Study and Applications of Dynamic Resistance Profiles During Resistance Spot Welding of Coated Hot-Stamping Steels

This work compares the role of press hardened steel coating type (Al-Si and GA) on resistance spot welding by analyzing the dynamic resistance curves measured during the weld cycles of the respective materials. It was seen that the dynamic resistance profiles for GA- and Al-Si-coated steels are similar. But the GA specimens exhibited higher resistance than Al-Si-coated specimens in the as-received condition, while the Al-Si-coated specimens exhibited higher resistance after hot stamping. From the early stages of the dynamic resistance profiles, data were obtained and applied for computing the values of components of resistances associated with the different coatings since each coating exhibits characteristic value at the early stages. The results revealed that at the start of the welding cycle, the resistance of the electrode/sheet interface was significantly higher than that of the faying surface or the bulk resistance regardless of whether the steel was Al-Si- or GA-coated. The possible uses of these resistance values in studying welding current requirement and electrode tip life were discussed.