Influence of Liquid metal embrittlement on load-bearing capacity of resistance spot welds under crash loads: A study based on S-Rail components
Keke Yang, Max Biegler, Linus Happe, Marius Striewe, Viktoria Olfert, David Hein, Michael Rethmeier, Gerson Meschut
Abstract. Liquid Metal Embrittlement (LME) cracking is a well-documented issue encountered during resistance spot welding (RSW) of zinc-coated advanced high-strength steels (AHSS) in automotive manufacturing. Given that existing research has predominantly focused on laboratory-scale samples and lacks investigation into the load-bearing capacity of joints under crash conditions, this study aims to fill these gaps by analyzing third-generation zinc-coated AHSS. S-Rail components were produced through stamping to replicate real-world manufacturing conditions and geometries of automotive parts. To account for the disturbances typically encountered in production, samples with LME cracks were intentionally fabricated. Subsequently, a modified three-point bending test, assisted by numerical simulations, was developed to effectively apply loads to the weld spots of the S-Rail components. Results from crash tests demonstrated that observed light crack severity does not significantly compromise the joint’s load-bearing capacity or lead to earlier joint failure.
Keywords
Welding, Finite Element Method (FEM), Liquid Metal Embrittlement (LME)
Published online 4/1/2025, 8 pages
Copyright © 2025 by the author(s)
Published under license by Materials Research Forum LLC., Millersville PA, USA
Citation: Keke Yang, Max Biegler, Linus Happe, Marius Striewe, Viktoria Olfert, David Hein, Michael Rethmeier, Gerson Meschut, Influence of Liquid metal embrittlement on load-bearing capacity of resistance spot welds under crash loads: A study based on S-Rail components, Materials Research Proceedings, Vol. 52, pp 343-350, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644903551-42
The article was published as article 42 of the book Sheet Metal 2025
Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.
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