Tolerances and measuring strategies in the virtual process chain for spot welded structures

This paper presents a method with whose help it is possible, to quickly and precisely predict the influence that thermal spot-shaped joining processes has on the dimensional stability of complex component structures even in early planning phase. The welding distortion is calculated in the context of reduced computing time, based upon an experimentally calibrated mechanical substitute model. This expands existing approaches of substitute models and defines both an experimental and numerical procedure for creating adequate calibration samples. In turn, this makes use of the potential obtained for standardizing the experimental basis for calculating and modelling the distortion to automatically carry out painstaking calibration processes in simulations and experiments in future based upon mathematical model functions. Finally, the limits to applying the substitute spot welding model are verified with reference to its predictability using a complex joining situation of a car body construction.