• Zarandooz, Roozbeh
• Sohrabian, Majid
• Senkara, Jacek
• Vardanjani, Mehdi
• Arayee, Alireza

Abstract

The effects of shunting current on metallurgical and mechanical behavior of resistance spot-welded (RSW) joints in AA2219 sheets areanalysed experimentally via the investigation of mechanical and metallurgical properties, while numerical results predicted by the finiteelement method (FEM) are used to check the thermal aspects of the phenomenon and its effect on experimental results. Welding distance ischosen as the main variable for two consecutive nuggets. Predicted temperature distribution and cooling rates of FEM are verified by checkingthe nuggets and heat-affected zone (HAZ) dimensions, the SEM investigation of cracks, and performing a tensile-shear test. Experimentalresults have been in agreement with the predicted results, since HAZ development, the presence of cracks, interfacial failure, and poormechanical strength of shunted nugget with shorter welding distance are all predicted in the form of temperature distribution and coolingrates of shunted nugget in finite element analysis (FEA). The temperature dependence of material properties and coupling between all aspectsof the solution are respected in the FEA model while experimental tests are performed according to a three-factor design of experiment (DOE)to set the levels of factors based on their significance.

Topics

• scanning electron microscopy
• experiment
• crack
• strength
• shear test
• interfacial
• finite element analysis