Effects of Al-Si Coating on Static and Dynamic Strength of Spot-Welded Hot-Stamping Steel Joints

Al-Si is the most popular coating used to prevent oxidation on the surfaces of hot-stamped steel sheets during the heating process. However, like other coatings, it affects the strength of the spot welds in joining the hot-stamped steel parts. In this study, the effects of Al-Si coating on the tensile strength of the resistance spot-welded joints in hot-stamped steel are discussed. Two types of 1.8 mm hot-stamped steel, in uncoated and Al-Si coated forms, were resistance spot-welded, and the tensile shear behavior of the welded joints was studied in both static and dynamic tests. To do this, a special fixture for impact tensile shear tests was designed and fabricated. In the case of the Al-Si coated steel, the presence of the molten Al-Si over the fusion zone, especially its aggregation in the edge of the weld nugget, caused a decrease in the maximum tensile load capacity and a failure of energy absorption in static and dynamic tests, respectively. Additionally, it increased the probability of changing its failure mode from pull out to interfacial fracture in the dynamic test. This study shows that the tensile strength behavior of the welded joints for the Al-Si coated hot-stamped steel is lower than the uncoated steel during static, and especially dynamic, force.