Effect of Sheet Spacing on Fatigue Life of 5083-O Aluminium Alloy Spot-Welded Joints

The main goal of this investigation was to study the influence of sheet spacing on the fatigue life of 5083 O aluminium alloy spot-welded joints. The values of notch strength reduction factors were obtained for all kinds of spot-welded joints with different gap distances between sheets based on volumetric approach. The fatigue lives of spot welded joints were then determined using the notch strength reduction factors and the available smooth S-N curve of 5083-O aluminium alloy sheets. The results were compared with the experimental fatigue test data, showing a very good agreement between numerical predictions and experimental results.