Performance of Resistance Spot-Welded Joints in Advanced High-Strength Steel in Static and Dynamic Tensile Tests

The performance of resistance spot-welded joints in advanced high-strength steel sheets is critical for the application of these materials in safety-critical areas. To be able to predict the performance of such joints from C available material data would be of great benefit to the automotive industry. This report starts with a review of literature about various aspects of spot weld performance in advanced high-strength steels. It then describes experimental work whereby a set of resistance spot-welded joints in various advanced high-strength steels Qwas tested in lap shear and peel-type tensile testing. Testing was done both statically and dynamically. The steel sheet materials varied in microstructural and chemical compositions, strength and thickness. The goal of the tests was to investigate possible relations between material characteristics and performance of the welded joints. Therefore, the experimental results are related to several material parameters, i.e., sheet thickly ness, base metal yield and tensile strength, carbon content and various Carbon Equivalent numbers.