Prediction of the optimum tensile – shear strength through the experimental results of similar and dissimilar spot welding joints

Resistance spot welding is the most significant joining technique utilized in various industries, like automotive, boilers, vessels, etc., that are commonly subjected to variable tensile-shear forces due to the unsuitable use of the input spot welding variables, which mainly cause the welded joints failure during the service life of the welded assembly. So, in order to avoid such failures, the welding quality of some materials like aluminum must be improved taking into consideration the performance and weight saving of the welded structure. Thus, the need for optimizing the used welding parameters becomes essential for predicting a good welded joint. Accordingly, this study aims at investigating the influence of the spot welding variables, including the squeeze time, welding time, and current on the tensile-shear force of the similar and dissimilar lap joints for aluminum and steel sheets. It was concluded that the use of Taguchi design can improve the welded joints strength through designing the experiments according to the used levels of the input parameters in order to obtain their optimal values that give the optimum tensile-shear force as the response. As a consequence of the present work, the optimal spot welding parameters were successfully obtained.