Abstract
Joint stiffnesses can affect the vibrational characteristics of car body structures and, therefore, should be included in vehicle system models. In this paper, a numerical approximation of joint stiffness is presented for considering joint flexibility of thin walled beam jointed structures. Using the proposed method, it is possible to optimize joint structures considering the change of section shapes in vehicle structures. The numerical approximation of joint stiffnesses is derived using the RSM(Response Surface Method) in terms of beam section properties. The study shows that joint stiffnesses can be effectively determined in designing vehicle structure.
