Abstract: A welded blank assembly is formed by welding first and second sheet metal pieces together at a weld joint. At least one of the sheet metal pieces includes a boron steel or press hardenable steel base material layer and an aluminum-based coating material layer, along with a weld notch where at least a portion of the coating material layer is removed before welding. An additional material can be provided during welding to influence weld joint composition and/or a secondary heat source can be used to heat and flow a protective material in a weld region of the blank assembly. The weld notch has a width that may be related to the width of a heat-affected zone formed during welding.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
February 22, 2017
Date of Patent:
December 14, 2021
Assignee:
TWB COMPANY, LLC
Inventors:
James J. Evangelista, Michael Telenko, Jason E. Harfoot, Jack A. Atkinson, James W. Walther, Anthony M. Parente