Spot Weld Mechanical Properties

Mechanical Properties
Lesson Objectives When you finish this lesson you will understand: Peel Chisel and Tensile Mechanical testing techniques Factors which effect performance in these mechanical tests The importance of these test for part design Learning Activities 1. View Slides; 2. Read Notes, 3. Listen to lecture 4. Do on-line workbook

Keywords Peel Test, Chisel Test, Tensile Shear Test, Multiple Nugget Test, Weld Bond Tensile Test, Coupon Dimensions, Weld Spacing, Electrode Conditioning, Button Shape, Plastic Hinge

Mechanical Properties of Spot Welds Peel Tests Chisel Test Tensile Test Tensile Shear Ratios Torsion Test Impact Tests Fatigue Test

AWS Spec D8.9-97, 1997

AWS Spec D8.9-97, 1997

AWS Spec D8.9-97, 1997

AWS Spec D8.9-97, 1997

AWS Spec D8.9-97, 1997

AWS Spec D8.9-97, 1997

Dickinson, Welding in Auto Industry, AISI, 1981

AWS Spec D8.9-97, 1997

AWS Spec D8.9-97, 1997

Advantages of Peel Test Ease of Performance Low Cost Ability to use on Shop Floor as quality control test

Disadvantages of Peel Test Only in restricted cases are quantitative values relating to the strength of the weld nugget or its performance in service obtained Nugget fracture appearance is not a reliable predictor of load-carrying capacity or impact resistance

Geometric Effects on the Peel Test

Distance x can cause a wide variation in load results, thus peel test can NOT be used with confidence to develop mechanical property data

Orts, Armco Steel, Private Communication, Nov 1980

Instrumented Peel Test

Area = Energy
Static Toughness

Sawhill, Spot Weldability of High Strength Sheet Steel, Welding Journal, Jan 1980

Sawhill, Spot Weldability of High Strength Sheet Steel, Welding Journal, Jan 1980

Peel Tested While Still Warm

Peel Tested When Cold

Promotes Full Nugget Pull-Out

Promotes Partial Nugget Failure

Mechanical Properties of Spot Welds Peel Tests Chisel Test Tensile Test Tensile Shear Ratios Torsion Test Impact Tests Fatigue Test

Dickinson, Welding in Auto Industry, AISI, 1981

Min. Nugget With Peel Test

Weld Time

Min. Nugget With Chisel Test

Weld Current
Chisel Test Tends to Expose Nugget Closer to Fusion Line

Turn to the person sitting next to you and discuss (1 min.): Why do automotive manufactures prefer the chisel test on the production line over the peel test?

Mechanical Properties of Spot Welds Peel Tests Chisel Test Tensile Test - Tensile Shear Tensile Shear Ratios Torsion Test Impact Tests Fatigue Test

Dickinson, Welding in Auto Industry, AISI, 1981

AWS Spec D8.9-97, 1997

Kraus, A Practical Design approach Welding Journal, Oct 1961

Dickinson, Welding in Auto Industry, AISI, 1981

Vanden Bossche, Ultimate Strength and Failure Mode.., SAE paper 770214, Feb 1977

Dickinson, Republic Steel Corp Internal Document, 1978

Tensile Shear Test

Single Nugget Test Tensile Shear Material Thickness Nugget Size (Current & Time) BM Strength Carbon Content BM Structure Coatings Hold Time Post Weld Furnace Treatment Test Temperature Test Cross Head Speed Multiple Nugget Test Tensile Shear Weld Bonding (Nugget plus Adhesive)

Material Thickness Tensile Shear

In the thinner gages, the lower C Steels tend to have higher strength because the higher carbon materials develop hard brittle interfacial failures.

Heuschkel, Some metalurgical aspects of carbon steel spot welding, Welding Journal, Oct 1947

Nugget Diameter Tensile Shear

Increased Tensile Shear Nugget Diameter Sheet Thickness BM Strength

Pollard, Spot Welding Characteristics of HSLA, Welding Journal, Aug 1974

Nugget Diameter (Current & Time & BM Strength) Tensile Shear

Nugget Pullout

Increase BM Strength
Interfacial Failure

Increased Weld Current Greatly Increased Nugget Greatly Increased Tensile Shear Strength

Increased Weld Time Slightly Increased Nugget Greatly Increased Tensile Shear Strength

Increased BM Strength Increased Tensile Shear

Pollard, Spot Welding Characteristics of HSLA, Welding Journal, Aug 1974

Is it Current, or Effect of Current on Nugget Diameter?

Tensile Shear Strength Nugget Dia

Combinations of Current and Electrode Face Diameter gives Constant Nugget Diameter Relationship between Nugget Dia and Strength Not Current/Strength

Electrode Face

Current

Turn to the person sitting next to you and discuss (1 min.): What criteria do you suppose automotive and appliance designers use when selecting the type of weld joint they will recommend for their products? Think about the joint designs in cars and appliances.

Base Metal Strength Solid Solution Strengthening

Grain Refinement Through Special Processing Precipitation Strengthening Cold-work Strengthening Heat Treatment Strengthening (Hardening)

Effect of Carbon Content

Hard Brittle Martensite Interfacial Failures

Heuschkel, Some Metallurgical Aspects. Welding Journal, Oct 1947

Effect of Base Metal Strength

Grain Refinement Precipitation

10o

The Stronger Materials have less sample rotation thus they carry greater tensile shear load than expected

30o

Pollard, Spot Weldability of HSLA Steels, ASM/ADDRG Seminar, Nov 12&13, 1971

Effect of Structure
Tensile Shear Strength Increases when a material is giving the following Annealed Bainitic (Heat Treated) Martensitic (Heat Treated) Cold-rolled (Lower at higher currents due to HAZ softening)

Chandel, Mech & Metallurgical Aspects Metals Technology, Sept 1974

TSS ! 9.5T 1.26UTS 0.76

Defourney, Spot Welding of HSS, IIW 646-80, 1980

Heuschkel, Expression of Spot Weld Properties, Weldign Journal Oct 1952

Sawhill, Spot Weldability of HSS, Welding Journal, Jan 1980

Critical Diameter to Thickness Ratio

d = nugget diameter t = sheet thickness ysbm= yield strength base metal yswm = yield strength weld metal

Thus, higher strength materials should have larger nuggets (electrode)

Vanden Bossche, Ultimate Strength and Failure Modes SAE 770214, Feb 1977

Effect of Coating

When only Zn-Zn Bonds lower strength than bare seel.

When steel-steel bonds strength equal to or greater

Armco Steel Fabrication Data, 1981

Turn to the person sitting next to you and discuss (1 min.): We have looked at some factors which effect tensile shear strength. And some people have developed empirical equations to calculate tensile shear strength. How reliable are these equations? What factors might lead to inaccuracies?

Hold Time Tensile Shear

Hold Time Sensitive Material in Peel Test

Not Hold Time Sensitive in Tensile Shear

Hold time appears to have no effect

Sawhill, Spot weldability for High Strength Steels, SAE 810352, Feb 1981

Effect of Post Weld Furnace Treatment >0.2% C Steels

Slight loss in strength No benefit + Expensive

In Machine Q&T > 0.2 % C Steels

Up to 300% benefit Must be done correct

<0.2% Carbon
No Benefit

Balasubramanian et al, Improvement of Resistance Spot Weld Characteristics, Welding Research Abroad, Nov 1978

Effect of Test Temperature for Plain Carbon Steel

Heuschkel, The Expression of Spot Weld Properties, Welding Journal, Oct 1952

Effect of Cross Head Speed on Tensile Testing Machine

Impact

Chandel, Mech Aspects pf Spot-WeldedJoints, Metals Technology, Jan 1977

Tensile Test Single Nugget Test Tensile Shear Multiple Nugget Test Tensile Shear Total Spot Weld Area Sheet Thickness Nugget Rotation (spot pattern) Weld Bonding (Nugget plus Adhesive)

Dickinson, Welding in Auto, AISI, Aug 1981

Effect of Total Nugget Area on Double Transverse Spot Welds

Capelli, et al, Fatigue Strength of Spot-welded Joints.. Welding of HSLA Steels, ASM, 1978

Effect of Increasing Number of Welds

Non-uniform loading on Outside welds causes deviation

Hills, Effect of number of welds in spot welded, Iron & Steelmaking, Vol 23, No 2, 1996

Effect of Sheet Thickness on Double Transverse Spot Welds

Capelli, et al, Fatigue Strength of Spot-welded Joints.. Welding of HSLA Steels, ASM, 1978

Effect of Nugget Rotation Multiple Spot Array Load = f(load per weld, stiffness) Max load per weld reduced by: Closely Spaced Welds In line with load Increased Nugget Size

Stiffness Increased by: Closely Spaced Welds inline Specimen Width

Orts, Fatigue Strength of Spot Weld Joints in HSLA, SAR 810355, Feb 1981

Turn to the person sitting next to you and discuss (1 min.): We have examined tensile shear strength on single welds and on combinations of multiple welds. Does anything surprise you about the multiple weld samples? Why are so few reports presented with multiple weld data?

Tensile Test Single Nugget Test Tensile Shear Multiple Nugget Test Tensile Shear Weld Bonding (Nugget plus Adhesive)

High Modulus Adhesive Only

Low Modulus Adhesive Only Spot Weld Only

Weld Bond, Relative Height of Peaks Depends on Number of Welds

Hills, Effect of number of welds in spot welded, Iron & Steelmaking, Vol 23, No 2, 1996

High Modulus Adhesive

Lower Modulus Adhesive

Fewer Welds Adhesive Dominates

Hills, Effect of number of welds in spot welded, Iron & Steelmaking, Vol 23, No 2, 1996

Turn to the person sitting next to you and discuss (1 min.): We will study more about weld bonding techniques later. Why is this technique so infrequently used?