Provided is a method of manufacturing a joined member that is manufactured by applying resistance welding to a workpiece. The workpiece is provided with plating layers on sides to be in contact with electrodes. In a state in which a first electrode is in contact with a first area in a first plate material that is curved along a contour of a leading end of the first electrode and in which a second electrode is in contact with a second area in a second plate material that is curved along a contour of a leading end of the second electrode, energization between the first electrode and the second electrode is started to form a nugget.

A system for increasing joint strength and reducing embrittlement in a resistance spot weld of metal workpieces is disclosed. The system comprises a stackup of first and second metal workpieces, and an interface member disposed between the first and second metal workpieces. The interface member comprises a peripheral wall defining a hollow inner portion. The peripheral wall has a first open end extending to a second open end. The first open end is in contact with the first metal workpiece defining a first weld portion thereon. The second open end is in contact with the second metal workpiece defining a second weld portion thereon. The system further comprises a first electrode configured to contact the first metal workpiece to heat the peripheral wall at the first weld portion and join the first metal workpiece with the first open end of the peripheral wall. The system further comprises a second electrode configured to contact the second metal workpiece to heat the peripheral wall at the second weld portion and join the second metal workpiece with the second open end of the peripheral wall to define a weld joint. The system further comprises a power source configured to power the first and second electrodes and a controller configured to control the power to the first and second electrodes to heat the peripheral wall.

A resistance spot welding method is disclosed for joining two or more steel sheets including at least one steel sheet having a tensile strength of 980 MPa or higher. The resistance spot welding method involves placing the steel sheets on top of each other to form a set of steel sheets to be welded, clamping the set of steel sheets with a pair of electrodes, and passing a current through the steel sheets while applying pressure thereto to join the steel sheets together. The resistance spot welding method includes an initial welding step of welding by passing a current I1 (kA) satisfying 2×√F1<I1≤10×√F1 while applying a welding force F1 (kN) satisfying 0.2×√t1<F1≤4×√t1, and a main welding step of forming a nugget having a predetermined nugget diameter. Spatter is produced in the initial welding step.

This disclosure relates to weldability of steel alloys that provide weld joints which retain hardness values in a heat affected zone adjacent to a fusion zone and which also have improved resistance to liquid metal embrittlement due to the presence of zinc coatings.

A steel sheet for the manufacture of a press hardened part is provided, having a composition of: 0.15%≤C≤0.22%, 3.5%≤Mn<4.2%, 0.001%≤Si≤1.5%, 0.020%≤Al≤0.9%, 0.001%≤Cr≤1%, 0.001%≤Mo≤0.3%, 0.001%≤Ti≤0.040%, 0.0003%≤B≤0.004%, 0.001%≤Nb≤0.060%, 0.001%≤N≤0.009%, 0.0005%≤S≤0.003%, 0.001%≤P≤0.020%. A microstructure has less than 50% ferrite, 1% to 20% retained austenite, cementite, such that the surface density of cementite particles larger than 60 nm is lower than 10{circumflex over ( )}7/mm.sup.2, and a complement of bainite and/or martensite, the retained austenite having an average Mn content of at least 1.1*Mn %. Press-hardened steel part obtained by hot forming the steel sheet, and manufacturing methods thereof.

A resistance spot welding method for spot welding plural steel sheets including at least one galvanized steel sheet containing 0.08 mass % or more of C and 0.50 mass % or more of Si and having a tensile strength of 980 MPa or more, the resistance spot welding method includes, using a pair of electrodes including a pair of electrode tips configured to sandwich and pressurize the plural steel sheets and a pressurizing force absorbing mechanism provided in at least one of the pair of electrode tips and capable of absorbing a pressurizing force in an axial direction of the electrode tips, welding by sandwiching the plural steel sheets between the pair of electrode tips and energizing the pair of electrode tips with a pressurizing force applied, while absorbing a fluctuation load of the pressurizing force generated during the energization by the pressurizing force absorbing mechanism.

A steel sheet for the manufacture of a press hardened part is provided, having a composition of: 0.15%≤C≤0.22%, 3.5%≤Mn<4.2%, 0.001%≤Si≤1.5%, 0.020%≤Al≤0.9%, 0.001%≤Cr≤1%, 0.001%≤Mo≤0.3%, 0.001%≤Ti≤0.040%, 0.0003%≤B≤0.004%, 0.001%≤Nb≤0.060%, 0.001%≤N≤0.009%, 0.0005%≤S≤0.003%, 0.001%≤P≤0.020%. A microstructure has less than 50% ferrite, 1% to 20% retained austenite, cementite, such that the surface density of cementite particles larger than 60 nm is lower than 10{circumflex over ( )}7/mm.sup.2, and a complement of bainite and/or martensite, the retained austenite having an average Mn content of at least 1.1*Mn %. Press-hardened steel part obtained by hot forming the steel sheet, and manufacturing methods thereof.

A series of many electrical resistance spot welds is to be formed in members of an assembled, but un-joined, body that presents workpiece stack-ups of various combinations of metal workpieces including all aluminum workpieces, all steel workpieces, and a combination of aluminum and steel workpieces. A pair of spot welding electrodes, each with a specified weld face that includes oxide-disrupting features, is used to form the required numbers of aluminum-to-aluminum spot welds, aluminum-to-steel spot welds, and steel-to-steel spot welds. A predetermined sequence of forming the various spot welds may be specified for extending the number of spot welds that can be made before the weld faces must be restored. And, during at least one of the aluminum-to-steel spot welds, a cover is inserted between the weld face of one of the welding electrodes and a side of a workpiece stack-up that includes the adjacent aluminum and steel workpieces.

A spot welded member includes a spot weld formed by holding a sheet stack of multiple steel sheets between a pair of electrodes and spot-welding the sheet stack, in which at least one of the multiple steel sheets is a high-strength zinc-based coated steel sheet having a tensile strength of 780 MPa or more, the high-strength zinc-based coated steel sheet having a coating with an Al content of 0.5% or more by mass, and in which the heat shock region of the spot weld outwardly extending from an edge of a corona bond area includes a coated layer including an FeAl alloy layer having an average thickness of 0.3 μm or more and a zinc-based coated layer having an average thickness of 2.0 μm or more on the FeAl alloy layer at the interface between the base steel sheet of the high-strength zinc-based coated steel sheet and the coating.

Resistance spot welding of a thin-gauge steel workpiece to another steel workpiece is achieved through the combined use of specific spot welding electrodes and a pulsating welding current. Each of the spot welding electrodes has a weld face that is smaller in diameter than a typical steel spot welding electrode. And the pulsating welding current that is used in conjunction with the smaller-sized spot welding electrodes includes at least two stages of electrical current pulses.