Resistance Welding Processes

COMPILED BY :
PROF. N.R.PRAJAPATI
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR,
MECHANICAL ENGG. DEPT.
DDU.
H = Amount of heat generated at the contacting area of the elements to be welded ( Joules)
I = current ( Amperes )
R = resistance of the ckt at contacting area ( ohms)
T = time for which electric current passes through the joint. ( sec ) ( 0 . 25 sec )

Voltage : 5 to 20 V
At 1000-10000 Amp
 Working Principle
• In Resistance Welding Heat and pressure both
applied.
In Spot, seam, projection welding
• Current passing through the two overlapping
Sheets of workpieces
• At the interface of two surfaces forming the lap
joint is the greatest resistance, it is also point of
greatest heat.
 Cont..
• localize heating at contact surface raises
temperature to fusion point .
• Hence, localize fusion occurs.
• Which is, under pressure squeezes the molten
metal from the two parts to a homogenous mass
called the weld nugget.
• Resistance welding is carried out at low voltage
and higher amperage current.
Types of Resistance Welding processes

I. Resistance spot welding

II. Resistance seam welding
III. Resistance projection welding
IV. Resistance butt welding
a) Upset butt welding
b) Flash Butt welding
c) Percussion welding
Resistance Spot Welding

Diameter of the weld spot

is in the range (3 - 12
mm).
 This method uses pointed copper electrodes
providing passage of electric current and also
transmit pressure required for formation of strong
weld.
 It consist of a transformer core having primary and
secondary Winding.
 One end of secondary winding is connected to
upper Electrode and other end is connected to
lower electrode.
 The workpieces to be weld are pressed between
tips of the electrodes and high current at low
voltages is passed through the workpieces.
 Due to resistance offered by the workpieces (
sheet metal ) to the flow of current , the
temperature at the contact surfaces rises to fusion
point and squeezing pressure is also applied.
 So the weld is completed on freezing.

 The operation is repeated by changing the position

of the workpiece plate to get the weld at another
point.

 Spot welding is widely used in automotive

industry for joining vehicle body parts and in
metal furniture.
Basic circuit components of resistance spot welding
Resistance spot Welding Cycle: Welding sequence
 Spot welding equipment

1.Fixed type:
(a)Rocker arm type
(b)Press type
2.Portable type:
(a)Pincer type
(b)C-clamp type
Portable spot welding machine
Spot welding electrode :Shapes
 Electrode size

• Weld nugget size :

Unwin’s formula: dn =6 √t
• Electrode tip size :
de = 5 √t or de = 2.5+2t
Where t=single sheet thickness in mm.
 Example

Q:Determine weld nugget diameter when two

sheets having same thickness of 4 mm each
welded by resistance spot welding process.
 Weldability of resistance welding
• Essentially materials with higher electrical resistivity
,lower thermal conductivity and lower melting point can
easily weld.

Weldability above 2.0 is excellent

between 0.75 to 2.0 is good
below 0.25 is poor.
Some mild steel is having 10
Aluminum alloys 1 to 2.
While copper base alloys like brass have poor weldability.
 Example
• Determine percentage weldability of low
alloy steel material need to be welded by
resistance spot welding.
• Data for properties of low alloy steel is as
below:
• Electrical resistivity=12 microham/cm,
relative thermal conductivity=0.12, melting
point =1430 (◦c)
• NOTE: Do not change any units of any
properties.
 Heat balance

• Quite often sheets of different thickness or

dissimilar materials are required to spot welded.
• Such a situation results in heat generation or
dissipation of different amounts from two
sheets which may cause the nugget to develop
away from centerline at interface resulting in a
weak weld.
 Heat balance

• To achieve symmetrical growth of nugget on both

side of the interface it is essential to control the
pattern of heat generation(or dissipation).
• This is done by using electrodes of different
diameter or by using high resistivity inserts of
tungsten, in one of the electrodes.
• The weld nugget will then developed closer to the
electrode with smaller diameter due to the higher
current density or electrode with higher resistivity
tip due to reduced thermal conductivity hence
lower heat dissipation.(Increasing current density
or higher resistivity insert)
 Heat balance
R=ρl/A
OR Case 1:Same material but different THk

J= I/A
Case 1:Same material but different THk
Case 2:Different material but same THk
Case 3:Different material but thin sheet of higher resistivity
material
Case 4:Different material but thicker sheet of higher
resistivity material
Typical car body has about 10,000 spot welds
 Application
• High speed of operation, ease of
mechanisation, absence of edge preparations
are attractive features of resistance spot
welding .
• Process extensively used to weld material like
mild steel, stainless steel, aluminum alloys etc.
• Automobile and washing machine bodies,
refrigerator shells, furniture and similar other
products which is made from sheet metal parts
are extensively spot welded.
 Resistance Seam Welding
• Seam welding replaces spot welding for
producing continuous leakproof joints for
use in sheet metal containers like petrol
tanks for automobiles.
• In practice it is a continuous type of spot
welds overlaps each other to desired extent.
• In seam welding electrodes used are in the
form of copper wheel or rollers.
• One or both electrode wheels powered.
• The wheels are aliened in line with the
throat for longitudinal seam welding.
• Welding current is supplied through
bearings of wheel electrode.
• Pressure applied in the same way as press
type spot welding machine.
• As the electrode rotate, the work is moved
between them and the current is supplied in
pulses during the weld time.
• Weld time is so adjusted to get overlap spot
weld.
• For producing gas tight seam weld should
overlap 40-50 % of nugget diameter for
maximum strength.
• Wheel electrode of width 10-20 mm &
diameter 50-600 mm are generally used.
Side view

Resistance Seam Welding

 Application
• Seam Welding is used for producing leakproof
joints in tanks and boxes generally required for
automobile industries.

• However process restricted to weld thin materials

ranging from 2.5 to 5 mm.

• Drums, domestic radiators, gasoline tanks,

automobile muffler .
 Spot welding Seam welding
1. The electrodes are a 1. Electrodes are a pair of
pair of copper rods rotating copper rolls between
between which the which sheets to be welded
sheets to be welded are passed
are positioned
2. The welding takes 2. The seam weld joints are
place at discrete continuous
intervals
3. It is used for 3. It is used to weld
components such as components such as a fuel
flat sheets , panels tank shells & other
as in car bodies. application which require the
joint to be leak proof
 Resistance Projection Welding
• Projection welding is resistance welding
process of joining two sheets or a sheet and
thick component, or a small component like
nut to a big body like automotive chasis, by
making raised portion or projection on one
of the component, where weld nugget is
required to be made.
• Thus, projection welding is not confined to
welding sheets only.
• The raised portion or projection act to
localize the heat of the welding circuit.
• The electrode used are flat platens of hard
material to cover the entire area of the work
over which the projection welds are to be
made in one go.
• Three or more projections can be welded at
a time.
• Weld cycle same as spot weld.
• Projection welding reduces amount of
current and pressure needed to weld two
workpieces.
 Resistance Projection Welding

Figure : Resistance projection welding: (1) start of operation, contact between

parts is at projections; (2) when current is applied, weld nuggets similar to
spot welding are formed at the projections.

A resistance welding process in which coalescence occurs at one or more

small contact points on parts
Contact points determined by design of parts to be joined .May consist of
projections, embossments, or localized intersections of parts
 Application

• Captive nut to chasis panels of automobiles

• Reinforcing rings around holes in sheet
metal tanks.
• Threaded stud to plate.
• Cross wire welding i.e. cross spanner.
Typical application of resistance projection welding
RESISTANCE BUTT WELDING
• Resistance Butt Welding

It is of three types

1. Upset welding
2. Flash welding
3. Percussion welding
Upset Butt Welding
• Upset Welding is used to join the pieces end
to end the process is best suited to rods ,
pipes and many other parts of uniform cross
section.

• In upset butt welding , the parts are clamped

and brought in solid contact and current is
applied so that the heat is generated through
the contact areas of the parts.
• When the temperature of the interface
reaches to plastic state, the current is
switched off and the two parts are pressed
together firmly.
• This results in lateral flow of the surfaces
oxide layers.
• This action of pressing together is called
upsetting.
Flash Butt Welding
• Flash welding is similar to upset welding except
that it is accompanied by arcing and flashing.

• Flash welding consists of one fixed and one

movable clamp to hold and clamp the workpiece
firmly as well as to force them together.
• The two parts are brought together and the power
supply is switched on.

• With the voltage of about 10 V across the clamps

and heavy current flow along the asperities across
the contact faces of workpieces.

• As the point of contact are melted and metal is

squeezed out in a shower of fine molten droplet,
the contact is broken and arcing is takes place
across gap.

• Flashing or arcing raises then temperature of

contact surfaces of parts to a welding temperature
• Now power is switched off and movement
of movable clamp is rapidly increased and
high force is applied.
• Hence, two parts are rapidly pressed
(forced) together causing a small upset.
• This squeezes out liquid metal and oxides ,
formed on the joint surfaces and the two
parts are welded together.
 Application Resistance butt welding

• Flash butt welding is extensively used to

welding of MS,SS,non ferrous metal and its
alloys, Nimonic alloys etc.
• Thick pipes
• Ends of band saws
• High speed drill bit weld to CS shank body
• Window frames
• Heavy duty chain link e.g. anchor chains for
ships
Percussion welding
• Percussion welding is a type of
resistance welding that joins dissimilar
metals together.
• Two pieces are welded by high intensity
short duration arc followed by very rapid or
percussive impact of workpieces.
• High temperature arc that is formed from a
short quick electrical discharge.
 Application Percussion welding

• Percussion welding is particularly good for

joining small diameter wires of dissimilar
materials in electronics industries.
• Wire of Copper to SS, copper to
Nichrome,Thorium to Zircloy can be
welded.
Advantages of Resistance Welding In General:
• High welding rates
• Low fumes
• Cost effectiveness
• Easy automation
• No filler materials are required
• Low distortions
Limitation of Resistance Welding In General :
• High equipment cost
• Low strength in case of discontinuous welds
• Thickness of welded sheets is limited - up to 1/4” (6
mm)
• Indentation mark is generated on surface of
workpiece