• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.86-92
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• 1998

High speed wire seam weldability of tin coated thin gage sheet steels was investigated. Thickness and coating weight ranges of the test materials were 0.21~0.35mm and 1.1/1.1~2.8/11.2g/$m^2$, respectively. Test results indicated that the surface roughness value, Rz decreased as increasing the coating weight. The Rz was thought to be one of the important factors to influence the optimum welding condition range, $\triangle$Q. The $\triangle$Q showed close relationship with welding conditions such as welding pressure and travel speed. Higher welding pressure widened the $\triangle$Q while higher travel speed reduced the $\triangle$Q value. Results also demonstrated that tin coating weight should be optimized based on the weldability or the serviceability after welding. At th HAZ of sheet materials with thinner coating layer, tin depleted zone was produced since molten film of the coating material on the base metal agglomerated by the surface tension, which could result in reducing the corrosion resistance of the HAZ in the service environment.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.100-110
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• 1998

In this paper, the laser weldability of thin gage steels for automobile application is discussed. Welding was carried out with a high power carbon dioxide laser system, and the laser energy was concentrated through a plano-convex lens. Test results showed that the joint gap in the butt welding proved to be one of the critical conditions for an acceptable weld. In the case where the ratio of the gap clearance to the material thickness was slightly bigger than optimal value, the weld strength was reduced showing weld metal fracture. It was possible to obtained a weld penetration ratio of 0.91 when the vertical offset ratio was controlled to be 0.4 or smaller. Results also demonstrated that the weld strength of the lap joint was influenced by travel speed. At the travel speeds lower than 37 mm/s, the weld strength indicated higher value than that of class A recommendation strength of a resistance spot weld based on the KS code. It was clear that the complicated effect of specimen alignment should be considered so as to make a sound weld with high integrity when the laser process was applied to the long weld line.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.83-88
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• 1999

In this paper resistance projection weldability of Zn coated steels with post treatment has been discussed. Projection welding was performed by a condenser discharge type power source which was equipped with welding parameter monitoring system. Mechanical test results indicated that the effect of post coatings on the projection front changed showing very small very small spattering at the weld strength was negligible. However, contamination rate of the block electrode varied depending on the post treatment coatings. Test results also showed that projection height before welding should be kept to be 80-100% of the specimen thickness as far as the surface quality was taken into consideration. Based on the high speed photography, discharge condition at the beginning stage of the welding process. It was considered that the spattering reduced the weld strength slightly at the optimum heat input range.