Numerical and experimental study of phase transformation in resistance spot welding of 6082 aluminum alloy

Resistance spot welding(RSW) is an efficient and convenient joining process for aluminum alloy sheet assembly. Because the RSW has the character of energy concentration and quick cooling rate, the microstructure transformation of the base metal can be confined in the least limit. The material properties and the welding parameters have significant effects on thequality of the nugget. To predict the microstructure evolution in the melted zone and the heat-affected zone, an electrical, thermal, metallurgical and mechanical coupled finite element model is described and applied to simulate the welding process of the 6082 aluminum alloy. Experimental tests are also carried out. The comparison between experimental and numerical results shows that the adopted model is effective enough to well interpret and predict some important phenomena in terms of the phase transformation in spot welding of 6082 aluminum alloy.