Abstract: Weld-bead movement and poorer formability are the urgent problems that need solving during forming automobile panels with tailor-welded blanks (TWBs). Calculating formula for weld-bead movement of TWBs in transverse uniaxial stretching is deduced. Based on analyzing the characteristics of automobile door-inner, two sheet metal and the position of weld-bead are determined, and two schemes of forming processes are put forward, which are “ step blank-holder ” and “ step blank-holder & weld-bead clamping bar ”. By means of dynamic finite element method, the effects of step blank-holder and weld-bead clamping bar on weld-bead movement are researched. After decreasing weld-bead movement, the formability of tailor-welded blanks is greatly improved according to the forming limited diagram, stress distribution, strain distribution and thickness thinning.

Key words: Automobile panels, Formability, Tailor-welded blanks, Weld-bead movement