INVESTIGATING SPOT WELD GROWTH ON 304 AUSTENITIC STAINLESS STEEL (2 mm) SHEETS

Resistance spot welding (RSW) has revolutionized automotive industries since early 1970s for its mechanical assemblies. To date one mechanical assembly out five is welded using spot welding technology in various industries and stainless steel became very popular among common materials. As such this research paper analyses the spot weld growth on 304 austenitic stainless steels with 2mm sample sheets. The growth of a spot weld is primarily determined by its parameters such as current, weld time, electrode tip and force. However other factors such as electrode deformations, corrosions, dissimilar materials and material properties are also affect the weld growth. This paper is intended to analyze only the effects of nuggets growth due to the current and weld time increment with constant force and unchanged electrode tips. A JPC 75kVA spot welder was used to accomplish it and the welded samples were undergone tensile test, hardness test and metallurgical test to characterize the formation of weld nuggets.