Tailored blanks are semi-finished parts, which are typically made from sheets with different alloys, thicknesses, coatings or material properties. After joining, these will be subjected to

deep drawing Deep drawing is a sheet metal forming process in which a sheet metal blank is radially drawn into a forming die by the mechanical action of a punch. It is thus a shape transformation process with material retention. The process is considered "dee ...

or stamping. Tailored blanks were developed by

ThyssenKrupp ThyssenKrupp AG (, ; stylized as thyssenkrupp) is a German industrial engineering and steel production multinational conglomerate. It resulted from the 1999 merger of Thyssen AG and Krupp and has its operational headquarters in Duisburg and E ...

to make sheets that were wider than those made on available rolling mills of the time. These days, tailored blanks are used to make items such as door panels which are thick near the hinges and thin near the lock to withstand different types of loads or corrosion attacks. They are lighter and often cheaper than conventional sheets. Tailored Blanks are typically made from steel. Aluminium and dissimilar material tailored blanks are also available but less common.

Types

* Tailor Welded Blanks (TWB) are welded from different sheets in the butt joint configuration. This is normally achieved by

laser welding A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The word ''laser'' originated as an acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of rad ...

electron beam welding Electron-beam welding (EBW) is a fusion welding process in which a charged-particle beam, beam of high-velocity electrons is applied to two materials to be joined. The workpieces melt and flow together as the kinetic energy of the electrons is ...

friction stir welding Friction stir welding (FSW) is a solid-state joining process that uses a non-consumable tool to join two facing workpieces without melting the workpiece material. Heat is generated by friction between the rotating tool and the workpiece material, ...

. * Tailored Strips are continuously welded strips. * Tailored Coils are continuously welded coils. * Tailor Rolled Blanks (TRB) are sheets with a continuous thickness transition. These different blank thicknesses are made on a cold rolling mill. * Patchwork Blanks are sheets that are locally reinforced by attaching smaller sheets (patches) in the lap configuration by laser welding or adhesives. * Tailored Tubes (TT) are tubular components with variations in thickness or strength, e.g. to be used in

hydroforming Hydroforming is a means of shaping ductile metals such as aluminium, brass, low alloy steel, and stainless steel into lightweight, structurally stiff and strong pieces. One of the largest applications of cost-effective hydroforming is the automot ...

. * Tailored Orbitals (TO) are

doughnut A doughnut or donut () is a type of pastry made from leavened fried dough. It is popular in many countries and is prepared in various forms as a sweet snack that can be homemade or purchased in bakeries, supermarkets, food stalls, and fran ...

shaped tubes of which the ends are welded face to face for automotive and industrial applications. * Tailor Heat Treated Blanks are sheets that exhibit locally different material properties. A local heat treatment is used to change the properties of aluminium alloys, for example, that show

precipitation hardening Precipitation hardening, also called age hardening or particle hardening, is a heat treatment technique used to increase the yield strength of malleable materials, including most structural alloys of aluminium, magnesium, nickel, titanium, and so ...

. With this technology, the material properties can be optimised for subsequent deep drawing operations or for the final industrial application.

References

* *{{Citation , last1 = Asadian-Ardakani , first1 = M.H. , last2 = Morovvati , first2 = M.R. , last3 = Mirnia , first3 = M.J. , last4 = Mollaei Dariani , first4 = B. , title = Theoretical and experimental investigation of deep drawing of tailor-welded IF steel blanks with non-uniform blank holder forces , journal = Proc. Inst. Mech. Eng. B , year = 2015 , volume = 231 , issue = 2 , pages = 1–15 , doi = 10.1177/0954405415577559 , s2cid = 108832008 Fabrication (metal) Welding