In this paper mechanical aspects of cracking during single- and multi-spot welding of AA5754 was investigated by both experimental and analytical approaches. The impact of mechanical loading on crack initiation and propagation was studied with the consideration of various process parameters including the loading imposed by electrodes, the formation of liquid nugget, and constraining factors during and after welding. Tensile properties of AA5754 and their dependence on the temperature were tested at room and up to solidus temperatures, in order to provide a reference of cracking stress. Thermal-mechanical analysis was conducted based on the temperature field around the nugget and the state of stress encountered during welding. This analysis revealed that tensile stress might build up in the vicinity of the nugget during cooling, as explained in the experimental observation. General guidelines for suppressing cracking were proposed, i.e., to provide sufficient constraint around the weld spot during and after welding.
Expulsion is an important phenomenon in resistance spot welding. It involves loss of metal from the liquid nugget, which often results in the reduction of weld strength. Various models have been proposed to understand expulsion mechanisms. In these models the occurrence of expulsion is often treated as a deterministic event, and depicted by a line (boundary) in conventional lobe diagrams. In this study, statistical analysis is employed to explore expulsion with consideration of the influence of random factors. Models are built based on experimental data, and one steel and two aluminum alloys are used as examples. Expulsion probabilities are presented as a function of electrode force, welding current, and time. Analytical models and their graphical form of expression (contours and surfaces) are created to present expulsion limits under various combinations of welding parameters. This study provides not only quantitative model predictions on expulsion limits for the materials studied, but also a generic statistical methodology that can be used for analyzing expulsion in various material systems. [S1087-1357(00)00602-X]
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