Effect of process parameters on the physical characteristics of spot weld joints

This work deals with the study of the welding resistance using a technique based on spot welding. The effect of process parameters (arc intensity, welding duration and applied load) are pointed out by considering the physical characteristics of the weld joints. A tensile test permitted to determine experimentally the variations of the Young’s modulus, elongation at break and the tensile strength associated to the process parameters. A statistical analysis of the experimental data permitted to point out the large sensitivity of Young’s modulus to the process parameters, especially the applied load. The other characteristics seem to be less sensitive to the arc intensity. The analysis of the coupled effects by considering 3D characteristic maps permitted to conclude on a small interaction between arc current and welding duration whereas the applied load was the control factor.