Occurrence of sub-critical heat affected zone liquid metal embrittlement in joining of advanced high strength steel

Advanced high strength steels (AHSS) used in automotive structural components are commonly protected using zinc coatings. However, the steel/zinc system creates the potential for liquid metal embrittlement (LME) cracking during welding. In this study, the effect of angular welding electrode misalignment as recommended by industry was investigated and resulted in LME cracking in the sub-critical heat affected zone (SCHAZ) which is a region where …