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- Advanced high strength steels (4) (entfernen)
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Liquid metal embrittlement (LME) cracking is a phenomenon observed during resistance spot welding (RSW) of zinccoated advanced highstrength steels (AHSS) in automotive manufacturing. In this study, severe cracks are observed at the edge of the sheet under reduced flange widths. These cracks, traversing the AHSS sheet, culminate at the edge with a width of approximately 1.2 mm.
Through combined numerical and experimental investigations, and material testing, these cracks are identified and validated as a new type of LME crack. The mechanism behind this crack formation is attributed to unique geometric conditions that, when compared to center welding, amplify radial material flow by ninefold to 0.87 mm. The resultant tangential tensile stresses approximate 760 MPa, which exceed the yield strength of the examined advanced highstrength steel (AHSS) under heightened temperature conditions, and when combined with liquid zinc, promote the formation of this new type of LME crack.
Grain-boundary degradation via liquid-metal embrittlement (LME) is a prominent and long-standing failure process in next generation advanced high-strength steels. Here we reveal, well ahead of the crack tip, the presences of nano-scale grains of intermetallic phases in Zn-infiltrated but uncracked grain boundaries with scanning- and 4D transmission electron microscopy. Instead of the often-reported Znrich Fe-Zn intermetallics, the nano-scale phase in the uncracked infiltrated grain boundaries is identified as the G-phase, and its presence reveals the local enhancement of strain heterogeneities in the grain boundary network. Based on these observations, we argue that intermetallic phase formation is not occurring after cracking and subsequent liquid Zn infiltration but is instead one of the primary nanoscopic drivers for grain-boundary weakening and crack initiation. These findings shift the focus of LME from micro- and meso-scale crack investigations to the very early stages immediately following Zn diffusion, after which secondary phase nucleation and growth emerge as the root-cause for failure.
Advanced high strength steels are usually coated by a zinc layer for an increased resistance against corrosion. During the resistance spot welding of zinc coated steel grades, liquid metal embrittlement (LME)mayoccur. As a result, cracking inside and around the spot weld indentation is observable. The extent of LME cracks is influenced by a variety of different factors. In this study, the impact of the used electrode geometry is investigated over a stepwise varied weld time.
A spot welding finite element simulation is used to analyse and explain the observed effects. Results show significant differences especially for highly increased weld times. Based on identical overall dimensions, electrode geometries with a larger working plane allow for longer weld times, while still preventing LME within the investigated material and maintaining accessibility.
The safe joining of new, freshly developed steel types keeps challenging the industry–and is assumed to go on in doing so. In the body-in-white production, these materials are mainly joined using resistance spot welding. During the past ten years, various investigations on resistance spot welding of advanced high strength steels have been carried out at Fraunhofer IPK and the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM). This paper aims to give an overview about both the top former and recent studies and results. The investigated topics are the influences of manufacturing conditions as initial gaps and restraints on spot welds, their impact on the fatigue strength of a joint and the cracking-wise safe weldability of AHSS.
Caused by non-ideal manufacturing conditions, cracks in spot welds (e.g. caused by liquid metal embrittlement) are still regarded as a potential risk in industrial practice. Therefore, a method to evaluate the safe weldability regarding the cracking susceptibility was developed for AHSS. The method is easy to perform, even without expensive laboratory equipment. It allows the end user to establish a material ranking regarding the cracking susceptibility of the handled steels. Recently, coupled thermo-mechanical finite element modelling has been used to describe critical stress-strain conditions responsible for the occurrence of liquid metal embrittlement, and to improve the understanding of the process.