Process characteristics and load-bearing capacities of joints welded with elements for the application in multi-material design

摘要

In the global market of the engineering sector, products can only be economically successful when they are extraordinarily light, safe, environment-friendly, and favorable compared to the competitors' products. Because of new regulations for the reduction of CO2 emissions, especially the automotive industry is increasingly focusing on weight reduction in the car body structure through multi-material design with high-strength steels and aluminum. Conventional joining technologies for the body shop are often not applicable for these dissimilar material joints, for which reason new technologies must be invented. The hybrid thermal-mechanical joining technologies "resistance element welding" and "friction element welding" have been invented in recent years and are suitable for the high-volume production of multi-material structures with ultra-high-strength steels. Multi-material joints require effective corrosion protection measures. This paper presents how suitable process parameters can be determined for these two innovative technologies. Moreover, it shows the influence of a zinc-based anticorrosive fastener coating on the process parameters, the load-bearing capacity, and the corrosion behavior of the joints.