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Electrode wear in short-pulse resistance spot welding of aluminum AA 6016-T4

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Abstract

The influence of current pulse width on electrode wear during resistance spot welding of thin sheets (1 mm, 0.04 in) of aluminum alloy 6016-T4 was studied, and an increase in sheet surface roughness and electrode erosion was evident with increasing pulse time for the same weld nugget size. Aluminum alloy 6016-T4 is an especially critical material concerning electrode wear for resistance spot welding due to rapid onset of electrode sticking and erosion of the electrode surface. Typically, welding of this material therefore requires electrode redressing operations after approximately 20 to 30 welds to maintain constant weld size and sheet surface quality. It was demonstrated that a reduction of current pulse width is a means of reducing electrode wear without affecting joint properties. The electrode wear process involved a pickup of aluminum material from the sheets followed by alloying process, leading to formation of intermetallic phases and erosion of material from the surface of the electrodes with increasing number of welds made. A reduction of current pulse width positively affected electrode wear properties by reducing temperatures at the electrode and sheet surfaces, thereby delaying electrode wear and reducing its severity.

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All data contained in this manuscript and associated files are approved by Mercedes-Benz A.G. for publishing by the journal.

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Acknowledgments

This study has been funded and supported by the Mercedes-Benz A.G. in Sindelfingen, Germany, and is published with their permission.

Funding

This study was funded by Mercedes-Benz A.G. in Sindelfingen, Germany.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mercedes-Benz AG, Sindelfingen, Germany

    Eric Schulz, Ahmed Mahjoubi, Matthias Wagner & Holger Schubert

  2. Center for Advanced Vehicle Technologies, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA

    Eric Schulz, Bharat Balasubramanian & Luke N. Brewer

Authors
  1. Eric Schulz
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  2. Ahmed Mahjoubi
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  3. Matthias Wagner
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  4. Holger Schubert
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  5. Bharat Balasubramanian
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  6. Luke N. Brewer
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by Eric Schulz and Ahmed Mahjoubi. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Eric Schulz, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Eric Schulz.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Code availability

The RSW code used was SORPAS 2D Welding, a commercially available code. This code is used in cooperation with Swantec and under license with them.

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Recommended for publication by Commission III - Resistance Welding, Solid State Welding, and Allied Joining Process

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Schulz, E., Mahjoubi, A., Wagner, M. et al. Electrode wear in short-pulse resistance spot welding of aluminum AA 6016-T4. Weld World 65, 127–141 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40194-020-01003-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40194-020-01003-0

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