• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.81-86
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• 2007

We suggest a design method for reducing the number of spot welds in the vehicle body in terms of durability. To reduce the number of spot welds, we use the DOE(Design of Experiments) analysis with two influence indices for the durability and the fatigue life of a spot weld itself. Through the suggested design method, we select spot welds that could be removed without serious reduction of durability of the whole model. We apply this new methodology to the BIW(Body In White) model of a vehicle by choosing some practical parts where durability-related point of view must be considered importantly by experience.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.64-72
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• 1987

The Weldability of gavannealed steel using spot welder has been studied. The Results obtained are a follows; 1) Welds size and strength were increased depending on the welding time and welding current. But, the increasing rate has been decreased. 2) Deposited zinc has affected on the wear of welding tips and growth of welds but has not affected the weld's structures. 3) On shear testing of the specimen, button fracture has been observed and the value was approximately 540Kg (welds dia. approximately .phi.4mm)

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Technology of Plasticity Conference
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• 2004.05a
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• pp.39-42
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• 2004

In the present paper, a novel systematic method using the 2-D hybrid special finite elements containing an edge crack is employed to study the fracture behaviors of laser beam spot-welds in automotive structures. 2-D hybrid special finite elements each containing an edge crack can assure the high precision especially in the vicinity of crack tips and give a better description of its singularity with only one hybrid element surrounding one crack. Therefore, the numerical modeling of the laser beam spot-welds can be greatly simplified. Some numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the validity and versatility of the proposed method. All the lap-shear, lap-tension and angle clip specimens are analyzed and some useful fracture parameters (such as stress intensity factors, the initial direction of crack growth) are obtained simultaneously.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.66-73
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• 2010

Conventional fracture test of resistance spot weld had been performed without consideration of paint baking process in automobile manufacturing line. This study was aim to investigate the effect of paint baking on fracture mode and load carrying capacity in fracture test for resistance spot welded 780TRIP steels. With paint baking cycle after resistance spot welds, peel tests and microhardness were conducted on the as-welded and baked samples. Resistance spot welds in AHSS (Advanced High Strength Steels) are prone to display partial interfacial fractures during fracture test or vehicle crash. Baking cycle increased the load-carrying capacity of the resistance spot welded samples and improved the fracture appearance from partial to full button fracture for the L-type peel tests. Specially, the differences in fracture appearance are apparent when the nugget size of spot welds is small enough to produce the partial interfacial fracture. The comparison of macrohardness and microstructure between as-welded and baked samples showed that there are no large difference in change the fracture mode. However, the results of the instrumented indentation test suggested that fusion zone and HAZ of baked sample have less tensile and yield strength and proves that the tempering effects are applied and enhanced the resistance to fracture on welds with application of baking cycle.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.554-561
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• 1998

Vehicle body structures are formed by thousands of spot welds and fatigue failure of vehicle structures occur near the spot welds after driving a long way at a durability test road. It is necessary to know accurately the reason of the fatigue failure of the spot weld in the developing stage in order to reinforce it. Many investigations have been done regarding the strength of spot welded joints, contributing to understand its fatigue strength. In developing process, a fatigue failed spot welded area can be repaired by $CO_2$ welding or another method to continue the test. To know the effect of reinforcing these welds, several methods of welding were analyzed and compared to spot welding. With the results of this test, the appropriate repair method can be used instead of spot welding during the development of new car and best design guide can be given for the strength. In this study, fatigue and static tensile tests are made and microstructure is investigated for the purpose of estimating the strength of welded joints by using spot welded and $CO_2$ plug welded specimens. The tested specimens are of two types : Tensile-shear type(TS) and L-tension type(LT).

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.71-76
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• 2010

The use of advanced high-strength steels (AHSS) in automotive applications has steadily increased over the past few years. Two different failure modes are generally observed in shear-tension tests for resistance spot welds of AHSS. interfacial fractures and full button pullout. Despite high load-carrying capacity. the resistance spot welds in AHSS cue prone to interfacial fractures. To improve the load carrying ability of welds during shear-lap and cross tension tests. the tip surface of the electrode was grooved in a round shape. The electrode tip surface was modified so as to concentrate the current now in the central and circumferential portion of the electrode force. The results showed that the interfacial fracture was suppressed in welds using the modified electrode. In a comparison of failure mode during mechanical tests. the welds made with the modified electrode showed a higher tendency to fail via full button pullout fracture.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering Conference
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• 2012.04a
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• pp.361-366
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• 2012

In this paper, we propose the efficient technique that reduces the number of spot-welds and increases the structural rigidity by using the topology optimization technique. Eigen value analysis is used to evaluate the rigidity of the optimized model. As a first step, the topology optimization is performed to find optimal spot-weld distributions. In this study, the design objective is to maximize the weighted frequencies. The volume fractions of the weld components are used as design constraints, and also the densities of each element in the individual design space are used as design variables. And then, to consider the possibility of spot-weld failure, the contribution rate analysis was performed by using the orthogonal array method of DOE. The spot-welds in the rear panel part are reinforced according to estimation results of the contribution rate analysis. Finally, we obtained optimized spot-weld layout model which has the reduced number of spot-welds and the improved dynamic stiffness.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.224-231
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• 1984

Having found by means of a tension-shear test an optimal spot welding condition under which the maximum weld strength is to be brought forth, this study made an examination of behavior of fracture concerned with behavior of stress distribution, observed around the nugget periphery of the specimens prepared under the optimal conditions, with one point spot welded mild steel sheets. The resultant findings are as follows: (1)There remarkably exists an optimal spot welding condition to indicate the maximum weld strength, and fracture of the specimens spot welded under that condition occurs outside the nugget boundary. (2)An experiment on the basis of a photoelastic model reveals that the maximum stress is distributed along the center line of the steel plate width but occurs on the region corresponding to heat affected zone of spot welds. (3)Heat affected zone of spot welds consists of coarse grains with considerably low micro Vickers hardness value and of fine grains of high micro Vickers hardness value, and in this unbalanced structure weak region are represented in coarse grain region, where fracture is initiated and continues its propagation.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.136-145
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• 2012

Resistance spot welding of TRIP780 steels was investigated to enhance understanding of weld fracture mode after tensile shear testing (TST) and L-shape tensile testing (LTT). The main failure mode for spot welds of TRIP780 steels was partial interfacial fracture (PIF). Although PIF does not satisfy the minimum button diameter (4${\surd}$t) for acceptable welds, it shows enough load carrying capacity of resistance spot welds for advanced high strength steels. In the analysis of displacement controlled L-shape tensile test results, cracks initiated at the notch of the faying surface and propagated through the interface of weldments, and finally, cracks change path into the sheet thickness direction. Use of the ductility ratio and CE analysis suggested that the occurrence of PIF is closely related to high hardness and brittle welds, which are caused by fast cooling rates and high chemical compositions of TRIP steels. Analysis of the hold time and weld time in a welding schedule demonstrated that careful control of the cooling rate and the size of a weld nugget and the HAZ zone can reduce the occurrence of PIF, which leads to sound welds with button fractures (BFs).

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.64-72
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• 2011

Nondestructive instrumented indentation test is the method to evaluate the mechanical properties by analyzing load - displacement curve when forming indentation on the surface of the specimen within hundreds of micro-indentation depth. Resistance spot welded samples are known to difficult to measure the local mechanical properties due to the combination of microstructural changes with heat input. Particularly, more difficulties arise to evaluate local mechanical properties of resistance spot welds because of having narrow HAZ, as well as dramatic changed in microstructure and hardness properties across the welds. In this study, evaluation of the local mechanical properties of resistance spot welds was carried out using the characterization of Instrumented Indentation testing. Resistance spot welding were performed for 590MPa DP (Dual Phase) steels and 780MPa TRIP (Transformation Induced Plasticity) steels following ISO 18278-2 condition. Mechanical properties of base metal using tensile test and Instrumented Indentation test showed similar results. Also it is possible to measure local mechanical properties of the center of fusion zone, edge of fusion zone, HAZ and base metal regions by using instrumented indentation test. Therefore, measurement of local mechanical properties using instrumented indentation test is efficient, reliable and relatively simple technique to evaluate the tensile strength, yield strength and hardening exponent.