Establishment of a model predicting tensile shear strength and fracture portion of laser-welded lap joints

Abstract

This study was aimed at establishment of a model that can predict tensile shear strength and fracture portion laser-welded lap joints in the tensile test. To clear influence of the bead length and width on them, the joints employed steel sheets with a thickness in the range of 0.8 mm to 1.2 mm were evaluated. It was found that the tensile shear strength increased with the bead size, and the fracture occurred at base metal (BM), weld metal (WM) or portion between them with a curvature (referred to as portion R). Also to clarify rotational deformation process around WM during the tensile test, joint cross-sections were observed at some applied load levels in the test. This observation derived the relationship between the radius, Ri, at the inner plane of portion R and the rotational angle, θ, of the center of sheet thickness, and the relationship between Ri and applied load. A plastic analysis based on these functions and assumptions that the joint consists of BM, WM and R, which are under simplified stress mode respectively, could estimate the tensile shear strength and the fracture portion of the joints. This estimation made good accord with experimental results.