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Effect of specimen width on the failure behavior in resistance spot weld tensile shear testing

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Abstract

Specimen dimensions have significant effect on the tensile shear strength (TSS) of resistance spot welds (RSW) in the commonly employed tensile shear testing. Minimum required dimensions specified in different industrial test standards vary somewhat however. In this paper, the most influential dimension, the tensile shear test specimen width, is investigated for a low-strength steel (galvanized steel Q235), a high-strength steel (TRIP980), and aluminum alloy 5052. The relationships between the specimen width and weld properties, such as TSS, energy absorption, and failure modes, were investigated experimentally. The results show that there is a critical width of the specimen beyond which the TSS of the RSW maintains a constant value and the failure is at the spot weld. This constant TSS is a saturated value. The perceived TSS from the tensile shear testing is lower than the saturated TSS when the width is smaller than the critical value. The displacement at the TSS and the energy up to failure from the tensile shear testing, however, shows opposite trend due to the large plastic deformation from the base sheet metal in narrower specimens. From the results, a minimum width of tensile shear test specimen for determining saturated TSS is recommended.

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Acknowledgments

This work is supported by Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant 51275342, Grant 51275338 and 51405335).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Material Science and Engineering and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Advanced Joining Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China

    Sansan Ao, He Shan, Xuetuan Cui, Zhen Luo & Yuh J. Chao

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA

    Yuh J. Chao

  3. China Automotive Engineering Research Institute Co. Ltd., Chongqing, 401122, China

    Mingtu Ma

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  1. Sansan Ao
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  2. He Shan
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  3. Xuetuan Cui
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  4. Zhen Luo
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  5. Yuh J. Chao
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Correspondence to Zhen Luo.

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Recommended for publication by Commission III - Resistance welding, Solid State Welding, and Allied Joining Process

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Ao, S., Shan, H., Cui, X. et al. Effect of specimen width on the failure behavior in resistance spot weld tensile shear testing. Weld World 60, 1095–1107 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40194-016-0384-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40194-016-0384-y

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