Weld-Bonded Joints Properties with Advanced High Strength Steel DP600

In this paper, structural adhesive SikaPower-498 is associated with spot welds to produce weld bonded joint with KS2 specimens. The specimens are tested under tension, shear and peeling loading. Weld bonded joint ultimate strength and energy absorption are compared with single spot welded joints and adhesively bonded joints tests. In order to investigate the facture mechanism of weld bonded joint, optical microscopy and scanning electronic microscopy are used to check the material structure and the facture surfaces respectively. Weld bonded joints show the highest ultimate strength and energy absorption under tension and peeling test among the three tests while it has intermediate ultimate strength and the lowest energy absorption under shear. Fracture analysis shows that spot welds fail in ductile fracture. The results can be used to design weld bonded joint in car body-in-white and to calibrate modeling parameters for weld bonded joint modeling in finite element calculations.