Weld nugget formation in resistance spot welding of new lightweight sandwich material

Weldability of a new lightweight sandwich material, LITECOR®, by resistance spot welding is analyzed by experiments and numerical simulations. The spot welding process is accommodated by a first pulse squeezing out the non-conductive polymer core of the sandwich material locally to allow metal–metal contact. This is facilitated by the use of a shunt tool and is followed by a second pulse for the actual spot welding and nugget formation. A weldability lobe in the time-current space of the second pulse reveals a process window of acceptable size for automotive assembly lines. Weld growth curves are presented together with results of numerical simulations made in the finite element computer program SORPAS® 3D, which is based on an electro-thermo-mechanical formulation. The numerical models are presented together with the specific modeling conditions leading to numerical simulations in good agreement with experimental results in the range of welding parameters leading to acceptable weld nugget sizes. The validated accuracy of the commercially available software proves the tool useful for assisting the choice of welding parameters.