Rational Reduction of the Number of Spot Welds in the Vehicle Body Considering Durability

We suggest a design method for reducing the number of spot welds in the vehicle body in terms of durability. To reduce the number of spot welds, we use the DOE(Design of Experiments) analysis with two influence indices for the durability and the fatigue life of a spot weld itself. Through the suggested design method, we select spot welds that could be removed without serious reduction of durability of the whole model. We apply this new methodology to the BIW(Body In White) model of a vehicle by choosing some practical parts where durability-related point of view must be considered importantly by experience.