Paper Title
INVESTIGATION OF SHEET THICKNESS DISTRIBUTION AND WELD-LINE SHIFT DURING SPIF OF TWBs

Abstract
Abstract - Incremental Sheet Forming is an advanced sheet metal forming process. The process is gaining a lot of attention due to its lower setup cost and the significant increase in Formability. However, the recent developments in the automobile and aviation industries require materials with a high strength-to-weight ratio. These requirements are addressed by joining sheets of several grades, various thicknesses, and different coatings through the welding process called Tailor Welded Blanks (TWBs). In this work, the Formability of tailor welded AA 6061-T6 blanks joined by Friction Stir Welding (FSW) is examined numerically and experimentally using the single point incremental forming (SPIF). FSW blanks are manufactured using different welding tools from AA6061-T6 sheets having different thicknesses. Then blanks are formed by SPIF using different tool paths and process parameters. The profile of the formed component and weld line shift is studied experimentally on the samples. Additionally, the samples' thickness variation is investigated to determine the influence of the FSW process on the thickness distribution. The SPIF of Friction Stir Welded blank is simulated numerically using the ABAQUS/Explicit simulation tool. Responses like thickness variation, the geometry of the formed part, and weld line shift are extracted during post-processing. Numerical results were compared with experimental results for the best welding tool and forming tool path combination. Keywords - Tailor Welded Blanks, Single Point Incremental Forming, Friction Stir Welding, Different thickness, Formability