• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.181-189
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• 2001

For the Tailor Welded Blank sheet used fur automobile body panel, the characteristics of fatigue crack propagation behavior were studied. The thickness of specimen was machined to be same (0.9+0.9mm) and different (0.9+2.0mm). As a base test, mechanical properties around welding zone were examined. The results indicated that there were no significant decreases in mechanical properties, but hardness around welding bead is 2.3 times greater than base material. The crack propagation rate was noticeably decreased around welding line and rapidly increased as it passed by welding line. Reviewing the shape of the crack propagation, crack width around welding line was wide around the welding zone due to retardation of crack growth, but it became narrow passing welding line due to decreased toughness. Elasto-Plastic analysis was performed by finite element analysis fur explaining the test results.

• Proceedings of the KWS Conference
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• 2001.10a
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• pp.81-84
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• 2001

This study introduces the new way for the evaluation criteria of the Mash-Seam Tailored Blank weldability, The materials used are low carbon automotive galvanized and high strength steels and the evaluation of weldability are examined with various thickness. Welding tests were conducted for both similar thickness and dissimilar thickness cases. The criteria developed for optimum welding conditions were based on the relationship among results of die press forming test, forming limit diagram, Erichsen test and microhardness measurements. The application of the developed criteria(fracture ratio, strength ratio, etc) in obtaining optimum welding condition revealed that a weld which satisfied ant of the criteria did not fracture during actual die press test and FLD dome test.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.143-150
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• 2003

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 $28MPa\sqrt{m}$.

• Laser Solutions
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.1-9
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• 2006

In this paper, we investigated the characteristics of fatigue fracture on TB(Tailored Blank) weldment by comparing the fatigue crack propagation characteristics of base metal with those of TB welded sheet used for vehicle body panels. We also investigated the influence of center crack on the fatigue characteristic of laser weld sheet of same thickness. We conducted an experiment on fatigue crack propagation on the base metal specimen of 1.2mm thickness of cold-rolled metal sheet(SPCSD) and 2.0mm thickness of hot-rolled metal sheet(SAPH440) and 1.2+2.0mm TB specimen. We also made an experiment on fatigue crack propagation on 2.0+2.0mm and 1.2+1.2mm thickness TB specimen which had center crack. The characteristics of fatigue crack growth on the base metal were different from those on 1.2+2.0mm thickness TB specimen. The fatigue crack growth rate of the TB welded specimens is slower in low stress intensity factor range $({\Delta}K)$ region and faster in high${\Delta}K$ region than that of the base metal specimens. The slant crack angle slightly influenced the crack propagation of the TB specimen of 2.0+2.0mm thinkness.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.510-516
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• 2002

Recently the laser welding technology has been applied increasingly for the automotive bodies. But the lap joint laser welding for 3 dimensional automotive body is new while the butt joint laser welding is well known as the tailored blank technology. In this study, the process window was found for the full penetration welding of the lap joint of the 1mm-thick high strength steel sheets. The limit curves and characteristic curves were suggested to define the boundaries and the contour lines in a space of the welding speed and the gap size. The characteristics of the weld sectional geometry were used to determine the limit curves. They are bead width, penetration depth and sectional area. After the observed data was analysed carefully, it was noticed that there was a transition point at which the sectional shape was changed and the bead area jumped as the welding speed was increased. Also a new concept of 'input energy Per volume' was suggested to distinguish the difference at the transition Point. The difference of sectional areas at the transition point can be related to the dynamic keyhole phenomena.