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US 2013/0200048 A1Published application
Weld face design for spot welding
AssigneeGM Global Technology Operations LLC
InventorsDAVID R. SIGLER, MICHAEL J. KARAGOULIS
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Abstract
A welding electrode for use in engaging an aluminum alloy workpiece during a spot welding process has a weld face that includes a base surface and a plurality of circular ridges that project outwardly from the base surface. The circular ridges are blunted, and their presence on the weld face provides the first welding electrode with several useful capabilities, including the ability to establish better mechanical and electrical contact with the aluminum alloy workpiece.
Claims15
A welding electrode comprising:
- a body having a circumference;
- a weld face having a circumference and a center, the center of the weld face being raised above the circumference of the weld face to a height of about 0.5% to about 15% of a diameter of the circumference of the weld face;
- and
- wherein the weld face includes a plurality of circular ridges that project outwardly from a base surface, the plurality of circular ridges comprising a first circular ridge that surrounds the center of the weld face, a second circular ridge radially outwardly spaced from the first circular ridge, and a third circular ridge radially outwardly spaced from the second circular ridge, and wherein each of the first, second, and third circular ridges is blunted and has a closed circumference.
1 more element
A method of practicing resistance spot welding, the method comprising:
- providing a first welding electrode that includes a weld face having a circumference and a center, the center of the weld face being raised above the circumference of the weld face to a height of about 0.5% to about 15% of a diameter of the circumference of the weld face, the weld face further comprising a plurality of circular ridges projecting outwardly from a base surface of the weld face, each of the plurality of circular ridges having a closed circumference and being blunted;
- contacting an accessible outer surface of an aluminum alloy workpiece with the weld face of the first welding electrode such that at least one of the plurality of circular ridges contacts the accessible outer surface of the aluminum alloy workpiece before the base surface;
- passing a welding current between the weld face of the first welding electrode and a weld face of a second welding electrode, the weld face of the second welding electrode being engaged with an accessible outer surface of another aluminum alloy workpiece that overlaps with the first aluminum alloy workpiece to provide a faying interface between the two workpieces, the welding current initiating a single molten weld pool at the faying interface that grows and penetrates into each of the first and second aluminum alloy workpieces;
- and
- stopping the passage of the weld current between the weld face of the first welding electrode and the weld face of the second welding electrode to allow the molten weld pool to solidify into a weld nugget.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.