MANUFACTURING AND FORMING OF PARTIALLY CLADDED DOUBLE BLANKS

The paper presents the manufacturing and hydroforming of partially cladded double blanks. This novel, semi-finished product can be produced by partial cold roll-bonded cladding. By printing a separating layer onto the contact surface beforehand, cold roll-bonded cladding, defined blank areas remain unjoined which can be bulged during hydroforming to a complex part. Favorable advantages result from the time and cost effective continuous joining process and the extended potential for a material combination aimed at optimally adapted multi-layer composites. Experimental investigations could prove a good joining strength and assure that the cold roll-bonded cladding does not significantly decrease the formability of the cladded blank material. Considering a heat exchanger and a roof rail, the experimental investigations could prove the producibility of parts based on partially cladded blanks and have shown an adequate shape accuracy of the produced parts.