Resistance Spot Welding

Simulation with ANSYS 7.0

ANSYS Technical Support

October, 2002
 Resistance Spot Welding
Simulation with ANSYS 7.0
Objective:
Predict the temperature, voltage and electrode
displacement vs time during application of an
electric current and pressure load across electrodes
during a resistance spot welding process.

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 Resistance Spot Welding
Simulation with ANSYS 7.0
References:

1. SAE Paper 910191: Analysis and Development of a

Real-Time Control Methodology in Resistance Spot
Welding; Mar.1991; Tsai, Dai, Dickinson

2. Handbook of Heat Transfer, 3rd ed.,Rohsenow,

Hartnett,Cho

3. ANSYS APDL input file spotweld.inp, available thru

ANSYS Technical Support
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 Resistance Spot Welding
Simulation with ANSYS 7.0
Model Description:
– 2-D axisymmetric model (dimensions Spot Weld
per Fig.1 of Ref.1.). Location
– Thermal/Electric with PLANE67.
– Structural with PLANE42
– Thermal/Electric interface
resistances with TARGE169 Electrodes
and CONTA171.
– Nonlinear Material Properties are as Steel plates
defined in Appendix A (derived from to be welded
Tables 1 and 2 of Ref.1).
– Refer to Ref.3 for APDL input to build and
run model.
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 Resistance Spot Welding
Simulation with ANSYS 7.0
Model Description (cont’d):
– Contact electric conductance, ECC
was defined as a temperature dependent function
using the contact wizard and the resistivity data provided
in Table 1 of Ref.1.
Contact pairs
– Contact thermal conductance, TCC
was also defined as a temperature and
pressure dependent function using
eq.3.190 of Ref.2 and material conductivity
data from Table 1 of Ref.1.

– For structural analysis, no adjustments to default contact settings

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 Resistance Spot Welding
Simulation with ANSYS 7.0
BC and Loads Description:
Electric Conditions:
12.2Ka cyclic current (60Hz) applied as a sinusoidal function to top
electrode for first 0.27 seconds. Zero voltage applied to bottom
electrode.

Thermal Conditions:
Convection surface heat loss applied at electrode/air and
workpiece/air interface, assuming ambient 21C still air. Cooling water
temperature of 10C applied to water/electrode interface.

Structural Conditions:
Constant compressive pressure of 38.73MPa applied to top
electrode for duration of process time during structural run.
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 Resistance Spot Welding
Simulation with ANSYS 7.0
BC and Loads Description (cont’d):
Cyclic current load is defined using the function editor tool.
16 cycles over 0.27 seconds (60Hz) applied uniformly across nodes at
top electrode.

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 Resistance Spot Welding
Simulation with ANSYS 7.0
Results:
Spot Weld Temperature Profile vs Time
Compare with results of Figure 5, Ref.1

Spot weld center

Electrode/Workpiece
interface

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 Resistance Spot Welding
Simulation with ANSYS 7.0
Results(Cont’d):
Animation of temperature vs time

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 Resistance Spot Welding
Simulation with ANSYS 7.0
Results (Cont’d):
Voltage across the steel plates

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 Resistance Spot Welding
Simulation with ANSYS 7.0
Results (Cont’d):
Electrode Displacement vs Time
Compare with results of Figure 8a, Ref.1

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 Resistance Spot Welding
Simulation with ANSYS 7.0
Results (Cont’d):
Contact pressure (Mpa) at upper electrode/workpiece interface

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 Appendix A
Nonlinear Material Properties

Data Derived from Tables 1 and 2 of Ref.1

Resistance Spot Welding
Appendix A: Material Properties
Enthalpy of mild steel (J/m3)

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 Resistance Spot Welding
Appendix A: Material Properties
Thermal conductivity of mild steel (Watts/m-Deg C)

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Resistance Spot Welding
Appendix A: Material Properties
Resistivity of mild steel (Ohm-m)

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 Resistance Spot Welding
Appendix A: Material Properties
Thermal expansion coefficient of mild steel (1/Deg C)

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Resistance Spot Welding
Appendix A: Material Properties
Elastic Modulus of mild steel (Mpa)

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Resistance Spot Welding
Appendix A: Material Properties
Stress vs Strain of mild steel (Mpa)

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Resistance Spot Welding
Appendix A: Material Properties
Enthalpy of copper electrode (J/m3)

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Resistance Spot Welding
Appendix A: Material Properties
Thermal conductivity of copper electrode
(Watts/m-Deg C)

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Resistance Spot Welding
Appendix A: Material Properties
Resistivity of copper electrode (Ohm-m)

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Resistance Spot Welding
Appendix A: Material Properties
Thermal expansion coefficient
of copper electrode (1/Deg C)

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 Resistance Spot Welding
Appendix A: Material Properties
Elastic Modulus of copper electrode (Mpa)

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 Resistance Spot Welding
Appendix A: Material Properties
Stress vs Strain of copper electrode (Mpa)

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