How to optimize the electrical resistance spot welding process in the automotive industry

In the automotive industry, to improve safety and reduce the weight of vehicles, new kind of high-strength steel have been introduced for the design of the bodywork. Some metal sheets assemblies, in particular thin sheets, make the electrical resistance welding process optimization complicated.

Therefore, numerical simulation is a relevant approach to understand and improve the parameters of the spot welding process.

This paper presents a coupled electrical-thermal-mechanical numerical model, developed with FORGE® software, used to study growth mechanisms of the weld core and its penetration into the thin sheet.

The work, carried out jointly with the Reseach Laboratory Dupuy de Lôme (Université de Bretagne Sud), ArcelorMittal Global R&D and Transvalor, was presented during the conference "Numerical Analysis of Weldability" which took place on 23 - 26 September 2018 in Graz - Austria.
 

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