Blank Materials

Abstract

All sheet metal forming operations start with the blank material. The final part properties are dependent on the incoming material properties and how they could be changed during the process. To engineer the final part, it is essential to understand the incoming blank material. This chapter discusses the most common 22MnB5 steel, and other steel grades already in use or proposed to be used in hot stamping processes. Incoming blank could be uncoated or coated. Coatings can affect the final properties due to scale formation, decarburization and by the presence of microcracks. In the last decade, tailored blanks have been used in a number of automotive applications. The last section of this chapter summarizes Tailor Rolled, Patchwork, Tailor Welded blanks, and their combinations.