Projection Welding: An Overview

Chonghua (Cindy) Jiang

AET Integration, Inc.
50388 Dennis Ct.
Wixom, MI 48393
Cindy.jiang@aet-int.com

Welding in Shipbuilding
May 10-11, 2011
Seattle, Washington
 Definition

“Projection welding is an electric resistance welding process that

produces welds by the heat obtained from the resistance to the flow
of the welding current. The resulting welds are localized at
predetermined points by projections, embossments, or intersections”

(Welding Handbook, Vol. 3, Part 2, p50)

Welding in Shipbuilding
May 10-11, 2011
Seattle, Washington
 Typical Projection Designs

a. Embossed b. Stud-to-Plate c. Annular

Welding in Shipbuilding
May 10-11, 2011
Seattle, Washington
 Examples of Projection Design

Examples of Various Projection Designs Before and After Welding

(Welding Handbook, Vol. 3, Part 2, p56)

Welding in Shipbuilding
May 10-11, 2011
Seattle, Washington
Examples of Annular Projections

(Welding Handbook, Vol. 3, Part 2, p58)

Welding in Shipbuilding
May 10-11, 2011
Seattle, Washington
Typical Commercially Available Fasteners Used
in Projection Welding

(Welding Handbook, Vol. 3, Part 2, p59)

Welding in Shipbuilding
May 10-11, 2011
Seattle, Washington
Projection Welding Equipment

• Medium Frequency (MFDC) Machine

• AC Machine
• Capacitor Discharge (CD) Machine

Welding in Shipbuilding
May 10-11, 2011
Seattle, Washington
Projection Welding Equipment (Cont’d)

Welding in Shipbuilding
May 10-11, 2011
Seattle, Washington
 Factors Affecting Heat Balance

• Design and location of the projection

• Thickness of the sections
• Thermal and electrical conductivity of the materials
• Heating rate
• Electrode geometry and alloy
• Tooling alignment
• Weld force

Welding in Shipbuilding
May 10-11, 2011
Seattle, Washington
 Key Process Variables

• Welding Current
– Welding current must be at least high enough to create fusion before the
projection has completely collapsed

• Weld Time
– Weld time is dependent on the welding current and projection rigidity
– Depending on the type of base metal and its surface conditions, multiple
pulses can be applied to yield the desired weld performance

• Electrode/Dies
– Proper electrode design and alloy is a major factor in making projection
welds

• Electrode Force
– Electrode force is critical for proper projection collapse without expulsion
and formation of a sound weld

Welding in Shipbuilding
May 10-11, 2011
Seattle, Washington
 Formation of Projection Welds
Embossed Projection Weld
(fused nugget forms)

Annular Projection Weld

(solid state bonding develops)

Welding in Shipbuilding
May 10-11, 2011
Seattle, Washington
Materials Suitable for Projection Welding

• Low carbon steel

• Hardenable steels
• Stainless steels-ferritic, martensitic, and austenitic types
• Nickel-base alloys
• Copper alloys
• Aluminum and magnesium alloys
• Titanium alloys
• Coated and plated steels

(Welding Handbook, Vol. 3, Part 2, p63)

Welding in Shipbuilding
May 10-11, 2011
Seattle, Washington
Materials Suitable for Projection Welding-Example

Welding Trials on 1.6 mm Magnesium AZ31, AET

Welding in Shipbuilding
May 10-11, 2011
Seattle, Washington
 Example of Project Weld Property-
Microhardness

Microhardness Traverse of Two Projection Welds

600

500
Microhardness (HV500g)

400

300

200

100

0
0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0.3
Distance (in.)

Weld A Weld B

Welding in Shipbuilding
May 10-11, 2011
Seattle, Washington
 Weld Quality

• Parts preparation
– Weld area clean of grease, rust, scale, dirt or shearing burrs
– Less variance in part tolerance before welding
• Projection size and shape

• Materials

• Welding technique

• Heat balance

Welding in Shipbuilding
May 10-11, 2011
Seattle, Washington
 Projection Weld Performance Improvement:
Example 1
• Issue: Weld did not pass dye penetrant test and pull test

Fracture surface No Bonding

• Root Causes:
– Tooling misalignment
– Insufficient forging force at the faying surface

• Actions Taken:
– Check tooling misalignment by using carbon imprints between faying surfaces
– Increase applied forging force
– Adjust welding parameters to get sufficient weld bonding area

Welding in Shipbuilding
May 10-11, 2011
Seattle, Washington
Projection Weld Performance Improvement:
Example 2

Intergranular Fracture Mode of a Projection Weld Failed during Service

Welding in Shipbuilding
May 10-11, 2011
Seattle, Washington
 Projection Weld Performance Improvement:
Example 2 (Cont’d)

Base Metal
Base Metal

HAZ HAZ

Broken part with Intergranular Fracture Non-broken Part

• The broken part with IG fracture shows primary ferrite along grain boundary. This generally results in
low ductility and fracture toughness.
• The base metal microstructure of the broken part with IG fracture is a result of improper heat treatment
of the base metal before it was welded.

Welding in Shipbuilding
May 10-11, 2011
Seattle, Washington
 Process Advantages and Limitations

• Advantages
– Versatility
– Speed
– Ease of automation
– Ability to make multiple welds simultaneously
– Longer electrode/tooling life

• Limitations
– The forming of projection may require an additional step of operation
– Limitations on materials projection weldability

Welding in Shipbuilding
May 10-11, 2011
Seattle, Washington
 Projection Welding Applications

• Tubular connections

Welding in Shipbuilding
May 10-11, 2011
Seattle, Washington
Projection Welding Applications (Cont’d)

Welding in Shipbuilding
May 10-11, 2011
Seattle, Washington
Projection Welding Applications (Cont’d)

• Attaching nuts and stud

• Sheet metal assemblies

• Tank fittings and ferrules

• Fusites

Welding in Shipbuilding
May 10-11, 2011
Seattle, Washington
 Potential Projection Welding Applications
for Shipbuilding

• Fabricate the metal sandwich plate of large area

– Projection welding
– Adhesive assisted projection welding
(STS Shipbuilding, South Korea)

(Welding in the World, v 53, n 7-8, p 5-11, 2009)

• Attach nuts and stud

Welding in Shipbuilding
May 10-11, 2011
Seattle, Washington