An effect of weld current and weld atmosphere on the resistance spot weldability of 304L austenitic stainless steel

Because of their superior mechanical and corrosion properties, 304L austenitic stainless steel is used widely in industry. Resistance spot weld is most widely used as a joining process for sheet materials. The influence of the primary welding parameters affecting the heat input such as; weld peak current, on the weld quality such as; surface appearances, weld nugget size, weld penetration, weld internal discontinuities, strength and ductility was determined for 304L resistance spot welded materials. An effect of different weld atmosphere on the resistance spot weld quality of 304L stainless steel was also investigated in detail. Therefore, microstructure, microhardness, and tensile shear load bearing capacity of welded materials were determined for all conditions. An optimum weld quality was obtained by using 9 kA peak weld current in nitrogen atmosphere. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.