Influence of weld geometry and mismatch on formability of aluminium tailor welded blanks: numerical and experimental analysis

The forming behaviour of tailor welded blanks (TWBs) has been widely studied since its development. In the numerical simulation studies, the TWBs are modelled as blanks composed of two different materials, and often, the presence of the weld bead is neglected in its finite element discretisation. In the present work, the influence of the weld bead shape on the formability of friction stir welded TWBs, is analysed. Several finite element meshes were constructed in order to represent different weld bead geometries and numerical simulations of the cylindrical cup drawing were performed. Strong influence of the weld bead shape on the formability of the TWBs was observed when the weld was in overmatch relatively to the base material, and little influence when the weld was in undermatch condition. Comparison of the numerical results with experimental ones shows that the numerical analysis is able to preview the formability of the TWBs.