When resistance spot welding aluminum alloys, high electrode forces are required to reduce the electrical contact resistances between the electrodes and the sheet metals. The high contact resistances and the resulting thermal load cause extensive degradation of the electrode working faces. Weld spatter occurs after only a few weld cycles, significantly reducing the quality of the weld. Conventional resistance welding machines are limited in terms of maximum electrode force and weld current. As a result, weld quality and electrode life are inadequate. The aim is to increase the achievable electrode life by surface patterning the electrode working faces and creating thin-film diffusion barriers by physical vapor deposition (PVD). Patterning is intended to penetrate the oxide layers of the aluminum sheets and increase the proportion of electrically conductive contact areas. The different influences of patterning by particle blasting and contour turning will be investigated. As a further approach, thin-film diffusion barriers of up to 3 μm are deposited on the electrodes to prevent direct Al-Cu contact. Therefore, metallic coating materials (Ni and W) and an electrically highly conductive ceramic coating material (TiB2) are investigated. The combination of electrode patterning and thin-film diffusion barriers is tested in electrode life studies. It is shown that these modified electrode working faces can limit degradation effects and contribute to an increase in electrode life. In addition, the weld quality can be improved compared to the reference condition.

Due to the increased demands for reducing CO₂emissions, improving fuel efficiency of modern vehicles has been continuously monitored. The body of a typical compact car design has a weight share of approx. 40%. In addition to increasing torsional stiffness and crash safety of the body, the aim is also to reduce the overall weight at the same time. In order to achieve these individual requirements, the use of three-sheet steel stack-ups with adhesive applications for car body construction is one of the current strategies used in automobile manufacturing. Adhesive applications lead to a change in process behavior of resistance spot welding. The effective weldability lobe is reduced and an adjusted preheat current is necessary to reconstitute the weldability of a component. Depending on squeeze time and electrode force the adhesive will be displaced. For an asymmetric sheet stack-up, the electrical resistance for every faying surface is highly differentiated. During welding, a specific characteristic of the electrical resistance is created for each individual material combination. These characteristics can be analyzed by using an online measurement device. In this manuscript, different sheet stack-ups are examined with regard to their weldability lobes and their process behavior. The individual three-sheet steel stack-ups used are made of low carbon steel (DX51), HSLA-steel (HX340) and UHS-steel (22MnB5). The corresponding characteristics of electrical resistance will be recorded by using an online measurement device. In addition, the process of adhesive displacement during the squeeze time and the initial welding current are discussed on the basis of the electrical energy generated in the component to be welded. The obtained results contribute to a direct verification of the welding process and an automatic detection of possible imperfect welds.

Resistance spot welding of aluminum alloys causes the electrode materials to degrade rapidly. This is due to diffusion processes occurring between the sheet materials and the copper electrodes at process temperatures of up to 600 °C. This significantly limits the electrode life, resulting in less than 60 weld cycles before the joint quality becomes insufficient. Thin-film diffusion barriers can increase electrode life and improve joint quality. This article describes the generation of barrier layers of nickel and tungsten using physical vapor deposition. These layers directly influence the welding process by altering the electrical resistance and friction coefficients in the contact area. Nanoindentation is used to determine the specific properties of the barrier layers within the 2.5–3 µm layer thickness range. Hardness and modulus of elasticity are determined by indentation tests. Scratch tests determine the friction coefficients and adhesion strength of the coating against plastic deformation. Nanoindentation is also used to investigate the degradation process of the electrode base material and barrier layers. This reveals which damage mechanisms occur with uncoated electrodes and demonstrates how thin-film diffusion barrier coatings can prevent aluminum diffusion.

The tracer diffusion of aluminium in the CuCr1Zr alloy was investigated, a material widely employed as an electrode in resistance spot welding. As a tracer layer, an alloy of Cu – 8.8 at.% Al was used, which was deposited by ion-beam sputtering. Isothermal diffusion annealing experiments were carried out between 500 and 700 °C, at temperatures relevant for industrial welding conditions. Al depth profile analysis was done by Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry. The results revealed that aluminium exhibits a temperature-dependent diffusion behaviour. The diffusivities can be fitted together with literature data on Al diffusion in pure Cu obtained at higher temperatures according to the Arrhenius law. An activation enthalpy of 2 eV is obtained. The influence of a surficial oxide layer on the diffusion process is discussed.