Improvement of cross-tension strength using concave electrode in resistance spot welding of high-strength steel sheets

In the spot welding of ultrahigh-strength steel sheets, the generation of expulsion could be suppressed and large-diameter nuggets could be formed by using a concave electrode. The expulsion was suppressed because the clearance for expansion was formed when using the concave electrode. Thus, nuggets with a diameter of ≥4√t (lowest for securing joint strength, t = 1 mm) were obtained without expulsion in a greater welding current range than the range when using a conventional electrode. Furthermore, nuggets with a diameter of approximately 6.5 mm were formed with a large current of 8 kA, which could not be set when using the conventional electrode. In addition, a transition from partial interfacial fracture to pullout fracture occurred as the nugget diameter increased, and the cross-tension strength (CTS) tended to increase. A value of about 8 kN was obtained for a nugget with a diameter of 6.5 mm, which is approximately 1.5 times larger than the value (approximately 5.5 kN) obtained with the conventional ...