Welding parameters influence on fatigue life and microstructure in resistance spot welding of 6061-T6 aluminum alloy

R. S. Florea; D. J. Bammann; A. Yeldell; Kiran Solanki; Y. Hammi

doi:10.1016/j.matdes.2012.08.053

Welding parameters influence on fatigue life and microstructure in resistance spot welding of 6061-T6 aluminum alloy

R. S. Florea, D. J. Bammann, A. Yeldell, Kiran Solanki, Y. Hammi

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

62 Scopus citations

Abstract

The fatigue behavior of resistance spot welding (RSW) in aluminum 6061-T6 alloy (AlMg1SiCu per International Standard Office nomenclature) was experimentally investigated. Three welding conditions, denoted as " nominal" , " low" and " high" , were studied to determine the microstructure of the weld nuggets. The process optimization included consideration of the forces, currents and times for main weld and post-heating. By successive iterations and " witness samples" collected, the optimum welding parameters were determined. Load control cyclic tests were then conducted on single weld lap-shear joint coupons to study the microstructure and fatigue life properties. These tests were used to characterize the fatigue behavior in spot welded specimens to elucidate the influence of the process parameters. This work revealed that the welding process parameters have a great influence in the microstructure and fatigue life of the 2. mm-thick aluminum sheet resistance spot welded joints. Different fatigue failure modes were observed at several load ranges and ratios for a constant frequency and three welding currents.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	456-465
Number of pages	10
Journal	Materials and Design
Volume	45
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matdes.2012.08.053
State	Published - Mar 2013

Keywords

Aluminum
Fatigue behavior
Microstructure
Process optimization
Resistance spot welding
Welding parameters

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Materials Science(all)
Mechanics of Materials
Mechanical Engineering

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10.1016/j.matdes.2012.08.053

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title = "Welding parameters influence on fatigue life and microstructure in resistance spot welding of 6061-T6 aluminum alloy",

abstract = "The fatigue behavior of resistance spot welding (RSW) in aluminum 6061-T6 alloy (AlMg1SiCu per International Standard Office nomenclature) was experimentally investigated. Three welding conditions, denoted as {"} nominal{"} , {"} low{"} and {"} high{"} , were studied to determine the microstructure of the weld nuggets. The process optimization included consideration of the forces, currents and times for main weld and post-heating. By successive iterations and {"} witness samples{"} collected, the optimum welding parameters were determined. Load control cyclic tests were then conducted on single weld lap-shear joint coupons to study the microstructure and fatigue life properties. These tests were used to characterize the fatigue behavior in spot welded specimens to elucidate the influence of the process parameters. This work revealed that the welding process parameters have a great influence in the microstructure and fatigue life of the 2. mm-thick aluminum sheet resistance spot welded joints. Different fatigue failure modes were observed at several load ranges and ratios for a constant frequency and three welding currents.",

keywords = "Aluminum, Fatigue behavior, Microstructure, Process optimization, Resistance spot welding, Welding parameters",

author = "Florea, {R. S.} and Bammann, {D. J.} and A. Yeldell and Kiran Solanki and Y. Hammi",

note = "Funding Information: The authors would like to thank the Center of Advanced Vehicular Systems (CAVS) and the U.S. Army-TARDEC for supporting this work. This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Army TACOM Life Cycle Command under Contract No. W56HZV-08-C-0236, through a subcontract with Mississippi State University, and it was performed for the Simulation Based Reliability and Safety (SimBRS) research program. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Army TACOM Life Cycle Command. ",

year = "2013",

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doi = "10.1016/j.matdes.2012.08.053",

language = "English (US)",

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pages = "456--465",

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AU - Florea, R. S.

AU - Bammann, D. J.

AU - Yeldell, A.

AU - Solanki, Kiran

AU - Hammi, Y.

N1 - Funding Information: The authors would like to thank the Center of Advanced Vehicular Systems (CAVS) and the U.S. Army-TARDEC for supporting this work. This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Army TACOM Life Cycle Command under Contract No. W56HZV-08-C-0236, through a subcontract with Mississippi State University, and it was performed for the Simulation Based Reliability and Safety (SimBRS) research program. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Army TACOM Life Cycle Command.

PY - 2013/3

Y1 - 2013/3

N2 - The fatigue behavior of resistance spot welding (RSW) in aluminum 6061-T6 alloy (AlMg1SiCu per International Standard Office nomenclature) was experimentally investigated. Three welding conditions, denoted as " nominal" , " low" and " high" , were studied to determine the microstructure of the weld nuggets. The process optimization included consideration of the forces, currents and times for main weld and post-heating. By successive iterations and " witness samples" collected, the optimum welding parameters were determined. Load control cyclic tests were then conducted on single weld lap-shear joint coupons to study the microstructure and fatigue life properties. These tests were used to characterize the fatigue behavior in spot welded specimens to elucidate the influence of the process parameters. This work revealed that the welding process parameters have a great influence in the microstructure and fatigue life of the 2. mm-thick aluminum sheet resistance spot welded joints. Different fatigue failure modes were observed at several load ranges and ratios for a constant frequency and three welding currents.

AB - The fatigue behavior of resistance spot welding (RSW) in aluminum 6061-T6 alloy (AlMg1SiCu per International Standard Office nomenclature) was experimentally investigated. Three welding conditions, denoted as " nominal" , " low" and " high" , were studied to determine the microstructure of the weld nuggets. The process optimization included consideration of the forces, currents and times for main weld and post-heating. By successive iterations and " witness samples" collected, the optimum welding parameters were determined. Load control cyclic tests were then conducted on single weld lap-shear joint coupons to study the microstructure and fatigue life properties. These tests were used to characterize the fatigue behavior in spot welded specimens to elucidate the influence of the process parameters. This work revealed that the welding process parameters have a great influence in the microstructure and fatigue life of the 2. mm-thick aluminum sheet resistance spot welded joints. Different fatigue failure modes were observed at several load ranges and ratios for a constant frequency and three welding currents.

KW - Aluminum

KW - Fatigue behavior

KW - Microstructure

KW - Process optimization

KW - Resistance spot welding

KW - Welding parameters

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Welding parameters influence on fatigue life and microstructure in resistance spot welding of 6061-T6 aluminum alloy

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