• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.142-150
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• 2001

Automotive manufactures have taken more interests in tailored sheet metals for improving the rigidity, weight reduction, crash durability, and cost savings so that their application to auto-bodies has been increased. However, since the tailored sheet metals do not behave like un-welded sheet metals in press forming operations, the stamping engineers no longer rely only on conventional forming techniques. Futhermore, there is no clear understanding of the characteristics of welded metal which influence the overall press formability of tailored sheet metals. Recently, the computer simulations are prevailing for the evaluation of the formability. Unfortunately, the mechanical property of tailored sheet metal has to be quantitatively defined in the simulation. In this study, the analytical equations are formulated in order to find the mechanical properties of the welded metal in the tailored sheet metal welded by co$_2$laser. Based on force distribution assumption, the constitutive behavior of the welded metal is investigated using uniaxial tensile test results of base metals and tailored sheet metal. Then, the strength coefficient, work-hardening exponent, and plastic strain ratio of laser-welded metal are calculate from those of base metals and tailored sheet metal. In addition, the existence of weld defects in the welded metal is indirectly detected by examining the slop of strength coefficient of the welded metal.

• Transactions of Materials Processing
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• v.9 no.5
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• pp.453-462
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• 2000

Tailor-welded blanks are used for forming of automobile structural skin components. The main objective of this study is to achieve weight and cost reduction in manufacturing of components. For successful application of tailor-welded blanks, design of initial welded blanks and prediction of the welding line movement are critical. The utilization of the backward tracing scheme of the finite element method shows to be desirable in design of initial welded blanks for net-shape production and in prediction of the welding line movement. First the design of the initial blank in forming of welded thick sheet with isotropy is tried, and it appears successful in obtaining a net-shape stamping product. Based on the first trial approach, the backward tracing scheme is applied to anisotropic tailored blanks. The welding line movement is also discussed.

• Transactions of Materials Processing
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.354-363
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• 1998

In order to analyze the stretch forming characteristics of tailored blanks, laser welded blanks of different thickness and strength combinations were prepared and stretching tests were done. The stretching formability of laser welded blanks was reduced as increasing the deformation restraining force ($strength{\times}thickness$) ratio between two welded sheets. Weld line movement was attributed to strain concentration at weaker sheets and resulted in fracture at weaker sid, so that fracture could be predicted by the forming limit of the weak sheet. In the case of a welded blank with the similar deformation restraining force rations between two welded sheets, crack occurred at weld and its forming limit was about 15% less than the base sheet. The effects of lubrication and weld line position on stretch-ing formability were also investigated by experiments. Lower friction did not always give better formability for tailored blanks. Stretching formability was observed to be improved as increasing the area of weak sheet.

• Transactions of Materials Processing
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• v.13 no.8
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• pp.678-688
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• 2004

The U-draw bending operation is known as a representative test method for springback evaluation of sheet metals since the sheet in U-draw bending operation undergoes stretching, bending and unbending deformations occurred at the stamping process. In this study, a simplified approach was proposed for predicting springback and side-wall curls of tailor-welded blank in U-draw bending operations, using moment-curvature relationships derived for sheets undergoing stretching, bending and unbending deformation. Two different welded strips were adopted to compare the effects of weld-line locations on the springback. One (type A) was welded along the centerline of the strip-width and the other (type B) was welded along the centerline of the strip-length. To investigate the effect of different thickness combination on the springback, the tailor-welded strips were joined by the laser welding process and consisted of three types of thickness combinations of sheets, SCP1 0.8t ＊ SCP1 1.2t, SCP1 0.8t ＊ SCP1 1.6t and SCP1 0.8t ＊ TRIP 1.0t. Some calculated results by the simplified formula were compared with experimental results.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Technology of Plasticity Conference
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• 2008.10a
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• pp.301-303
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• 2008

In order to investigate the influence of anisotropy on formability and also to obtain guidelines for the stamping process design in friction stir welded TWB (tailor welded blank), the aluminum ally 6111-T4 sheet was welded with three different types of combination: RD||RD, TD||RD and TD||TD (Here, RD and TD mean the rolling direction and transverse direction, respectively) and then hemisphere dome stretching and cylindrical cup drawing tests were carried out. In addition, the numerical analysis was performed to confirm the validity of experimental results. For the numerical analysis, the non-quadratic orthotropic yield function, Yld2004-18p was utilized to represent precise anisotropic properties.

• Transactions of Materials Processing
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• v.8 no.5
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• pp.429-436
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• 1999

In sheet metal forming , forming limit diagram is very important to design and analyze of sheet metal forming process. Recently tailor welded blanks of different thickness and different material and strength combinations are used widely in automobile industry to reduce car manufacturing cost. In order to analyze the forming characteristics of tailored welded blanks, we have investigated the forming limit dia-grams for 3 kinds of different material using mash seam and laser welding experimentally and dis-cussed for the characteristics of forming for tailor welded blanks. It is concluded that forming limit dia-gram for the different material combination TWB locates between FLD of the thinner base material sheet and the thicker ones.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Technology of Plasticity Conference
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• 1998.06a
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• pp.121-130
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• 1998

In order to analyze the forming characteristics of laser welded tailored blanks, laser welded blanks of different thickness and strength combinations were prepared and tensile, stretching, stretch flanging and deep drawing tests were done. The tensile elongation perpendicular to the weld line, stretching and stretch flanging formability decreased with increasing the deformation restraining force (strength ${\times}$ thickness) ratio between two welded sheets. The tensile elongation along weld line reached a value above 90% of the single sheet's elongation. Stretch flanging formability was reduced to approximately 10% of the single sheet value when the deformation restraining force ratio between two welded sheets was increased to two. Weld line movement of deep drawing test specimens was also affected by the strength ratio of the combined sheets, the weld line location and forming conditions. In all forming modes of tailored blanks, excessive weld line movement resulted from strain concentrations at the weaker sheet and resulted in fracture of the weaker side.

• Laser Solutions
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.23-29
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• 2002

As automotive manufacturers have taken a growing more interest in tailored sheet metals for improving the rigidity, weight reduction, crash durability, and cost saving application of the tailored sheet metals to automotive bodies has been resently increased greatly. In this study, we investigated the characteristics of fatigue crack initiation behavior of laser welded sheet use for vehicle body panel. We experimented three types of specimens which were machined of the same base metal : one is 1.4㎜ thick, another is 1.6㎜ thick, the others is laser welded of the 1.4mm thick specimen and 1.6㎜ thick specimen. The results indicated that laser welded metal (1.4＋1.6㎜) is the best one for fatigue strength and fatigue life.

• Journal of Advanced Marine Engineering and Technology
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.157-165
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• 1997

The strength level of welded joint in room temperature and elevated temperature up to $600^{\circ}C$ was investigated in 250 and 300 grade 18% Ni maraging steel sheet welded with electron beam. The results obtained in this study are as follows; 1. Optimum welding heat input was 600J/cm in 1.0mm thickness and the room temperature tensile strength, joint efficiency of welded joint treated with optimum aging condition were found to be about 166kg/$mm^2$, 95% in 250 grade, 189kg/$mm^2$, 92% in 300 grade maraging steel sheet, respectively. 2. Tensile strength of welded joint in room temperature increased slightly by aging after repeated solution heat treatment, but the fracture mode showed a shear. 3. Joint efficiency at a temperature between $540^{\circ}C$and $600^{\circ}C$ found to be about 72% to 55%, but the joint efficiency exceeded about 90% below $300^{\circ}C$. 4. The fracture occurred in most weld metal, and the fracture surface showed a shallow dimple.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2004.10a
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• pp.1025-1028
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• 2004

In this paper, we studied low cycle fatigue behavior of laser welded sheet metal that used automobile body panel. Specimens were manufactured as weld condition and sheet metal using automobile manufacturing company at present. For to know mechanical properties, micro Vicker's hardness test was performed of specimens. But, we can't confirm mechanical properties of weld bead and heat affected zone because laser weld makes very narrow weld bead and heat affected zone than other welding method. Therefore, we performed low cycle fatigue test with similar weldment, dissimilar weldment, similar thickness and dissimilar weldment, and dissimilar thickness and dissimilar weldment for fatigue properties of thickness and welding direction. As well, we analysis stress distribution of base metal, weld bead, and heat affected zone according to strain load using finite element method.