Investigation Parameters of Resistance Spot Welding For AA1050 Aluminum Alloy Sheets

Abstract

The parameters of resistance spot welding (RSW) performed on low strength commercial aluminum sheets are investigated experimentally, the performance requirements and weldability issues were driven the choice of a specific aluminum alloy that was AA1050. RSW aluminum alloys has a major problem of inconsistent quality from weld to weld comparing with welding steel alloys sheet, due to the higher thermal conductivity, higher thermal expansion, narrow plastic temperature range, and lower electrical resistivity. Much effort has been devoted to the study of describing the relation between the parameters of the process (welding current, welding time, and electrode force) and weld strength. Shear-tensile strength tests were performed to indicate the weld quality. A weld lobe diagrams were constructed to evaluate the weldability of three sheet thicknesses of this alloy. Most appropriate welding time and electrode force are 5 cycles and 1.75- 2.25 kN respectively. The ranges of the weldability are 14-28, 18-30, and 22-32 kA for 0.6, 1.0, and 1.5 mm sheet thicknesses respectively. A statistical regression analysis was used to demonstrate the relationship of the process parameters and the strength of the weldments. Two empirical equations for each thickness were proposed to estimate the shear tensile strength of the weldments, one for quadratic and the other linear relationship between the process parameters and the strength. There are no significant differences between the equations when applied to the available data.