Technical Paper
New Linear and Non-linear Tailored Blanks - A new classification according to their manufacturing process
1997-12-31
973130
NEW LINEAR AND NON-LINEAR TAILORED BLANKS - A NEW CLASSIFICATION ACCORDING TO THEIR MANUFACTURING PROCESS In the past years the number of tailored blanks has been continuously rising in Europe, United States and Japan. From its initial beginning in 1979 at Volvo Sweden, the tailored blank applications include now rails, columns, door inner panels, wheel houses, floors, rocker panels, cross beams, shelf panels, hood reinforcements and body side rings. They all have one common feature: straight respectively linear welds. In the automotive industry the new buzz word is «non-linear welds». The reasons for non-linear welds are such as improved stampability by moving the weld seam away from the critical areas lighter tailored blanks by using only thicker gage material only where absolutely needed and inserting pockets of thicker gage sheet metal in order to valuate the impact of non-linear welds.