Correlation Tests of Ultrasonic Wave and Mechanical Parameters of Spot-Welded Joints

Resistance spot welding as the basic method of joining car body elements has been used in the automotive industry for many years. For these connections, it is required to obtain the appropriate diameter of the weld nugget, which results in a high strength and durability of the connection during vehicle operation. The article presents the methodology of testing spot-welded joints using both destructive methods: shearing test of the spot weld and the ultrasonic method. The main goals of the performed tests are (1) to determine the correlation between the mechanical strength of a joint, measured in kN, and the selected parameters of the ultrasonic longitudinal wave with a frequency of 20 MHz propagating in the area of the spot weld and (2) to build and verify the predictive models of the weld nugget quality. The correlation of these parameters allows assessing the strength of the connection with the use of a non-destructive test method. On the basis of the performed analyses, it was determined that there is a strongly positive correlation between the number of reverse echoes and the force necessary to destroy the spot weld (0.41) and the diameter of the weld nugget (0.50). A strong negative correlation was also obtained between the number of echoes and the strength (−0.69) and diameter of the weld nugget (−0.72).