Fatigue design concept of copper weldments

research project : Fatigue design concept of copper weldments

Copper as an electrical conductor is becoming increasingly important for achieving our climate protection goals in the transport sector and in the field of renewable energy technology. We are developing the fatigue design concept that is still lacking for copper so that welded copper components can also be designed in a compliant and safe manner.

Project name	Fatigue design concept of copper weldments
Acronym	FATWELDCO
Project partner	Technical University DarmstadtInstitut für Stahlbau und Werkstoffmechanik – Fachgebiet Werkstoffmechanik Steinbeis Innovationszentrum BWF Esslingen gGmbH TU Braunschweig – Institut für Füge- und Schweißtechnik, various companies
Grantor	BMWE/IGF – Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy / Industrial Collective Research
Duration	from 1.9.2024 to 28.2.2027
Research field	E+E & M+M (E+E > Energy + Environment I+I > Information + Intelligence M+M > Matter + Materials)
Project content	The electric powertrain is of great importance in the development and production of future vehicles. Copper and copper alloys, as well as their joints, play an essential role here, both in terms of performance and cost-effectiveness. This also applies to the field of renewable energy technology with wind power and photovoltaic systems. Currently, there are virtually no published fatigue data or design methods for copper joints, as is the case for steels or aluminium alloys, for example. In the absence of a recognised design concept, the only option currently available is to use experimental methods involving fatigue strength tests to ensure the safety of welded copper components. This is associated with high time and cost expenditure, which cannot be met by component and parts suppliers (often SMEs). The project results and their transfer products are implemented on the basis of scientific findings in a pragmatic form suitable for SMEs and prepared for immediate application in practice.This includes the following points: (1) Recommendations for material selection for copper welded joints, (2) Phenomenological design concepts (nominal stress, structural stress and local stresses), (3) Information on FEM modelling with common FE software, (4) Provision of the necessary model and material parameters, (5) Simple evaluation options for new designs or new kinds of welded joints.