An Overview of Resistance Element Welding with Focus on Mechanical and Microstructure Joint and Optimization in Automotive Metal Joints

Abstract

As lightweight automotive structures improve fuel efficiency and reduce carbon dioxide emission, they have garnered extensive attention. Vehicle mass reduction, which is a key problem for next generation eco-friendly vehicles, can significantly increase mileage. Hence, industries have committed to replace conventional materials with lightweight materials, such as advanced high strength steel. Additionally, automotive industries are hindered by challenges in the field of joining technology. A novel welding technology called resistance element welding (REW), which is an appropriate thermal-based joining method, was developed recently for joining hybrid materials with other structural steel grades. In this study, the state of the art joining and the process characteristics for dissimilar metal joints have been presented because related studies show limited investigation in this area. Following by the state of them, the principal and welding quality of REW, experimentally and numerically, are reported to give comprehensive information on the current practices and research interest related to technologies. Finally, extensive work was concentrated on portional joining optimization techniques to improve different materials.