Abstract
This study presents the effect of the spot weld and sheets thickness on the fatigue life of the of the spot-weld joints to predict the lifetime and location of the weakest spot-welds due to the variable amplitude loading conditions. A simple model was used to illustrate the technique of spot-weld fatigue analysis. Finite element model and analysis were carried out utilizing the finite element analysis commercial codes. Linear elastic finite element analysis was carried out to predict the stress state along the weld direction. It can be seen from the results that the predicted life greatly influence the sheet thickness, nugget diameter and loading conditions of the model. Acquired results were shown the predicted life for the nugget and the two sheets around the circumference of the spot-weld at which angle the worst damage occurs. The spot-welding fatigue analysis techniques are awfully essential for automotive structure design.
Highlights
Spot welding is a widely employed technique to join sheet metals for body and cap structure in the automotive industry
This study presents the effect of the spot weld and sheets thickness on the fatigue life of the of the spot-weld joints to predict the lifetime and location of the weakest spot-welds due to the variable amplitude loading conditions
The aim of this study was to illuminate the effect of sheet thickness on the fatigue behavior of spot welds and in particular to investigate the use of fatigue life prediction approach
Summary
Spot welding is a widely employed technique to join sheet metals for body and cap structure in the automotive industry. The strength of the spot welds in the unibody vehicle structure determines the integrity of the structural performance during the vehicle operations. Most spot welds generally carry only shear forces but spot welds can experience a significant amount of peel force or the force normal to the spot weld in certain loading conditions. The combination of the stress states and geometric shapes of the spot welds lead to stress concentration that can result in fatigue crack initiation around the spot weld. The presence of fatigue cracks can degrade structural performance and increase noise and vibration of the vehicle structure. Understanding of the fatigue strength for the spot welds is very important in automotive component design
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