Microstructure and mechanical properties of matching and non-matching resistance spot welds of DP450 and DP800 steels
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Muhammed Elitas
Muhammed Elitas is Associate Professor at Bilecik Seyh Edebali University, Türkiye. His research interests include mechanical testing of materials, welding performance in metals. His studies and finals are resistance spot welds and failure modes of non-alloyed steel produced by powder metallurgy.
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Ahmet Serdar Güldibi
Ahmet Serdar Güldibi is an Assistant Professor at the Manufacturing Engineering, Karabuk University, Türkiye. His research work focuses on the machining of metals, welding and 3D printing.
Mehmet Akif Erden is a Professor Biomedical Engineering at Karabuk University, Türkiye. His research interests focus on biomaterials, powder metallurgy, and alloyed PM steels.
Abstract
In this study, resistance spot welding (RSW) joints of DP450 and DP800 steels were produced using three different electrode forces (2.1 daN, 2.8 daN, 3.5 daN) and three different welding currents (9 kA, 10 kA, 11 kA). The effects of different welding parameters on microstructure, tensile shear force (TSF), failure mode, and microhardness were investigated. The focus was on optimizing the welding parameters. As a result, the RSW process led to the formation of three distinct regions in the microstructure: the base metal (BM), the heat-affected zone (HAZ), and the weld metal (WM). Generally, the TSF increased with higher heat input resulting from decreased electrode force and increased welding current. However, in similar joints, an increase in welding current from 10 kA to 11 kA caused expulsion, negatively affecting the welding quality. The maximum TSF value (15.59 kN) was obtained in DP800-DP800 joints welded with 2.1 daN-10 kA welding parameters. After the tensile shear tests, three different failure modes were observed: Interfacial failure (IF), partial interfacial failure (PIF), and pull-out failure (PF). Hardness values exhibited a linear correlation with TSF results. Furthermore, a significant increase in hardness values was observed from the BM to the WM across all welding parameters.
About the authors
Muhammed Elitas is Associate Professor at Bilecik Seyh Edebali University, Türkiye. His research interests include mechanical testing of materials, welding performance in metals. His studies and finals are resistance spot welds and failure modes of non-alloyed steel produced by powder metallurgy.
Ahmet Serdar Güldibi is an Assistant Professor at the Manufacturing Engineering, Karabuk University, Türkiye. His research work focuses on the machining of metals, welding and 3D printing.
Mehmet Akif Erden is a Professor Biomedical Engineering at Karabuk University, Türkiye. His research interests focus on biomaterials, powder metallurgy, and alloyed PM steels.
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank Bilecik Şeyh Edebali University Scientific Research Projects Coordination Office (Project No: 2021-02. BŞEÜ.03-04) and Karabuk University Scientific Research Projects Coordination Office (Project No: KBÜBAP-23-DS-129) for their support to this study. Also, we would like to thank Albaksan Group for contributing to the realization of the welding process.
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Research ethics: Not applicable.
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Informed consent: Not applicable.
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Author contributions: Muhammed Elitas contributed to the literature research, welding processes, and tensile tests. He organized, wrote, evaluated, and designed the paper. Ahmet Serdar Güldibi performed microhardness tests. Mehmet Akif erden conducted microstructural examinations with Muhammed Elitas. The author(s) have (has) accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.
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Use of Large Language Models, AI and Machine Learning Tools: None declared.
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Conflict of interest: The author(s) state(s) no conflict of interest.
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Research funding: None declared.
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Data availability: Not applicable.
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