Virtually Evaluated Welds for Powertrain Installation Bracketry and Physically Correlated for First Time Right Designs 2021-26-0420

Virtual validation of automobile components poses a huge challenge and needs continuous process improvements. One of such challenge in FE modelling of welds and understanding its behavior with respect to physical behavior. With the ongoing development of BSVI line of products in commercial vehicle industry, the virtual validation needs to be accurate and close to the physical behavior of the components. The learning and challenges faced during the previous development is implemented in the current study for weld simulation and correlation activity. The brackets welded to the power train components is taken as a challenge in the present work. Initially weld model was depicted in the CAD and was analyzed in CAE by providing proper FE connection. This practice had lot of flaws, approximations due to perpendicularity and flatness concerns in the models leading to consuming a lot of time in model preparation. But as per market trends, every product needs to be launched on time with first time right design slogan. Using SIMLAB tool by ALTAIR, weld FE modelling time has been drastically reduced by 30%, as compared to existing method, without any modelling errors. Then the FE model has been analyzed for strength and life of welds. In order to validate the FE Model, physical testing was done by varying the size of the welds and correlating the physical model with FE models. An excellent correlation was achieved with the improved CAE methodology, and same was implemented as standard procedure for weld analysis.