Automotive Engineering Commons^™

Application Of Reanalysis Techniques For Pattern Design Of Spot Welds, Young San Kim

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Extensive benchmarking on competitive cars has shown that the durability of vehicles, assembly-induced variations, and assembly cost are directly related to the quality and number of spot welds. On most luxury cars, approximately 4,500 to 5,000 spot welds are found. On less expensive cars, the range is from 3,500 to 4,500. These cars usually inherit more noise, rattles, squeaks, and other quality-related problems. These problems have motivated the search for a new capability to systematically place welds in the most critical areas, with a minimum number of welds for car bodies, while satisfying all performance requirements (e.g., stiffness, stress distribution, …