Abstract
Various light materials including aluminum alloys and magnesium alloys are being used to reduce the weight of vehicle structures. Joining of dissimilar materials is always a challenging task to construct a solid structure. Self-piercing rivet (SPR) joint is one of various joining methods for dissimilar materials. Front shock tower structures were constructed with magnesium alloy (AM60) joined to aluminum alloy (Al6082) by SPR joints. To evaluate the durability performance of the SPR joints in the structures, fatigue tests of the front shock tower structures were conducted with constant amplitude loadings. Furthermore, this study investigated fatigue life prediction method of SPR joints and compared the fatigue life prediction results with that of experimental results. For fatigue life prediction of the SPR joints in the front shock tower structures, lap-shear and cross-tension specimens of SPR joint were constructed and tested to characterize the fatigue properties of the SPR joint. Then, the SPR joint was represented with area contact method (ACM) in finite element (FE) models. The load-life curves of the lap-shear and cross-tension specimens were converted to a structural stress-life (S-N) curve of the SPR joints. The S-N curve was used to predict fatigue life of SPR joints in the front shock tower structures. The test results and the prediction results were well correlated.
Highlights
Automotive industries continue to develop fuel-efficient vehicles by reducing their weight
This study reports a fatigue life prediction method for self-piercing rivet (SPR) joints between AM60 and Al6082 and validate the method using front shock tower structures
Based on the observation of the failure modes of the joints, it was assumed that the mechanics at the SPR joint are similar to those of the electrical resistance spot weld joint
Summary
Automotive industries continue to develop fuel-efficient vehicles by reducing their weight. Joining technology plays key role to construct vehicle structures with dissimilar light materials including aluminum alloys and magnesium alloys. In this research front shock tower structures of a passenger vehicle were constructed with magnesium alloy (AM60), aluminum alloys (Al6082) and sheet steel (HSLA350). Durability tests of the constructed structures were conducted to evaluate the structural performance of the joints and the base material of the shock tower components. The loading direction applied for the durability tests was determined to evaluate a specific joint or base material. X-direction loading as shown in Figure 1 was intended to assess durability of SPR joints between AM60 and Al6082. This study reports a fatigue life prediction method for SPR joints between AM60 and Al6082 and validate the method using front shock tower structures.
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