Experimental And Numerical Analysis Of Low Cycle Fatigue Of Spot-Welded Joints Under Peel-Tension Loading.

Abstract

This paper investigates three different finite element models describing a single
spot-welded joint of thin plates under peel-tension loading. Experimental tests have been
conducted to enable comparison of the peak elastic strain measurements in the spot-weld with
those predicted by the finite elements models. It was found that the solid model gives the best
correlation to the strain predictions.
The elastic-plastic finite element behaviour of the spot-welded joint under monotonic and
cyclic loading is considered for two geometries. The effects of variations in post-yielding
material properties on the stress and strain are considered. These results are compared with
the notch-stress-strain conversion rule estimates associated with low cycle fatigue. It was
found that the Neuber rule provides conservative estimates.