Abstract
Dissimilar joining of aluminum to steel sheet in multimaterial automotive structures is an important potential application of ultrasonic spot welding (USW). Here, the weldability of different zinc-coated steels with aluminum is discussed, using a 2.5-kW USW welder. Results show that soft hot-dipped zinc (DX56-Z)-coated steel results in better weld performance than hard (galv-annealed) zinc coatings (DX53-ZF). For Al to hard galv-annealed-coated steel welds, lap shear strengths reached a maximum of ~80% of the strength of an Al-Al joint after a 1.0 s welding time. In comparison, welds between Al6111-T4 and hot dipped soft zinc-coated steel took longer to achieve the same maximum strength, but nearly matched the Al-Al joint properties. The reasons for these different behaviors are discussed in terms of the interfacial reactions between the weld members.
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