Calculation of welding areas and numerical simulation of the resistance spot welding process

摘要

The SPOTSIM software is a simulation program for the resistance spot welding process and includes not only a material database with information about the thermo-physical and thermomechanical properties of the steels but also a welding-machine and electrode database. The mathematical process model consists of a system of differential equations in order to calculate the electric potential and the thermal energy as well as an equation for the plastic deformation of the metal when subjected to the electrode force and for the time-related change in the welding current. The simulation software makes it possible to establish the dimensions of the weld nugget, the electrode impression, the gap width between the sheets and the occurrence of welding spatter and to draw up welding-area diagrams.