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04/5/2006 -
Resistance Welding: Fundamentals and Applications (2006)
by Hongyan Zhang and Jacek Senkara
ISBN 0-8493-2346-0. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL. 2006. Hardcover. 431 pages. $99.95.
If you are seeking welding basics, then this is the book for you. It covers the fundamentals of resistance spot welding (RSW) and applies them in a general way to all of welding. The book consists of ten chapters that cover the following topics: welding metallurgy, electrothermal processes, discontinuities, mechanical testing, quality and inspection, expulsion in RSW, influence of mechanical characteristics of welding machines, numerical simulation in RSW, and statistical design. Each of the chapters is 30 to 50 pages in length. The theory is kept to a minimum except in the next-to-last chapter on numerical simulation; otherwise, the chapters are easy to comprehend, and the topics are presented in a "big picture" basis. Details are not the highlight of this book; general concepts are the highlight.
The initial chapter briefly discusses welding metallurgy. The authors begin with the statement that welding is akin to casting, and the material's physical and chemical properties have a large impact on weldability (e.g., thermal conductivity and carbon equivalents). The last portion to solidify contains the majority of the porosity and pipe defects. There are two very enlightening figures that relate temperature, location within weld/heat-affected zone, phase diagram, and microstructure for a steel and aluminum alloy—excellent presentation.
The second chapter on electrothermal processes points out that heat input is a function of current and resistance and dwell time. Therefore, as the thermal conductivity increases, there is a corresponding decrease in resistivity, thus, the difficulty in welding a metal like aluminum. Another important point is that heating rate is more important than total heat input. The third interesting aspect is the law of thermal similarity that states that dwell time increases as the square of the thickness of similar metals.
The chapter on weld discontinuities barely touches on defects; the authors merely indicate that they exist and do not address in detail what the causes are. The same is true for the chapter on process control; the authors state that weld size influences the strength and quality of the welds, but do not elaborate beyond that statement.
I was left with the feeling that the authors could have done so much more with the topic, but more pages would have been required. Even the subject index seemed meager and should have been expanded. The authors limited themselves to just a few aluminum and steel alloys in the numerous examples they provided. The photomicrographs are small, but of sufficient resolution for the reader to discern the details. I would have appreciated an overview of the book via a foreword or introduction by the authors.
There are 20 to 40 references at the end of each chapter, and most of the chapters begin with a good literature review, which then allows this book to be used as an introduction to welding at the graduate level in an engineering discipline. As stated earlier, if you are seeking welding basics, then this is the book for you. However, if you know anything beyond the definition of welding, then save this book for the welding novices.
For more on Resistance Welding: Fundamentals and Applications, visit the Taylor & Francis/CRC Press web site.
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