Abstract: An apparatus for trimming scrap from a blank 10 is provided including a clamping pad 12 holding a blank 14 against a steady blade 16. A moving blade 18 with a radius 24 works in combination with a support element 30,in communication with the scrap 26, to reduce defects in the blank 14 associated with the trimming process.

Abstract: A fixture is provided for testing the shear strength of a longitudinal weld which interconnects a plurality of planar blanks forming a tailor welded blank. The fixture includes a first pair of triangular shaped face plates connected to one side of the tailor welded blank and a second pair of triangular shaped face plates connected to the other side of the tailor welded blank. Each of the face plates includes a transverse edge which extends across the longitudinal weld connecting the planar blanks. The fixture further includes each of the transverse edges having a first portion and a second portion spaced from and parallel to the first portion. The fixture also includes an isolation portion interconnecting the first and second portions of the transverse edges adjacent the longitudinal weld for isolating a portion of the weld whereby the isolated portion of the weld is tested for shear resistance by applying a tensile load to the first and second pair of face plates.

Abstract: Method of analyzing spot welded sheet metal structures subjected to forces that promote one or more basic failure modes of either shear tension, in-plane rotation, coach peel, normal tension, or any combination of such basic modes, the method comprising: (i) providing spot welded sheet metal test coupons for analysis of the selected failure mode for the structure to be analyzed and subjecting such test coupons to progressively increasing forces that eventually achieve failure in the selected failure mode to thereby generate measured load and displacement test data; (ii) analyzing the data from the basic modes to derive and extract spot weld strength and stiffness information and then surface fitting such extracted data to create a database; (iii) establishing a computer math model for simulating the spot weld failure modes of the structure and populating the database thereinto to enable simulated physical tests of the structure; (iv) creating a cumulative-damage failure criterion for the spot welded structure