Effect of Thickness Ratio on Fatigue and FEA Life

Estimation Criteria in Welded Structures

Abstract

The welded structures have a broad applicability in automotive industry. The

welding being an assembled process, presents both advantages and disadvantages
for the two wheeler motor structure. A simple existing defect after welding can
generate a catastrophic fracture. Recently all major fabricated structures in two
wheelers are optimized by Computer Aided Engineering -Finite Element Analysis
techniques to meet the constricted weight to strength and stiffness targets. Local
reinforcements in the main structure with unequal member thickness are playing
major role to meet these requirements. Various critical parameters which affect the
weld structure life are not being modeled in FE analysis to minimize the modeling
complexity and computation times. But in FEA-simulations acceptance stress
values for a given base material are derived as a function of various parameters
like the geometry, size, thickness, weld location, weld toe, flank angle, welding
quality and cold working process etc. In this paper the effect of the base material
thickness and weld location on fatigue life of welded structure and FEA simulation
acceptance limit values are investigated for two wheeler scooter frame. In order to
predict the fatigue behavior of the welded structure, a constant amplitude loading is
applied where the influence of the thickness ratio over the fatigue life and
acceptance values for same base material are presented.