Performance of shell elements in modeling spot-welded joints

The numerical performance of general shell elements in modeling spot-welded joints is investigated. Finite element meshes composed of purely three-dimensional (3D) elements and purely general shell elements are used to analyze the stress and deformation fields in a symmetric coach-peel spot-welded specimen and their solutions are compared in detail. It is found that a properly refined finite element mesh of general shell elements can produce stress and deformation solutions comparable to those generated by a similarly refined mesh of 3D solid elements. The findings of this paper have direct implications to the analysis of sheet metal structures with spot-welded joints (such as automotive structures). (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.