Corrosion Characterization of Resistance Spot-Welded Aluminum and Steel Couple

Abstract The corrosion resistance of resistance spot-welded (RSW) Al–steel couples of varying combinations of 6016-T4 aluminum alloys and steel substrates, including with and without adhesive at the faying interface, has been successfully evaluated and compared with corresponding self-pierce riveted (SPR) couples. The corrosion resistance of resistance spot-welded Al–steel couples has performed well in cyclic corrosion testing (GMW 17026), and the results are comparable to or better than that of self-pierce riveted couples. SPR couples are more susceptible to galvanic corrosion than resistance spot-welded couples based upon experimentally measured electrochemical potentials from actual joints. The presence of adhesive acts significantly to reduce galvanic corrosion between aluminum alloy and stleel substrates, and moreover, tensile lap-shear strength significantly increased with structural adhesive for both RSW and SPR joining systems. However, despite the presence of adhesive, the lap-shear strength was reduced by more than 50% after cyclic corrosion testing to strength levels comparable to the lap-shear strength of couples having no adhesive and tested in ambient conditions.