Test procedure for fatigue investigations regarding structured sheet metal joints

Abstract The topic of fatigue strength of joints of flat and honeycomb-structured thin sheets has not yet been adequately studied. This concerns, for example, the development of an appropriate test method. In many cases, there is still a lack of information, how effective joints of flat and structured sheet metals are in comparison with reference joints of flat sheets. Combinations of resistance spot-welded specimens of flat and honeycomb-structured thin sheets of deep-drawing steel DC04 with a thickness of 0.5 mm were examined. Adopted clamping plates were applied for the testing. Joined smooth specimens were used as a reference material. The analysis of the frequency [1] was applied for comparison. The fatigue limit of a joint of a flat and a structured sheet metal is not significantly affected by spot welding. The fatigue limit of these spot-welded joints is comparable to that of an unjoined honeycomb-structured sheet. By means of frequency or stiffness analysis, stability and damage mechanisms of differently shaped joints were explained. The joining of bridges of the structure shows a better stability than the combination of honeycombs. The stiffness analysis is a favored method for the clarification of the damage mechanisms in a spot-welded joint. The reasons for the low fatigue strength values of the joined flat-structured specimens compared to flat-flat joints are strong notch effects in the bridge area and momentum effects by the structure height of the studied honeycomb structure. The spot weld with a pronounced indentation also affected the fatigue strength of both flat and structured joined sheet metals.