A Review of Advanced Joinery Methods for Lightweight Automotive Applications

To enhance fuel economy and minimize emissions of vehicles, a lightweight design is currently considered the most viable option by the automotive industry. This paper will investigate mechanical joints and welded joints that connect different lightweight materials for assembly. An analysis has been conducted on multiple modern joint technologies, such as bolted joints, friction stir welding, MIG welding, laser welding, ultrasonic welding, and riveting. By using a machine to test the strength in tensile and shear, it was found that MIG welding has the highest strength in the welding field, with an endurance strength of 238.3 MPa. These findings are meant to furnish engineers with ideas on how to optimize the strength-to-weight ratio of assemblies with multiple materials in vehicles, as these will promote the manufacture of lightweight, well-balanced, and energy-efficient vehicles.