About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
MS&T25: Materials Science & Technology
|
| Symposium
|
Lightweight Composites, Materials & Alloys
|
| Presentation Title |
Novel, Energy-Efficient Spot-Welding Process Optimized for Dissimilar Joining of 6XXX-series Aluminum to Advanced High Strength Steels |
| Author(s) |
Rakhi Bawa, Kaue Riffel, Antonio J Ramirez |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Rakhi Bawa |
| Abstract Scope |
In an effort to reduce emissions both during manufacturing and those at the tailpipe, a new resistant spot-welding circuit design has been built and tested for dissimilar metal joining of aluminum to galvanized dual-phase steel. The increased interest in reducing emissions has encouraged vehicle lightweighting with advanced high strength steels (AHSS) and aluminum alloys and manufacturing adjustments to lower the energy costs of traditional processes. Traditional resistance spot welding uses Medium Frequency Direct Current (MFDC) circuity, which requires a continuous supply of cooling water for the electrodes and struggles to form strong joints between these dissimilar material systems due to the precipitation of brittle intermetallic compounds (MC). The newly developed process, Medium-Frequency Frequency-Converter (MF-FC), eliminates cooling water requirements and has much shorter weld times with much high current pulses, decreasing the chance of IMC formation. Dissimilar welds are assessed by mechanical performance, failure mode characterization, and microstructure analysis. |