Spot-Weld Service Life Estimate Based on Application of the Interfacial Crack Concept

Abstract

<jats:p>In the automotive industry, spot-welding is the most common method of joining components. Thus, determining the service life of spot-welds is of great importance in designing assemblies or structures. It is well-known that lately there has been a trend in the industry toward reducing the fuel consumption and harmful gasses emissions, as well as the weight of structures with the application of the lightweight materials, like aluminum alloys. In this paper, research is presented on the behavior of a spot-weld between the plates made of the two dissimilar materials—aluminum alloy and steel. In addition, the influence of the plates’ thickness and the weld nugget’s diameter on welds’ service life is presented. In this analysis, a concept of the interface crack between the two linear elastic materials was applied. Obtained results show that the plates’ thickness and the nugget’s size, as well as the working load, impose significant influences on the service life of a spot-weld between the two dissimilar materials.</jats:p>

Profile and Areal Surface Parameters for Fatigue Fracture Characterisation

“…With an increase in the stress amplitude, the size of the zones changes, the zone with striations decreases and the zone of rupture grows. When testing brittle or quasi-brittle materials, the height of the fracture profile often decreases with increasing crack length as a result of the formation of facets of cleavage or intergranular fracture [ 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 ]. Overall, there were obvious differences in topography for propagation or rupture, particularly the coarser areas.…”

Sustainable Processes in Aluminium, Magnesium, and Titanium Alloys Applied to the Transport Sector: A Review

“…Spot welding is another of the most commonly used methods for joining aluminium and steel parts in the automotive industry. For this reason, Nikolic et al [59] carried out an experimental analysis of the influential parameters on the lifetime of components joined using this technology, concluding that the lifetime at fatigue of the welded joint increases with the increase in the thickness of any of the individual plates, with the increase in the diameter of the welding point, and decreases with the increase of the applied load. In addition, the crack propagation behaviour was analysed, and it was concluded that the crack practically does not propagate until the number of load cycles reaches 30,000, at which point the crack length starts to increase linearly up to about 40,000 cycles, after which the crack growth becomes unstable.…”

Corrosion Fatigue Damages of Rebars under Loading in Time

“…It is known from practice that the destructive effect of corrosion appears in the weld zones [ 19 ]. In [ 20 ], the measuring methods of the electrode potentials of the weld zones are considered, which makes it possible to qualitatively assess its corrosion destruction degree depending on the aggressive environment, steel grade and the nature of the stress state.…”