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Due to magnesium alloy's poor weldability, other joining techniques such as laser assisted self-piercing rivet (LSPR) are used for joining magnesium alloys. This research investigates the fatigue performance of LSPR for magnesium alloys including AZ31 and AM60. Tensile-shear and coach peel specimens for AZ31 and AM60 were fabricated and tested for understanding joint fatigue performance. A structural stress - life (S-N) method was used to develop the fatigue parameters from load-life test results. In order to validate this approach, test results from multijoint specimens were compared with the predicted fatigue results of these specimens using the structural stress method. The fatigue results predicted using the structural stress method correlate well with the test results.

Laser lap welding quality is a non-linear response based on a host of categorical and numeric material and process variables. This paper describes a Grammatical Evolution approach to the structure identification of the laser lap welding process and compares its performance with linear regression and a neuro-fuzzy inference system.

In the North American automotive industry, various advanced high strength steels (AHSS) are used to lighten vehicle structures, improve safety performance and fuel economy, and reduce harmful emissions. Relatively thick gages of AHSS are commonly joined to conventional high strength steels and/or mild steels using Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) in the current generation body-in-white structures. Additionally, fatigue failures are most likely to occur at joints subjected to a variety of different loadings. It is therefore critical that automotive engineers need to understand the fatigue characteristics of welded joints. The Sheet Steel Fatigue Committee of the Auto/Steel Partnership (A/S-P) completed a comprehensive fatigue study on GMAW joints of both AHSS and conventional sheet steels including: DP590 GA, SAE 1008, HSLA HR 420, DP 600 HR, Boron, DQSK, TRIP 780 GI, and DP780 GI steels.

An experimental study was conducted to evaluate the effect of water absorption on tensile and fatigue behaviors of an impact-modified short glass fiber polyamide-6 and a short glass fiber polybutylene terephthalate. Specimens were prepared in the longitudinal and transverse directions with respect to the injection mold flow direction and immersed in water. Kinetics of water absorption was studied and found to follow the Fick's law. Tensile tests were performed at room temperature with specimens in the longitudinal and transverse directions and with various degrees of water absorption. Mathematical relations were developed to represent tensile properties as a function of water content. Load-controlled tension-tension fatigue tests were conducted in both longitudinal and transverse directions and correlations between tensile and fatigue strengths were obtained. Specimen fracture surfaces were also microscopically studied and mechanisms of tensile and fatigue failures were identified.

With improvements in casting technology, cast iron can be an alternative to steel in some applications due to its similar strength. One objective of this study was to analyze cast iron data obtained from the literature and evaluate predictive correlations between its tensile, microstructural, and fatigue properties. Reasonably good correlation of tensile strength and yield strength were found with hardness. However, fatigue strength could not be correlated with hardness or tensile properties. Another objective of this study was to evaluate tensile and compressive means stress effects on fatigue behavior of 120-90-02 ductile cast iron experimentally, as well as analytically by using predictive models. Mean stress levels were chosen such that R ratios in load-controlled tests were −7, −3, −1, 0, 1/3, 0.5, and 0.75. Modified Goodman, Smith-Watson-Topper, FKM and the Fatemi-Socie mean stress parameters were used to account for the mean stress effect on fatigue life.

An experimental study was conducted to evaluate the variable amplitude fatigue behavior of a neat polymer (polypropylene impact co-polymer) and a polymer composite made of polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) with 30 wt% short glass fibers. Fatigue tests were conducted on un-notched and notched specimens at room temperatures. Plate-type specimens were prepared in the transverse direction with respect to the injection mold flow direction and a circular hole was drilled in the center of notched specimens. Two-step loadings (high-low and low-high) tests at two damage ratio of 0.2 and 0.5 at stress ratios of R = 0.1 and -1 were conducted to investigate load sequence effects and prediction accuracy of the linear damage rule. Different behaviors were observed for unreinforced and short glass fiber reinforced polymers under the two-step loading tests.

Joining technology is a key factor to utilize dissimilar materials in vehicle structures. Adaptable insert weld (AIW) technology is developed to join sheet steel (HSLA350) to cast magnesium alloy (AM60) and is constructed by combining riveting technology and electrical resistance spot welding technology. In this project, the AIW joint technology is applied to construct front shock tower structures composed with HSLA350, AM60, and Al6082 and a method is developed to predict the fatigue life of the AIW joints. Lap-shear and cross-tension specimens were constructed and tested to develop the fatigue parameters (load-life curves) of AIW joint. Two FEA modeling techniques for AIW joints were used to model the specimen geometry. These modeling approaches are area contact method (ACM) and TIE contact method.

The problem of predicting the quality of weld is critical to manufacturing. A great deal of data is collected under multiple conditions to predict the quality. The data generated at Daimler Chrysler has been used to develop a model based on grammatical evolution. Grammatical Evolution Technique is based on Genetic Algorithms and generates rules from the data which fit the data. This paper describes the development of a software tool that enables the user to choose input variables such as the metal types of top and bottom layers and their thickness, intensity and speed of laser beam, to generate a three dimensional map showing weld quality. A 3D weld quality surface can be generated in response to any of the two input variables picked from the set of defining input parameters. This tool will enable the user to pick the right set of input conditions to get an optimal weld quality. The tool is developed in Matlab with Graphical User Interface for the ease of operation.

Weld Joints are widely used in automotive and aerospace industry. The main issue in the weld joints is the quality inspection to detect the disconnection in the welded area. In this paper, Shearographic technique with dynamic excitation is introduced to test the weld joints. In the experiments, the coupons are of 4 very thin layers of metal sheets welded together. The goal is to find out if there are any disconnections between the layers. They are clamped and then excited by a PZT actuator from behind. A real time digital Shearographic system with a self-refreshed reference image technology has been developed to display the measuring result, i.e. shearogram. A big range of driving frequencies is scanned to find the proper frequency and amplitude that can help to identify the disconnections. The results show that when the driving frequency reaches the resonance frequency, there will be big amplitude and thus a fringe pattern becomes visible on the coupon surface.

The strain-life approach is now commonly used for fatigue life analysis and predictions in the ground vehicle industry. This approach requires the use of material properties obtained from strain-controlled uniaxial fatigue tests. These properties include fatigue strength coefficient (σf′), fatigue strength exponent (b), fatigue ductility coefficient (εf′), fatigue ductility exponent (c), cyclic strength coefficient (K′), and cyclic strain hardening exponent (n′). To obtain the aforementioned properties for the material, raw data from stable cyclic stress-strain loops are fitted in log-log scale. These data include total, elastic and plastic strain amplitudes, stress amplitude, and fatigue life. Values of the low cycle fatigue properties (σf′, b, εf′, c) determined from the raw data depend on the method of measurement and fitting. This paper examines the merits and influence of using different measurement and fitting methods on the obtained properties.