A study on laser weldability and formability of high thickness ratio tailor welded blanks

Abstract

Cold-rolled steel sheets of thickness ranging from 0.7 (with zinc coating) to 2.0 mm were used to produce tailor laser welded blanks (TLWBs) with various thickness ratios, the maximum of which reaches 2.86:1. In this study, the laser weldability and formability of the TLWBs, as well as the mechanical characteristics of the weld zones, were analyzed experimentally under the effects of various thickness ratios of TWLBs. The results showed that the hardness of the weld beads are 1.9 times higher than respective parent metal at most but the formability of TLWBs as evaluated by the Erichsen cup test was lower than that of the parent material.