Torsional Fatigue Performance of a Spot-Welded Structure: An XFEM Analysis

This study delves into the exploration of the fatigue performance of a structure that has been spot-welded and is being loaded with torsional fatigue. The extended finite element method (XFEM) was applied to simulate the intricate interaction of spot welds in response to cyclic loading. The developed model was validated through experiments. The influences of different parameters, such as the number of spot welds used to join the adherends, the diameters of the spot welds, and the load ratio applied, on the fatigue performance of the box were investigated. The first two parameters studied had a significant influence on the extent of the fatigue failure-affected spot welds, where the crack propagation rate can be decreased by more than 700%.