METHODS OF FORMING AND STAMPING TAILOR FRICTION STIR WELDED BLANKS WITH ENHANCED EDGE STRETCH

• Main Authors: Ilinich, Andrey M, Danyo, Michael William, Hoffman, Ryan, Ren, Feng
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 05.08.2021
• Subjects: CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; MACHINE TOOLS; MECHANICAL METAL-WORKING WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVINGMATERIAL; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PUNCHING METAL; SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; TRANSPORTING; WELDING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM; WORKING OR PROCESSING OF SHEET METAL OR METAL TUBES, RODS ORPROFILES WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL

A method of forming a stamped part includes forming a tailor welded blank by friction stir welding (FSW) a first blank to a second blank, removing a FSW start spot and a FSW stop spot from the tailor welded blank using a machining process such that a finished tailor welded blank is formed and stamping the finished tailor welded blank into the stamped part such that a weld formed by FSW the first blank to the second blank is plastically deformed. The first blank and the second blank can be aluminum alloy blanks and a predetermined amount of material is machined from the FSW start spot and the FSW stop spot, the predetermined amount of material being equal to or greater than a thickness of the first blank and the second blank.