Optimum tailor-welded blank design using deformation path length of boundary nodes

In this paper, the optimum shape of Tailor-Welded Blanks (TWB) is investigated. The optimization is performed for two different case studies. The first example is deep drawing of a TWB with dissimilar materials and uniform thicknesses and the next example is deep drawing of a TWB with similar materials and non-uniform thicknesses. The effect of blank optimization on the weld line movement is investigated. Also the effect of weld line location on the blank optimization and weld line movement is examined.