Modeling of Cold Metal Transfer Spot Welding of AA6061-T6 Aluminum Alloy and Galvanized Mild Steel

In this article, a three-dimensional (3D) transient unified model is developed to simulate the transport phenomena during the cold metal transfer (CMT) spot welding process of 1 mm thick aluminum AA6061-T6 and 1 mm thick galvanized mild steel (i.e., AISI 1009). The events of the CMT process are simulated, including arc generation and evolution; up-and-down movement of electrode, droplet formation and dipping into the weld pool; weld pool dynamics; zinc evaporation, and zinc vapor diffusion in the arc. The effects of the gap between the two workpieces and effects of zinc vapor evaporated from the steel surface on CMT process are studied. The results show that the arc temperature, velocity, and pressure keep changing during the CMT process, which is related to the variations of welding current, arc length, and zinc evaporation. It is found that the zinc evaporation leads to the extremely high arc pressure and the upward flow of zinc vapor near the steel surface, which would induce the arc instability and provide the drag force for the droplet impingement. The presence of the gap between the two workpieces can improve the expansion of the arc plasma, resulting in the smaller arc pressure and the more intensive upward flow of zinc vapor from the steel surface. The phenomena observed in the experiment are in agreement with the modeling results.