Abstract:

In this paper，numerical simulation, based on volume controlled method,is used to study and analyze the heat transfer characteristics in the electrode of spot welding for 22MnB5 steel. The study focuses on the field distribution of electrode temperature and cooling water. It also explores the factors influencing heat dissipation capability of electrode, such as the concave angle on the bottom surface of electrode cooling cavity, the distance between the cooling water pipe and the bottom surface, and the endface corner cut of cooling water pipe, upon which electrode structure is optimized. The results show that, in normal operation,the cooling capacity of the optimized eletrode has greatly improved and the total cooling time is 2 s less than that of the non-optimized one.

Key words: resistance spot welding; electrode; heat transfer characteristics; numerical simulation; structural optimization