Determination of mechanical properties of the weld zone in tailor-welded blanks

Mechanical properties of the weld zone are necessary for accurate modeling of forming processes involving tailor-welded blanks (TWB). Tailored blanks are usually produced by laser welding. Due to small size of the weld cross-section it is not possible to use standard tests to determine mechanical properties of the weld zone in tailor-welded blanks. Special testing procedures must be employed. This paper presents different methods which can be used to determine mechanical properties of the weld zone in tailor-welded blanks. Methods based on experimental tests as well as those combining experimental procedures with numerical studies are described. The presented methods include uniaxial tension tests, microhardness tests and indentation tests combined with inverse numerical analysis. The stress–strain relationships for the weld zone in a steel laser welded blank obtained using different methods have been compared with one another.