Microstructure and performance of joint of Al/Cu welded by resistance element welding with an auxiliary gasket

A 1060 commercial-purity aluminum and T2 pure copper plates with a thickness of 2 mm were welded by using resistance element welding with an aluminum rivet and auxiliary gasket. The interfacial microstructure was analyzed, and the tensile shear load of the joint was tested. In the joint welded, a layer of Al₂Cu adjacent to the copper and the eutectic structure of Al₂Cu + (Al) near the nugget region were formed at the interface of Al/Cu. The tensile shear load of the joint increased first and then decreased with the increase of welding current, and it reached the maximum of 2.24 kN when the welding current was 26 kA. The results reveal that the application of the auxiliary gasket not only promote the thickening of the nugget, but also achieve the joining between the rivet leg and the upper plate when resistance element welding of Al/Cu is performed.