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This paper examines the natural frequencies, mode shapes and modal damping ratios of a specially designed laboratory fixture with integral, welded or glued joints. The influence of these alternate joints on the dynamic properties of an assembly is demonstrated, using experimental, computational and analytical methods. Dimensions of a typical welded joint configuration are varied to study their effects on the modal properties of an assembly. Predictions are successfully compared with experimental modal data. This study should help in selecting the welded joint configuration to meet strength, durability or dynamic design criteria.

Accurate quantification of welded or adhesive joints in automotive chassis structures is necessary before reliable models can be developed. Such joints undergo shear and rotational deformations, which must be characterized via diagonal stiffness elements and cross-stiffness terms in order to describe static and dynamic problems. In this paper, a frequency domain decomposition technique is employed to extract static stiffness and viscous damping matrices of dimension 2 via analytical, computational or experimental models. Methods are applied to a laboratory fixture and alternate joints are compared.