Resistance element welding of aluminium alloy and steel using an element of aluminium

Aluminium alloy AA6061 and mild steel Q235 were welded by resistance element using an aluminium rivet as the element. The microstructure and properties of the joints were characterised. The temperature distribution on the cross-section of the joints was calculated by using ABAQUS numerical simulation software. The observation results on the cross-section of the joints show a nugget formed at the interface between the rivet tip and steel of lower plate. The maximum tensile shear load of the joints reached 5.82 kN at the welding current of 26 kA. This study reveals that the bearing interface of the resistance element welded joint between aluminium alloy and mild steel is like-to-like interface of aluminium alloy which strengthens the joint.