Product Code: JLA_2_3_26

Authors:
Charles E. Albright
Chris Hsu
R. Olan Lund
Edison Welding Institute, 1100 Kinnear Road, Columbus, Ohio 43212

This investigation demonstrates that weld pattern selection can significantly increase fatigue strength in laser‐welded lap joints. The study included evaluations of the effects of weld pattern, plate thickness, intersheet gap width and joint prebending on fatigue strength. All joints were tested in simple lap tensile shear. A weld pattern with multiple short welds parallel to the loading direction, and located within a band transverse to the loading direction, exhibited a fatigue strength 1.8 times higher (about 10 times longer fatigue life) than a simple transverse weld. Increasing plate thickness greatly reduced fatigue strength, while prebending and intersheet gap had no significant effect on joint fatigue strength.