Technical Paper
The Usage of Finite Element Analysis on Spot Welds Optimization and Its Potential Contribution for Production´s Volumes Increase
2015-09-22
2015-36-0154
Welding is the longest automotive manufacturing process in terms of time. Approximately 95% of an actual body structure joining is consisted by spot welds. In this specific joining process, the panels are joined one against the other, via pressure and an electric current released by the welding machine. Some case studies are demonstrating that, by using CAE optimization algorithm, it is possible to reduce significantly the amount of spot welds, without loss of function or performance. This paper demonstrates a case study with a reduction of approximately ∼ 14 % of spot-welds in a body region of a vehicle, using these tools.
