• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.538-543
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• 2002

M/S TB(Mash Seam Tailored Blank) is a production method for blanks by welding together blanks of different material, thickness and coating, and is an attractive method for manufacturing car body because it makes parts lighter and can save the cost and time to manufacture. However, there have not been quantified criteria to evaluate the quality of TB weld. This study introduced FHR (failure height ratio) in order to assess formability or/and weldability of the M/S welds and the applicability of FHR was confirmed by actual auto body forming and FLD tests. Furthermore, a new parameter, HN(heat number) based on the heat input of "$Q=I^2Rt$" was proposed and assessed. It was found that the concept of HN could be utilized to evaluate the soundness of M/S welds without any destructive tests.ive tests.