Analysis of spot weld distribution in a weldment—numerical simulation and topology optimization

• Published in: International journal of advanced manufacturing technology Vol. 95; no. 9-12; pp. 4071 - 4079
• Main Authors: Junqueira, D. M., Silveira, M. E., Ancelotti, A. C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Springer London 01.04.2018; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Automobile industry; Automobiles; Automotive engineering; CAE) and Design; Computer simulation; Computer-Aided Engineering (CAD; Crashworthiness; Engineering; Industrial and Production Engineering; Mathematical models; Mechanical Engineering; Media Management; Metals; Optimization; Original Article; Production costs; Reduction; Resistance spot welding; Safety; Spot welds; Stiffness; Topology optimization; Torsion; Welded joints; Spot weld; Topology optimization; Resistance spot welding; FEM; Weldment
• ISSN: 0268-3768; 1433-3015
• DOI: 10.1007/s00170-017-1555-8

An automobile’s structure takes about 3000 to 6000 spot welds, and resistance spot welding is the most widely used because of its simplicity. Because it is a process that greatly influences the overall production cost, the automotive industry tends to decrease spot welds present in vehicle structure. With this, the majority of automobiles are unable to achieve satisfactory results in safety tests, such as crash tests. In addition to affecting safety in impact cases, the reduction in the number of spot welds implies a reduction in torsional and longitudinal vehicle stiffness, making it unstable and noisy. In view of the need for more studies on the effects of this reduction, this study uses numerical simulation and topology optimization to help assess the most appropriate spot weld distribution in a weldment, to maintain the torsional stiffness within acceptable limits. Results showed that structures obtained by topology optimization can have better stiffness and compliance compared to non-optimized structures.