Preventing nugget shifting in joining of dissimilar steels via resistance element welding: a numerical simulation

Abstract

Joining the advanced high-strength steels and conventional steels is a critical issue for the manufacturing of lightweight vehicles. Resistance element welding (REW) is an emerging joining method for dissimilar metals and alloys by applying an auxiliary rivet-like resistance element in resistance spot welding (RSW). In this study, an electrical-thermal-mechanical coupled REW model for high-strength dual-phase (DP) steel and Q235 steel was developed by considering contact resistances as functions of temperature and surface contacting area. The results show that the welding element in REW serves to concentrate the current flow and thus Joule heat generation at the faying interface between the element and workpiece. For welding DP600 and Q235 workpieces with a small thickness ratio (≤0.4) or a high electrical resistivity ratio (≥3), REW could effectively mitigate nugget shifting between workpieces and reducing the thermal excursion to the electrode compared to RSW. Adding well-designed insulation layers in REW could further concentrate the current within the welding element, and enables a large-sized nugget at a lower current. This study is significant because it provides a better understanding of the nugget development under the electrical-thermal-mechanical interaction at interfacial contacts in REW and contributes to its further advance.