Advances in Automobile Engineering
Open Access

Design optimization of spot welds for optimal strength of structure

5^th International Conference and Exhibition on Automobile and Mechanical Engineering

September 20-21, 2018 | Rome, Italy

Zaheer Abbas and Nadeem Shafi Khan

National University of Science and Technology, Pakistan

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: Adv Automob Eng

Abstract :

Resistance spot welding (RSW) is particularly employed for high volume and rapid welding applications in automotive assembly process for joining multiple metal sheets and parts. The failure of spot welded joints are linked to several factors like, weld nugget size, edge distance, spacing between spot welds, sheet thickness, material properties of heat affected zone, residual stresses and material inhomogeneity. Finite element analysis (FEA) of multiple spot welded joints under tensileshear load are investigated to attain optimum strength and desired factor of safety. The analysis show that spacing between the adjacent spot welds, edge distance and thickness of the sheets are primary factors affecting the strength of the joints for a given material. The optimal edge distance increases the strength of the weld by providing clearance of spot welds from plate edge. The optimal spacing of spot welds is the thin line between the stress superimposition and supporting effect of spot welds. The variation of sheet thickness effects the strength of spot welds as the optimal edge distance changes with thickness. For asymmetric thickness of sheets, strength is defined by thinner sheet and for symmetric sheet edge optimal edge distance varies with thickness.

Biography :

E-mail: zaheer.abbas@cae.nust.edu.pk