Resistance spot welding of aluminum alloy to steel with transition material - Part II: Finite element analyses of nugget growth

This paper summarizes work on finite element modeling of nugget growth for resistance spot welding of aluminum alloy to steel. It is a sequel to a previous paper on experimental studies of resistance spot welding of aluminum to steel using a transition material. Since aluminum alloys and steel cannot be readily fusion welded together due to their drastically different thermal physical properties, a cold-rolled clad material was introduced as a transition to aid the resistance welding process. Coupled electrical-thermal-mechanical finite element analyses were performed to simulate the nugget growth and heat generation patterns during the welding process. The predicted nugget growth results were compared to the experimental weld cross sections. Reasonable comparisons of nugget size were achieved. The finite element simulation procedures were also used in the electrode selection stage to help reduce weld expulsion and improve weld quality.