Static strength of hot-stamped spot welded joints: study on spot welding tailored blank technology

Hot stamping spot welding tailored blank technology is a process to produce spot welded automotive body parts by the following process: spot welding steel sheets in lap configuration → hot stamping (heating to about 900°C) → quenching and forming in water-cooled die → shot blasting to remove scale. This process has the advantage of producing high strength lap welded automotive body parts without increasing the number of forming dies. In this study, the mechanical properties of the hot stamped spot weld (spot welding → hot stamping) and conventional spot weld (hot stamping → spot welding) of the 1500 MPa class uncoated boron steel sheets were compared. The obtained results are as follows. The tensile shear strength (TSS) of the hot-stamped spot weld and conventional spot weld were comparable and the fracture modes were the same. On the other hand, the cross tension strength (CTS) of hot-stamped spot weld was significantly higher than that of the conventional spot weld. The fracture position of the hot-stamped spot weld was outside the nugget and conventional spot weld was inside the nugget. The high CTS of the hot-stamped spot welds might be caused by the improvement of the fracture toughness of the nugget, which was caused by reduction of the solidification segregation of the phosphorus. It is assumed that the heating process after spot welding leads to the reduction of the solidification segregation. For the tension test because there was no HAZ softening in the hot-stamped spot weld, no fracture was observed in HAZ and a higher elongation was obtained.     

Fracture behaviour and numerical study of resistance spot welded joints in high-strength steel sheet

Cross tension tests of resistance spot welded joints with varying nugget diameter were carried out using 980 MPa high strength steel sheet of 1.6 mm thickness. In proportion, as nugget diameter increased from 3√t to 5√t (where t is thickness), cross tension strength (CTS) increased while fracture morphology simultaneously transferred from interface fracture to full plug fracture. In cases of interface fracture, circumferential crack initiation due to separation of the corona bond arose at an early stage of loading. The crack opening process without propagation was recognized until just before fracture and then the crack propagated to the nugget immediately in a brittle manner around CTS. In full plug fracture, main ductile crack initiation from the notch-like part at the end of sheet separation occurred with the sub-crack initiated at an early stage. The ductile crack propagated toward the HAZ and base material to form full plug fracture. The mode I stress intensity factor was considered as a suitable fracture parameter because the circumferential crack behaved pre-crack for brittle fracture in the nugget region at the final stage. Based on the FE analysis, the mode I stress intensity factor was calculated as 116 MPa √m at CTS as fracture toughness for the nugget. With respect to full plug fracture, ductile crack initiation behaviour from the notch-like part was expressed by concentration of equivalent plastic strain. On the assumption that the ductile crack arose in critical value of equivalent plastic strain, the value was calculated as 0.34 by FE analysis. Reasonable interpretation for interface fracture and full plug fracture in the resistance spot welded joint was proposed due to first crack initiation by stress concentration, brittle fracture by using mode I stress intensity factor, and ductile crack initiation by using equivalent plastic strain.     

An experimental study on effects of post-heating parameters on resistance spot welding of SAPH440 steel

Abstract

The fracture mode of spot welded joints, made of SAPH440 steel sheets, is investigated. It was found that the weldment failure in the peel test of the joints occurred through the weld nugget. This is called an interfacial failure and is not acceptable because it is a sign of insufficient mechanical strength. Investigation showed that this kind of fracture is attributed to the brittleness of the nugget zone, caused by its martensitic microstructure due to the high cooling rate in the welding. For eliminating this defect, resistance spot welding procedures were augmented with post-heating stage. This approach is intended to reduce the cooling rate after welding and also to temper the weld nugget, generating a more ductile microstructure in the weld zone. The results of this research can be used for planning spot welding process and provides a guideline for analysing the results of hardness and peel test.     

异种钢电阻塞焊工艺优化及接头性能分析

采用一种新型复合焊接工艺——电阻塞焊对1.5 mm等厚TRIP980高强钢/SPCC低碳钢板进行焊接,利用正交试验优化其焊接参数,随后增加焊前预热,分析对比无预热和焊前预热两种条件下较优焊接参数时接头的力学性能及组织、硬度特点.结果表明,各焊接参数对接头的拉剪载荷影响程度由大到小依次为焊接电流、填充物直径、焊接时间及电极力;在电极头端面直径为8 mm的条件下,填充物直径为5.5 mm时的接头力学性能优于其它直径;相同焊接参数时,焊前预热塞焊接头的拉剪载荷比无预热提高7%以上;两种条件下较优焊接参数时,焊前预热塞焊接头的熔核偏移量小于无预热,熔核和熔合区的硬度比无预热时有所下降,熔合区脆硬马氏体组织比无预热少;焊前预热塞焊接头断口为韧性断裂,无预热塞焊接头断口为脆性断裂;其主要机理是,预热减小了熔核区金属过热倾向,使熔核扩展均匀,熔合区脆硬组织减少,有利于接头强度的提高.     

Mechanical properties and microstructures of resistance spot welded DP980 steel joints using pulsed current pattern

Dual phase 980 MPa grade (DP980) steel sheets were resistance spot welded using a pulsed current, and the effects of the pulsed current on the strength properties of the joints were investigated. The pulsed current improved the mechanical properties of the joints in cross tensile tests. In situ observations during tear tests revealed that the ductility of the nugget was improved and that the propagation of cracks into the nugget was inhibited when the pulsed current was used. Microstructural observations and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) of the nugget showed that the segregation of phosphorus at the nugget was reduced in the joint welded using the pulsed current, suggesting that the pulsed current improved the ductility of the nugget by altering their microstructures.     

铝/钢异种金属的沉头铆钉电阻单元焊工艺研究

采用沉头铆钉与沉头孔配合的电阻单元焊工艺连接了钢和铝合金,在Q235/5052Al界面形成了FeAl3金属间化合物。在DP780/Al界面形成了Fe2Al5和FeAl3金属间化合物。焊接电流对熔核直径、拉剪力、铝热影响区平均硬度以及铝板的承载面积有显著影响。确定了3种主要的失效模式:界面失效断裂模型、熔核拔出失效断裂模型和铝热影响区失效断裂模型。在焊接电流为18kA时,获得了最佳的接头力学性能,拉剪力达到5 712N,且失效模式为熔核拔出失效。     

Evaluation of the effect of strength mismatch in undermatched joints on the static tensile strength of welded joints by considering microstructure

High-tensile strength 950 MPa steel, HT950, which is steel used in penstocks, was developed to provide two vital properties: fracture arrest to stop brittle fracture and high weldability. This steel has been already used for penstocks in some hydropower plants in Japan. To widely apply high-tensile strength steels in penstocks in the future, fewer restrictions against their welding conditions such as pre-heat and post-heat temperature controls are required. One proposed solution is to undermatch the strength of the filler metal to that of the base material. This allows less pre-heating, or no pre-heating at all, and the use of conventional rod and process management is easier. Previous studies have shown that there are softening conditions under which the strength of the joint can be considered as that of the base material. However, the shape and distribution of the soft region are assumed to be ideal. In this study, the method for calculating the change of the strength in heat-affected zone (HAZ) during the welding process is discussed. Then, the influence of the strength distribution of HAZ and welded zone to the strength of the joint is investigated by a wide plate test in both experiment and elastic–plastic analysis. Applicability of undermatched joints to penstock fabrication is considered by these discussions. As a result, it is concluded that the Vickers hardness distribution in the HAZ can be estimated by the method which is proposed in this study and the strength of the under-matched joints is high enough in both experiment and analysis in which the Vickers hardness distribution is considered. From these conclusions, the applicability of undermatched joints, of which the weld metal is the HT570 class, to penstock fabrication is conformed.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of dissimilar steel plate resistance plug welding joints

A new type of hybrid welding method called resistance plug welding (RPW) was firstly adopted to achieve the connecting of dissimilar steel,mainly as for the poor welding characteristics of high strength steel produced by increasing carbon,manganese,silicon,etc.Microstructures and mechanical properties of RPW joint were analyzed by optical microscope,micro-hardness test and shear tensile measurement.Experimental results indicate that the RPW joint has a rounded rectangle nugget,and the size is larger than elliptical nugget of resistance spot welding (RSW) joint;the hardness value of RPW joint is evenly distributed,accordingly there is no hard brittle phases;the shear tensile strength of RPW joint increases by 20％ in comparison with RSW joint under the same welding conditions.     

400MPa级新一代钢铁材料焊接热影响区晶粒长大图

新一代钢铁材料将是21世纪的主要结构材料，脉冲MAG焊是适合它的一种传统熔焊方法，为了促进400MPa新一代钢铁材料的焊接性研究及其工程应用，首先根据实测脉冲MAG焊的热循环曲线，确定了400MPa级新一代钢铁材料脉冲MAG焊的焊接热循环方程，并以此为基础建立了焊接HAZ的奥氏体晶粒长大方程和晶粒长大图，通过晶粒篚图，可以预测焊接HAZ各个部位的奥氏体晶粒篚的情况，研究结果表明，400MPa级新一代钢铁材料焊接热影响区的晶粒长大图的预测结果与其热模拟的实测数据吻合很好。     

Braze‐welding of electrical conductors to concentric plugs

In resistance spot welding of thin sheet–thick sheet–thick sheet joint, when the sheet thickness ratio is large (sheet thickness ratio = total thickness of sheet joint/thickness of the thin sheet positioned on the outside of the joint), how to stably secure the nugget between the thin sheet and the adjoining thick sheet is a key issue. If the sheet thickness ratio is so large, nugget formation between the thin sheet and thick sheet is extremely difficult. In order to control of the nugget (position of formation, shape, etc. of the nugget) during welding for three sheets joint with a high sheet thickness ratio, optimum welding process was investigated. The developed ‘two-step force, two-step current’ welding process was suitable for high sheet thickness ratio joint and relaxed the constraints on the sheet thickness ratio. In Step 1 (first part of welding period) of the welding process, a nugget is reliably formed between the thin sheet and thick sheet by applying conditions of low electrode force, short welding time, and high current. In the subsequent Step 2 (second part of welding period), a nugget is formed between the two thick sheets by applying high welding force and a long welding time. In the weld results of a three sheet joint (0.7+2.3+2.3 mm; sheet thickness ratio: 7.6) using mild steel GA (0.7 mm) as the thin sheet and 780 MPa high strength GA (2.3 mm) in the two thick sheets, ‘two-step force, two-step current’ spot welding process showed the wide available welding current range.     

Nugget formation and its mechanism of resistance spot welded joints in DP600 dual-phase and DC54D ultralow carbon steel

Resistance spot welded joints in different configurations of DP600 and DC54D were investigated to elucidate the nugget formation process and mechanical properties of the resultant joints. Results show that, when the welding time was less than 4 cycles, the fusion zone (FZ) was not formed, but the heat-affected zone (HAZ) occurred with a “butterfly” shape. In 4 cycles, the FZ in dissimilar sheets occurred with an “abnormal butterfly” shape because of nugget shift. When the welding time increased to 14 cycles, the FZ exhibited a “bread loaf” shape and the weld shifted to “dog bones.” The nugget can be divided into three regions, namely, FZ, HAZ1, and HAZ2, and the FZ consisted of lath martensite. The micro hardness of DP600 FZ was lower than that of HAZ because of the dilution of DC54D. The failure mode of B changed from interfacial failure to plug failure during the nugget formation process. The tensile-shear load of sound weld is 6.375, 6.016, and 19.131 kN.     

DP590GA热镀锌双相钢电阻点焊接头性能

针对热镀锌双相钢板(DP590GA)电阻点焊接头问题,研究了接头正拉和拉剪强度随焊接电流的变化规律,并与普通双相钢板(DP590)点焊接头试验结果进行了比较,同时结合两种钢板点焊熔核尺寸随焊接电流的变化以及SEM能谱分析得出的熔合区锌残留量情况,分析了影响热镀锌钢板点焊接头强度的主要原因.结果表明:当其他焊接参数一定时,DP590GA与DP590点焊接头强度和熔核尺寸随着焊接电流的变化趋势在焊接电流各个阶段有所不同,而熔核区的残留锌量随焊接电流的减小而增加,从而揭示了锌层使点焊区域接触电阻降低和焊接电流密度减小引起的熔核直径减小、熔合区残留锌量增加以及锌层更易引起点焊飞溅三个因素在不同的焊接电流范围内对点焊接头强度的影响作用.     

600MPa级高Al冷轧双相钢点焊接头断裂方式

通过拉伸剪切试验以及对拉剪断口的微观组织和扫描电镜分析,研究了高Al冷轧双相钢点焊接头的断裂方式,并分析了接头断裂方式对接头力学性能的影响规律.研究结果表明,高A1冷轧双相钢的点焊接头主要有3种断裂方式,即:母材撕裂的焊点拔出、沿熔核边界的焊点拔出及界面断裂.3种不同的断裂方式分别代表了3种不同的裂纹萌生和扩展方式.此...     

Microstructure and Properties of TIG/FSW Welded Joints of a New Al-Zn-Mg-Sc-Zr Alloy

A new Al-Zn-Mg-Sc-Zr alloy with low Sc content was welded by tungsten inert gas (TIG) and friction stir welding (FSW) techniques. The microstructure and properties of those two welded joints were investigated by property tests and microstructural observations. The results show that the new Al-Zn-Mg-Sc-Zr alloy has desirable welding property. The ultimate tensile strength and welding coefficient of the TIG joint reach 405 MPa and 76.7%, respectively, and in FSW joint those property values reach 490 MPa and 92.6%, respectively. The studied base metal has a deformed fibrous subgrains structure, many nano-scaled Al₃(Sc,Zr) particles, and very fine aging precipitates. In the TIG joint, the fusion zone consists of coarsened dendritic grains and the heat-affected zone (HAZ) has fibrous micro-scaled subgrains. The FSW welded joint is characterized by a weld nugget zone, thermo-mechanically affected zone (TMAZ), and HAZ. Due to plastic deformation around the rotating pin and anti-recrystallized effectiveness of Al₃(Sc,Zr) particles, the weld nugget zone has a very fine subgrain structure. The TMAZ experiences some dissolution of aging precipitates. Coarsening of aging precipitates was observed in the HAZ. The better mechanical properties of the FSW joint are derived from a fine subgrain structure and homogeneous chemical compositions.     

Tungsten Inert Gas and Friction Stir Welding Characteristics of 4-mm-Thick 2219-T87 Plates at Room Temperature and −196 °C

2219-T87 aluminum alloy is widely used for fabricating liquid rocket propellant storage tank, due to its admirable cryogenic property. Welding is the dominant joining method in the manufacturing process of aerospace components. In this study, the tungsten inert gas welding and friction stir welding (FSW) characteristics of 4-mm-thick 2219-T87 alloy plate at room temperature (25 °C) and deep cryogenic temperature (?196 °C) were investigated by property measurements and microscopy methods. The studied 2219 base alloy exhibits a low strength plane anisotropy and excellent room temperature and cryogenic mechanical properties. The ultimate tensile strength values of TIG and FSW welding joints can reach 265 and 353 MPa at room temperature, and 342 and 438 MPa at ?196 °C, respectively. The base metal consists of elongated deformed grains and many nano-scaled θ (Al₂Cu) aging precipitates. Fusion zone and heat-affected zone (HAZ) of the TIG joint are characterized by coarsening dendritic grains and equiaxed recrystallized grains, respectively. The FSW-welded joint consists of the weld nugget zone, thermo-mechanically affected zone (TMAZ), and HAZ. In the weld nugget zone, a micro-scaled sub-grain structure is the main microstructure characteristic. The TMAZ and HAZ are both characterized by coarsened aging precipitates and elongated deformed grains. The excellent FSW welding properties are attributed to the preservation of the working structures and homogenous chemical compositions.     

板厚对不锈钢车体激光叠焊接头抗剪强度和疲劳强度的影响

为了研究板厚对不锈钢激光叠焊接头抗剪强度和疲劳强度的影响,该文针对0.8 mm+2 mm和2 mm+2 mm²种不同板厚搭配的不锈钢激光叠焊接头分别进行了拉伸试验和疲劳试验。结果表明,2 mm+2 mm接头的抗剪强度和疲劳强度均高于0.8 mm+2 mm接头。失效分析发现,2种接头的拉伸破坏由焊肉部位剪断引起的;2种接头的疲劳裂纹均萌生于2 mm未焊透板,裂纹起始位置在2个焊板之间靠近焊核附近未焊透板的热影响区,裂纹沿着焊核边缘向未焊透板外表面方向扩展,直至穿透未焊透板。对焊接接头部位的有限元受力分析可知,2种接头的应力集中程度的不同是造成它们抗剪强度和疲劳强度差异的主要原因。     

热镀锌高强钢电阻点焊的点蚀对熔核形成的影响

热镀锌高强钢由于高强度特性以及良好的抗腐蚀性,可满足汽车轻量化与安全性需要,在车身制造中逐渐得到广泛应用.但热镀锌高强钢点焊的电极磨损严重,点蚀磨损特征变化明显,对熔核形成产生较大影响.建立点焊过程的点蚀有限元模型,采用数值分析与试验方法研究点蚀对熔核形成影响.结果表明,点蚀的产生与发展增加了工件之间的实际接触面积,使电流密度降低,熔核直径减小;同边缘位置点蚀相比,电极中心位置点蚀由于对熔核区域的电流分流作用,更加不利于熔核的形成.随着点蚀面积的增大,形成环状熔核几率增加.     

通电时间对热冲压高强钢点焊接头性能及失效方式的影响

热冲压硼钢电阻率大、焊接热循环升温速度快、峰值温度高、局部冷却速率的不均匀,决定了点焊接头性能差别极大.点焊接头在剪切载荷作用下有界面断裂、焊核拔出和部分焊核拔出三种失效方式.以1.6 mm厚的热冲压硼钢为对象,研究不同通电时间对接头显微硬度、承载性能、失效方式的影响规律,分析失效的形成原因和失效机理.结果表明,上述三种失效方式承载能力和破坏吸能力相差不大,焊核拔出并不能作为评判高强钢点焊接头质量好坏的标准.焊接缺陷、承载时的高度应力集中以及热影响区局部韧性恶化是影响热冲压高强钢点焊接头失效方式的三大主要因素.     

Study on static and fatigue strength of structural adhesive-bonded joints of steel sheets for automotive application

The static and fatigue strength of crush durable structural adhesive-bonded lap joints of steel sheets for automobiles was evaluated by tensile shear tests. The steel sheets used in this study were uncoated and galvannealed (GA) with tensile strength ranging from 270 MPa-grade to 980 MPa-grade and the thickness ranging from 0.7 to 1.8 mm. Also, the effects of the adhesive types were evaluated. The results are as follows: In the static tensile shear tests, when the steel sheets deformed during the tensile test, the tensile shear strength increased with the increase in the base metal properties, such as the yield strength and thickness; however, when the base metal properties were sufficiently high not to undergo plastic deformation, the tensile shear strength exhibited a constant value. On the other hand, the effect of base metal properties on the fatigue joint strength was relatively small. The static joint strength of the GA steel joints was slightly lower than that of the uncoated steel sheets; however, the fatigue strength of the GA steel joints was higher than that of the uncoated steel sheets. The coating failure of the GA was affected by the type of adhesive, base metal properties and type of test. Choosing the proper adhesive can reduce the failure of the GA coating, and the high strength steel showed fewer coating failures than the mild steel.     

Strengthening of cross tension strength of spot-welded lap joints by increasing the opening angle on the nugget edge

This paper deals with the strengthening of spot-welded lap joints by increasing the opening angle on the nugget edge. Based on the equation proposed by past researchers to predict the strength, the factor necessary for the strengthening was extracted. And, based on this factor, the strengthening of spot-welded lap joints was examined. First of all, in order to increase the opening angle on the nugget edge, the vicinity of the nugget edge was bent with a bending machine. Next, cross tension strength (CTS) tests were conducted into the spot-welded lap joints with various opening angles on the nugget edge. Finally, the relationship between CTS and the opening angels of the nugget edge was clarified. As a result, by increasing the opening angles on the nugget edge, we found that the CTS could be improved by 20%.