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Ford Spot Weld Spec
Ford Spot Weld Spec
SCOPE:
This specification defines the requirements of spot welds used in the fabrication of assemblies
comprising two or more thickness of steel of the same or different gauge.
It is additional information of resistance spot welds on drawings or defined by CAD Data. The
definition excludes items, which are already described in Ford Engineering CAD & Drafting
Standards and/or Manufacturing Standards (U-WX 012).
APPLICATION:
This Engineering Specification applies to steel sheet, strip or plate in the uncoated condition and
also with coatings of zinc, tin, nickel, terne alloy (tin & lead). It also applies to steel coated with
temporary coatings for rust prevention and paint primers providing the coating does not
effectively interfere with the welding process.
The text of the referenced Ford Material Specifications is available from the following weblink
http://www.mats.ford.com/mats/scripts/spec_by_mtlCat.html, Metals 1A-99A.
1. WELD IDENTIFICATION
The weld symbols shall be in accordance with Ford Engineering CAD and Drafting Standard
D-3 (Welding Symbols And Specifications) as outlined in the Cadmethods weblink
http://www.cadmethods.ford.com/cad_methods/welding/weld_namnum_eu.html.
2. DEFINITIONS
2.1 Button
Figure 2.1 shows a button that is pulled out of one of the welded components as the result of a
chisel (peel) test as described in Section 7.4. A button typically occurs in those cases where the
chisel tests leads to either a peel fracture or a combination fracture as shown in Figure 2.2 below.
Figure 2.2, Section b) illustrates a typical shear fracture face. It is characterized by a lack of a
button. The occurrence of the shear fracture is acceptable provided that there is evidence of good
metal adhesion at the weld i.e. the fracture face is crystalline and there is metal distortion in the
parent metal around the weld.
The shear fracture face diameter (also indexed as dp) is the average diameter of the fractured
surface without the adhesion zone (also called “ring zone” as shown in Figure 2.2, Section b)).
2.4 Nugget
The nugget is the fused metal forming the weld. It is visible in a section cut only.
Nugget
p1
t1
t2
p2
-
Ring Zone
dL
p1 p
• 2 - Sheet Combinations: 0.4 ≤ ≤ 0.8 and 0.4 ≤ 2 ≤ 0.8
t1 t2
p1 p p
• 3 - Sheet Combinations: 0.3 ≤ ≤ 0.8 and 0.3 ≤ 2 ≤ 0.8 and 0.3 ≤ 3 ≤ 0.8
t1 t2 t3
Thickness Of Minimum
Thinner Sheet NUGGET DIAMETER dL
as shown in Figure 2.5
[mm] [mm]
0.5 - 0.79 3.1
0.8 - 0,99 3.5
1.0 - 1.24 3.9
1.25 -1.59 4.4
1.60 - 1.99 4.9
2.0 - 2.49 5.5
2.5 - 3.14 6.2
3.15 - 3.54 7.0
3.55 - 3.99 7.4
4.0 - 4.49 7.8
4.5 - 4.99 8.3
5.0 - 5.59 8.7
5.6 - 6.0 9.2
3. WELD HARDNESS
3.1 Category A- and B- Steels
The material used and the welding techniques employed shall be such that the hardness of the
weld shall not exceed HV 400.
dp
min
dp / 2
Table 6.2: Minimum Button Or Fracture Face Diameter dp And Shear Strength For
Category And B Steels And Their Combinations (dp˜ 1.15*dL)
6.3.1 All Combinations Of Steel Categories With The Exception Of B-C, C-C
The fracture surface of the button or fracture faces shall be metallic bright and free from
evidence of hot cracking. A weld shall be classed as defective if it shows any evidence of burn
through or porosity. No cracks are allowed in any part of the weld.
In-Process (IP) tests are used to further understand the relationship between significant design
and process characteristics and to establish a basis for continuing improvement.
Tests must be completed with production parts on an ongoing basis. Sampling plans for both IP
testing and evaluation of the significant process characteristics must be included in the Control
Plan.
When the process is found to be out of control or the test acceptance criteria are not met, the
reaction plan approved in the Control Plan shall be invoked.
Note:
The table that follows summarizes the various PV- and IP-tests and specifies their respective
applicability. Some tests are specified as mandatory tests (e.g. Visual Inspection).
Recommendations are issued in the case that multiple test choices exist (e.g. in the field of In-
Process Control). The ultimate test method shall then be selected on the basis of an individual
risk and test method capability assessment during PV-phase.
Table 7.1: Summary Of Production Validation (PV) & In-Process (IP) Tests
8.3 Tolerance:
8.3.1 General Tolerance
The general tolerance for all Common Welds on the whole body shall be a minimum acceptance
of 80 % “Satisfactory Welds”. The same tolerance applies to any weld joint on a vehicle (see
Section 2.8 for the definition of a weld joint). Specific requirements apply to groups of 1 to 9 spot
welds as outlined in Table 8.3 below.
9. WELD FINISH
The surface appearances after spot welding are classified into the following categories
The class of finish and the actual surface of the component will be identified on the drawing, or in
the CAD Data file, and applies to the visible side if not otherwise specified. On surfaces where no
class of finish is specified, class 3 finish applies.
Metal finishing shall not remove more than 10 % of the surface thickness, or marking on excess
of 10 % of surface sheet thickness must be filled prior to metal finishing. No surface expulsion of
metal will be acceptable:
Welds on hemmed flanges or doors - decks - hood - glove box doors - tailgates which are
specified Class 1 will be governed by the following exceptions:
Satisfactory welds will have a minimum slug diameter of 2.5 mm. Slug will be pulled from either
the inner panel or turned over flange. Fusion between inner panel and surface sheet is not
required.
APPENDIX A:
B. Plug Welding
A plug weld may be used as a repair for a single spot weld or two plug welds for two adjacent
spot welds. A plug weld involves drilling a hole in the top component which is filled by fusion
welding, preferable MIG or MAG. Only two thicknesses may be permitted to be repaired.
E. Gas Brazing
If allowed the details to be agreed by the Product Engineering Development.