Monitoring of expulsion in small scale resistance spot welding

Abstract

Although there have been many investigations into monitoring and control of resistance spot welding (RSW) of sheet metal having a thickness greater than 0.5 mm, that of thinner components has rarely been investigated. Monitoring of expulsion in a small scale RSW process was carried out via measurement of voltage, electrode displacement, and force change during the welding current pulse. It was found that electrode displacement increased steadily during the current pulse for an expulsion free weld. For welds with visible expulsion, the electrode voltage had a small but readily observed spike; the electrode displacement showed a dip or a decrease in total amplitude; the force change during a welding cycle was of greater magnitude. Since the system uses a constant current power supply, the voltage increase corresponds to an increase in dynamic resistance associated with the expulsion event. It was also observed that the magnitude of the electrode displacement dip was directly related to the volume of expelled material. The force change is a relatively sensitive indicator for use in expulsion detection. Of the three signals, detection of the voltage spike is the most readily implemented method for monitoring expulsion in small scale RSW. It was also shown that, owing to the small magnitudes of the forces and displacements, careful design of the welding system is necessary to ensure that unwanted vibrations do not interfere with the process signals.