Heat evolution and nugget formation of resistance spot welding under multi-pulsed current waveforms

The pulsed current waveform is essential for the precise control of nugget size in resistance spot welding (RSW). Understanding this link may enable high-quality RSW for the emerging materials. To shed light on this issue, a 3D electrical-thermal-mechanical coupled model is developed to simulate transient multi-physical fields and nugget shapes in RSW. The effects of pulsed current waveforms on the heat evolution and nugget formation are elaborated. The model is validated by calculating nugget size and weld indentation well consistent with the experimental measurements. The results show that with the same energy input, although the continuous and pulsed currents can provide acceptable nugget sizes, the “ramp-up” pulsed current with a high initial current can well match the variations of temperature-dependent electric resistance and lead to an enlarged nugget size. The electrode temperature maintains at a low level with an extended electrode life. This work will provide a better understanding of the heat evolution and nugget formation during RSW process under different multi-pulsed current waveforms, and thus can help to select a proper current waveform.