Tailored Hybrid Blanks in Steel and Aluminium

Thyssen Tailored Hybrid Blanks (THB) are cold-formable combinations of steel and aluminium sheets. They include linear lap joints fabricated by means of a laser-assisted roll bonding technique. The initial development work has meanwhile progressed to the stage where a pilot line is set to start up operation and fabricate hybrid blanks in shapes and sizes required for automotive engineering applications.

The present state of development, a possible spectrum of products, and main process parameters are discussed. Research into the forming behaviour of hybrid blanks is looked at, citing practical examples, added with findings from metallographic analyses and corrosion testing.