Tailor Welded Blanks With Artificially Aged Hybrid Weld Seams
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Solution Overview
Problem
In the production of tailor welded blanks (TWBs), particularly aluminum-steel hybrid TWBs, the yield strength of weld seams is often lower than the surrounding base material due to natural aging, leading to localized deformation and limited application, and existing solutions like solution annealing followed by quenching are unsuitable as they result in brittle phases, contamination, and warpage.
Innovation Solution
A method where a component system is produced with a connection seam of a precipitation-hardenable naturally aged aluminum alloy, which is then artificially aged to achieve a yield strength higher than the surrounding components, avoiding solution annealing and quenching, and allowing for deformation without localized expansion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If solution annealing followed by quenching is performed to increase weld seam strength, then the yield strength improves, but brittle phases form and contamination occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts or eliminates the solution annealing and quenching steps from the welding process for aluminum-steel hybrid TWBs. Instead, it relies on controlled natural aging during welding and subsequent artificial aging to achieve the desired strength without forming brittle phases or causing contamination.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the complex solution annealing and quenching process with a simpler, shorter natural aging process that occurs during welding, followed by artificial aging. This avoids the need for additional equipment, fluids, and complex process control associated with solution annealing and quenching.
2Strength
If solution annealing followed by quenching is performed, then weld seam strength increases, but warpage and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes the natural aging that occurs during the welding process itself to begin strengthening the weld seam, eliminating the need for a separate solution annealing step. This preliminary aging action is integrated into the welding process, reducing total energy consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the thermal processing parameters from high-temperature solution annealing followed by rapid quenching to lower-temperature artificial aging after welding. This parameter change significantly reduces energy consumption while achieving the desired weld seam strength.
3Strength
If natural aging occurs before TWB production, then base material strength increases, but deformation localizes in the weld seam region
Solution Approach 1:
The patent controls the welding parameters to limit the degree of natural aging in the weld seam, and then applies artificial aging to achieve uniform strength distribution. This parameter control ensures that the weld seam does not become significantly stronger than the base material, preventing deformation localization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs artificial aging after welding to uniformly strengthen both the base material and weld seam before deformation. This preliminary strengthening action ensures uniform deformation behavior during subsequent forming operations.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The yield strength of the connection seam exceeds that of the surrounding components, preventing localized deformation, eliminating the need for complex tools, saving energy, and avoiding contamination, while enabling significant deformability and increased productivity.
Implementation Method 1
The strength of the self-hardening alloys stems primarily from solid-solution solidification, which is optionally enhanced by cold forming. In contrast, hardenable aluminum alloys can be hardened by means of precipitation hardening. This involves superfine precipitates contributing to the strength.
Implementation Method 2
The quenching prevents the alloy from achieving its thermodynamic equilibrium. The cooling therefore has to take place at an alloy-dependent minimum cooling speed or below a maximum cooling duration such that a critical cooling speed of the aluminum alloy is exceeded
Implementation Method 3
initially unshaped, planar metal sheets are welded, if necessary so as to have different thicknesses and/or materials
Implementation Method 4
When welding ferritic steels, which are often used these days in vehicle manufacturing, the rapid cooling in the welding process during TWB production leads to a local increase in hardness of the weld seam
Data Source
AI summary
Method for producing a component system having a first component with a first component portion and a second component with a second component portion, including the following steps: connecting, in particular welding or soldering, the first component portion, which consists of an aluminum alloy, to the second component portion, which in particular consists of a naturally aged aluminum alloy, a copper alloy or an iron alloy, in particular a steel alloy, so as to form a connection seam; artificially aging the connection seam such that the yield strength of the connection seam is above the yield strength of the first component portion and/or of the second component portion; and deforming, in particular deep-drawing and/or stretch-drawing, the component system.