hardness test indicate that the yield strength of the TB specimen is the highest, and the hardness around welding bead is higher than that of base metal. Fatigue strength and fatigue limit of the TB specimen are much superior to those of the base metal up to $10^6$ cycles. The fatigue crack propagation of the heat-affected zone of the TB specimen is slower than that of the base metal. Welding bead has the fastest crack Propagation in the low stress intensity factor range$(\DeltaK)$ region, but the slowest in the high $\DeltaK$ region. The fatigue propagation characteristic of the TB specimen is relatively stable in comparison with that of the base metal in the high ${\Delta}K$ region around over $28MPa\sqrt{m}$.