Effect of weld-line position on springback behavior in advanced high-strength steel tailor-welded blanks on hat-shaped bending application

In this study, both experiments and finite-element analysis are performed to elucidate the effect of weld-line position on the springback behavior of advanced high-strength steel tailor-welded blanks (AHSS-TWBs). AHSS-TWBs are fabricated from grade 590Y high-strength steel and 980Y advanced high-strength steel, each with a thickness of 1.2 mm. Gas tungsten arc welding is performed to obtain autogenous butt-weld joints. Three distinct weld-line position patterns are systematically analyzed to investigate the springback phenomenon via hat-shaped draw bending. Experiments on the AHSS-TWBs show that the weld-line position affects springback. The stress distribution changes with the weld-line position, thereby initiating variations in both the components of the bending moment and the corresponding springback angle. Depending on the weld-line position, different springback behaviors and bending moments are resulted on the components.