The modern concept of lightweight design (LW) requires the application of different materials in one structure (multi-material structures). The structure of different materials has a good perspective for application in the automotive and aerospace industries but only if it is possible to achieve a quality joint between different materials. The most used technology for joining different materials in the automotive industry is Resistance spot welding (RSW). Due to different mechanical, physical, and chemical properties, the joining of different materials by RSW technology does not provide a quality joint, and accordingly, alternative technologies for joining different materials have emerged. Resistance element welding (REW) was developed to enable joint of different materials. This paper presents the welding of AW 5754 H22 Al alloy (1.0 mm-thick) and DP500 steel (1.5 mm-thick) using novel REW. The peak load, absorption energy, microstructure, microhardness and fatigue strength of the REW joint has been investigated. The joint of the same materials has been done also using conventional RSW to compare some results. The results that will be presented in this paper show that that REW can achieve reliable joining of the two materials at relatively low welding currents compared to RSW. Using REW process with a significantly lower welding current, satisfactory mechanical characteristics of the weld joint can be achieved, so peak load is between 2300–2500 N, displacement is between 2.5–3 mm and the absorption energy is between 3.3–5.7 J. REW joints showed fatigue strength with the fatigue limit of 882 N.

In order to ensure a quality welded joint, and thus safe operation and high reliability of the welded part or structure achieved by friction stir welding, it is necessary to select the optimal welding parameters. The parameters of friction stir welding significantly affect the structure of the welded joint, and thus the mechanical properties of the welded joint. Investigation of the influence of friction stir welding parameters was performed on 6-mm thick plates of aluminum alloy AA2024 T351. The quality of the welded joint is predominantly influenced by the tool rotation speed n and the welding speed v. In this research, constant tool rotation speed was adopted n = 750 rpm, and the welding speed was varied (v = 73, 116 and 150 mm/min). By the visual method and radiographic examination, imperfections of the face and roots of the welded specimens were not found. This paper presents the performed experimental tests of the macro and microstructure of welded joints, followed by tests of micro hardness and fracture behavior of Friction Stir Welded AA2024-T351 joints. It can be concluded that the welding speed of v = 116 mm/min is favorable with regard to the fracture behavior of the analysed FSW-joint.

Existing standards require welded joints with full penetration. It is considered that welded joints with complete penetration minimize the stress concentration in the root passage. However, there are numerous situations in the industry, in which the load-bearing capacity of the welded joint with partial penetration is satisfactory. If the tests of partially penetrated welds show satisfactory load capacity, the benefits compared to fully penetrated welds are reflected in lower costs, ie less time is required to prepare the joint, less additional material is needed, ie shorter time is required to make the welded joint. The paper presents the testing of butt welded joints of structural steel S355N, with partial penetration, achieved by the MAG welding in the overhead position (PD) in the protection of the gas mixture. The samples were welded with different welding parameters and with different joint preparation, and the tests were performed by non destructive methods (visual inspection, testing with penetrants and magnetic particles) and destructive methods - tension and bending tests, Vickers hardness testing.

This paper presents the analysis of the wind effect of four-side sunshade construction. The aim of the paper is to demonstrate the possibility of applying analogy in research, with examples from civil constructions, in order to simplify and reduce the analysis. The paper presents the analytical calculation of the pressure on the sides of the four-sided sunshade, analogously to the calculation of pressure on the four-sided roofs of civil construction objects.

Resistance spot welding (RSW) is considered as the dominant process for joining similar and dissimilar sheet metals in automotive industry. In this paper will be present the strength analyses of spot weld joint and analyse the transition between interfacial and pull-out failure modes for resistance spot weld joints of aluminium and austenitic stainless steel sheet, during the tensile–shear test, by usage analytical and experimental approach. For experimental testing, the specimen of 1 mm and 2 mm thickness were used, welded with different welding parameters. ARTICLE HISTORY Received 11.01.2018 Accepted 26.02.2018 Available 15.03.2018