The newly developed flexible rolling concept satisfies the ongoing demand for vehicle weight reduction in combination with improved passive safety. For this concept an advanced rolling gap control was installed in a cold mill at the Institute for Metal Forming (IBF) at the RWTH Aachen. With that technology blanks with a continuous change of thickness can be rolled. These blanks are designated by a load optimised thickness and strength profile with a good formability. When annealed the formability of the flexible rolled blank is comparable to a cold strip but superior to tailor welded blanks. In this study done in cooperation between the Ford Reseach Center, Aachen and the IBF the formability of flexible rolled blanks and tailor welded blanks made of a microalloyed high strength grade was investigated. Possible automotive applications are crash relevant and outer parts.
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