• Journal of Welding and Joining
• /
• v.30 no.3
• /
• pp.66-70
• /
• 2012

Welding is an essential process in the automotive industry. Most welding processes that are used for auto body is spot welding. And $CO_2$ arc welding is used in a small part. In production field, $CO_2$ arc welding process is decreased and spot welding process is increased due to welding quality is poor and defects are occurred in $CO_2$ arc welding process frequently. But $CO_2$ arc welding process should be used at robot interference parts and closed parts where spot welding couldn't. $CO_2$ welding is divided into lap welding and plug arc spot welding. In case of plug arc spot welding, burn through and under fill were caused in various welding environment such as different thickness combinations of base metal, teaching point, over the two steps welding and inconsistent voltage/current. It makes some problem like poor quality of welding area and decrease the productivity. In this study, we will evaluate the effect of teaching point through the weld pool behavior and bead geometry in the arc spot welding at the plut hole. Welding position is horizontal position. And galvanized steel sheet of 2.0mm thickness that has plug hole of 6mm diameter was used. Teaching point was changed by center, top, bottom, left and right of the plug hole. At each condition, the phenomenon of weld pool behavior was confirmed using a high-speed camera. As the result, we find the center of plug hole is the most optimal teaching point. In the other teaching point, under fill was occurred at the plug hole. This phenomenon is caused by gravity and surface tension. For performance of arc spot welding at the plug hole, the teaching condition should be controlled at a center of plug hole.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
• /
• v.18 no.4
• /
• pp.68-73
• /
• 2010

Welding conditions in process of spot welding must become optimum and need to guarantee stability and reliability of vehicle body considering dynamic load history. Because welding parameters in process of spot welding are various, it is difficult that the quality of spot weldment was included in the optimum levels. In this paper, we found the optimum welding conditions satisfying KS spot welding qualities using genetic algorithm and spot welding experiments of high tensile strength steel and galvanized steel. Those experiments were dissimilar weld and 2-lap spot welding. Genetic algorithm created random welding condition after that, selected optimum individuals by probability concept.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
• /
• v.20 no.1
• /
• pp.55-61
• /
• 2002

The automobile is made up of about twenty thousand parts. Some parts are formed by pressing and combined by spot welding. Among them, steel palate of fuel tank is formed in the metal mold and bending parts are jointed by spot and seam welding. To find weldability conditions of spot welding, clearance between two welding steel plates was made and after spot welding, weldability is evaluated by means of tensile shear load, nugget size and shape. Specimen used in this study was a mild steel of 1.2mm thickness and electrode was Cu-Cr alloy of 6mm diameter. When spot welding started, the clearance of two steel plates was changed 0mm, 3mm and 5mm step by step. The fractured surface of specimen after this test was observed by Optical Microscope to measure microstructure and nugget shape. When clearance of two specimen was 3mm and 5mm, strength and nugget size was decreased and nugget shape was not clear.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
• /
• v.15 no.2
• /
• pp.89-99
• /
• 1997

Spot welding is one of the important welding processes for the construction of thin metal sheet. Because of low investment cost, alternating welding current is widely applied for power source. Direct current type could be, however, recommened for high quality weldment. In this study, the effect of welding current type on the weldability and the electrode life in spot welding of aluminium alloy were investigated. Various welding tests were done by using three phase direct and alternating welding current, respectively. In spite of high variation of welding force, weld quality and electrode life with alternating welding current were shown better results than those with direct current for 2mm thick alumininum alloy sheets. This was due to excessive erosion of the positive electrode in direct welding current compared with the negative one. On the contrary to 2mm sheets, the welding parameters of alternating current for 1mm sheets must be carefully selected.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
• /
• v.32 no.2
• /
• pp.70-75
• /
• 2014

In automotive industry, applying of Mg alloy to autobody has been issued recently as a light metal. But poor resistance spot weldability of Mg alloy is blocking commercialization. So studies on improving resistance spot weldability of Mg alloy is increasing continuously. For reduce loss of heat input during welding, inverter DC power source is considered because of short rise time to target welding current. But rapid rising of welding current can increase temperature rapidly in nugget and oxide film between electrode and base metal, and that causes generating expulsion on low welding current range. In this study, for increase optimum welding current range and prevent generating expulsion, applicate various types of welding current waveform controls during resistance spot welding. For analysis effects of each current waveform control, acceptable welding current regions according to electrode force and welding time is determined and lobe diagram is derived. In result, pre heat is proposed as optimum type of welding current waveform control.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
• /
• v.21 no.2
• /
• pp.70-75
• /
• 2003

Spot welding is a process that sheet metals are joined in one or more spot by heating at the faying interface. In this process, the spatter is dispersed from melted area. It has been reported that spatter generation has adverse effects on weld quality. However, no systematic study has been carried out to find out its effect on weld quality in resistance spot welding processes. In this study, specially designed specimen are used to perform experimental investigation of spatter generation and its effect. Major finding of this study show trends in tensile-shear strength for various amounts of spatter generated during spot welding process. Thus, optimum welding conditions are proposed in view of spatter generation and tensile-shear strength. (Received December 11, 2002)

• Proceedings of the KWS Conference
• /
• 1998.10a
• /
• pp.27-35
• /
• 1998

• Journal of Welding and Joining
• /
• v.5 no.1
• /
• pp.64-72
• /
• 1987

The Weldability of gavannealed steel using spot welder has been studied. The Results obtained are a follows; 1) Welds size and strength were increased depending on the welding time and welding current. But, the increasing rate has been decreased. 2) Deposited zinc has affected on the wear of welding tips and growth of welds but has not affected the weld's structures. 3) On shear testing of the specimen, button fracture has been observed and the value was approximately 540Kg (welds dia. approximately .phi.4mm)

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
• /
• v.22 no.3
• /
• pp.554-561
• /
• 1998

Vehicle body structures are formed by thousands of spot welds and fatigue failure of vehicle structures occur near the spot welds after driving a long way at a durability test road. It is necessary to know accurately the reason of the fatigue failure of the spot weld in the developing stage in order to reinforce it. Many investigations have been done regarding the strength of spot welded joints, contributing to understand its fatigue strength. In developing process, a fatigue failed spot welded area can be repaired by $CO_2$ welding or another method to continue the test. To know the effect of reinforcing these welds, several methods of welding were analyzed and compared to spot welding. With the results of this test, the appropriate repair method can be used instead of spot welding during the development of new car and best design guide can be given for the strength. In this study, fatigue and static tensile tests are made and microstructure is investigated for the purpose of estimating the strength of welded joints by using spot welded and $CO_2$ plug welded specimens. The tested specimens are of two types : Tensile-shear type(TS) and L-tension type(LT).

• Transactions of Materials Processing
• /
• v.27 no.3
• /
• pp.145-153
• /
• 2018

Magnesium material could be widely used in the automotive industry because of its high strength to weight ratio, but the electric resistance spot welding process of magnesium sheets is difficult because of its low electric resistance and high thermal conduction and thermal expansion. For this reason, an electric resistance surface friction spot welding process using rotating dies is suggested for the spot welding of magnesium metal sheets. This welding method can be characterized by three heating methods: (1) electric resistance heating on contacted surface, (2) surface friction heating by rotating dies, and (3) thermal conduction heating from heated steel electrodes, for the fusion of metal at the interfacial zone between the two magnesium sheets. This welding process also has variables to explore, such as welding currents, diameters of the steel electrode, and rotating dies. It was found that the welding strength could reach industrial requirements by applying a welding current of 11.0kA, with steel electrodes of 12mm diameter, with rotating dies of 4.4 mm diameter, under the condition of a revolution speed of 1200rpm of rotating dies, for the surface friction spot welding process of AZ31 magnesium alloy sheets of 1.4mm thickness.