Reduction of crack susceptibility of flash butt welded joints in rim manufacturing

Abstract

Flash butt welding is a well established and economical manufacturing process classified as a solid state welding process and mainly used in automobile wheel industry. The advantages of this process are economical in operation, suitable for mass production and high in joint strength. In contrast to that the major limitation is relatively high amount of scrap percentage due to welding cracks. This work is focused on the reduction of welding crack susceptibility of the flash butt welding joints in rim manufacturing. The parent material used was SS400 steel and was found that with increasing advance velocity of the movable jaw will give better strength and ductility of the joints. In addition to that the reduction of welding time contributes to the refinement of the microstructure, which also contributes to a better quality of the joint.