Simulation of resistance spot welding steels using SPOTSIM software

Resistance spot welding (RSW) with alternating current (a.c.) is used widely. The application of new high-strength materials, flexible production and the increase of the requirements on the quality of welded joints necessitate modernisation of the technology of spot welding aimed at producing welded structures with a smaller material requirement and higher efficiency and reliability. Usually, the technologist-welder must select many times the optimum welding conditions on the basis of the given properties of the welded joints, where the stability of the quality of welded joints is one of the optimisation criteria. The quality of welding is evaluated on the basis of the dimensions of the cast zone and the degree of deformation of components. This quality depends on the correct selection of the welding parameters, set by regulators of the welding machine, and the shape of the electrode. The aim of this work was to develop an applied product program package adequately reproducing the physical processes taking place in RSW and suitable for solving the problems of analysis of the process. The SPOTSIM software, developed in the departments of welding at the universities of Tula and Aachen, is described.