A method for the hybrid welding of high strength steel wheel rims and spokes
By optimizing welding process parameters and material handling, the problems of reduced strength and cracking in the heat-affected zone of the weld in the composite welding of steel wheel rims and spokes were solved, achieving high-quality welding of high-strength wheels.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- SHANGHAI MEISHAN IRON & STEEL CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2024-07-22
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-31
AI Technical Summary
The strength of the heat-affected zone of the weld is reduced during the welding process of the rim and spokes of existing steel wheels with a tensile strength of 500MPa, making the weld area prone to cracking during wheel use.
Pickled hot-rolled high-strength wheel steel is used. By employing reasonable welding process parameters such as welding current, voltage, speed, angle, and flux type, the rim and spokes are welded together. This process includes degreasing, grinding, clamping, submerged arc welding, and slag removal to ensure weld quality.
It improves the tensile strength and overall welding quality of the weld, reduces the risk of cracking at the weld location, and increases production efficiency.
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Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to a welding method for steel wheels, and particularly to a method for welding the rim and spokes of a high-strength steel wheel. Specifically, it relates to a method for welding the rim and spokes of a steel wheel with a tensile strength of 500 MPa, belonging to the field of steel material welding and processing technology. Background Technology
[0002] With the rapid development of China's automotive industry, the annual production of wheels is also enormous, with steel wheels alone reaching over 30 million units per year. As a rotating component of automobiles, wheel assembly welding holds an extremely important position in the wheel industry.
[0003] Welding is the primary method for connecting wheel rims and spokes, directly affecting the structural strength and overall performance of the wheel. Through welding, wheels with high strength and good mechanical properties can be produced, which is crucial for ensuring vehicle safety. The development of wheel composite welding technology has driven innovation and progress in wheel manufacturing processes. New wheel composite welding processes not only improve welding speed and deposition rate but also reduce post-weld deformation, thereby improving production efficiency and product quality. However, the composite welding process of steel wheel rims and spokes presents problems such as reduced strength in the heat-affected zone of the weld and susceptibility to cracking at the weld location during the use of steel wheels.
[0004] Patent application publication number CN111992985A discloses a method for producing ultra-high strength heavy-duty wheels and the wheels produced by this method. The method for producing ultra-high strength heavy-duty wheels includes the following three steps: Step 1, manufacturing of the wheel rim; Step 2, manufacturing of the wheel spokes; Step 3, synthesis of the wheel rim and spokes; Step 3 includes the following steps: (1) press-fit spot welding; (2) synthesis welding; (3) vibration aging; (4) harmonic inspection; (5) printing markings; The wheels are made of steel with a tensile strength of 590-780MPa. By using vibration aging to eliminate residual stress, the residual stress can be reduced by about 60%, and the bending fatigue life and radial fatigue life of the wheel can reach more than 1 million cycles. It can realize the production of wheels with higher material strength and thinner thickness, which is 33.7% lighter than wheels of the same strength grade, meeting the needs of vehicle lightweighting and user energy conservation and environmental protection. This patent does not disclose a solution to the problem of reduced strength in the heat-affected zone of the weld during the synthesis welding of the wheel rim and spokes.
[0005] The existing steel wheel rims and spokes with a tensile strength of 500MPa have problems such as reduced strength in the heat-affected zone of the weld and easy cracking at the weld location during wheel use. Summary of the Invention
[0006] The purpose of this invention is to provide a method for the composite welding of high-strength steel wheel rims and spokes, mainly to solve the technical problems of reduced strength in the heat-affected zone of the weld and easy cracking of the weld during the composite welding of 500MPa grade steel wheel rims and spokes in the existing process.
[0007] The technical concept of this invention is to obtain smooth, oxide-free, pickled hot-rolled high-strength wheel steel material through pretreatment, and then obtain wheel rim and spoke parts that meet the drawing requirements through welding, forming, and other processing steps. The wheel rim and spokes are assembled and placed on a composite welding workbench, with the angle of the workbench set to ensure the welding angle is within the range of 45-60°. Using submerged arc welding equipment, the spokes and rim are composite welded according to the set welding process parameters. Immediately after welding, the weld is cleaned to obtain a well-welded wheel product free of defects such as microcracks and porosity. This invention solves the technical problems of reduced strength in the heat-affected zone of the weld and easy cracking of the weld during wheel rim and spoke assembly welding of existing carbon and manganese alloy-reinforced 500MPa grade steel wheels.
[0008] The technical solution adopted in this invention is a method for welding high-strength steel wheel rims and spokes together, comprising the following steps:
[0009] 1) Prepare wheel spokes and wheel rims separately. Hot-rolled pickled steel sheets cut to specified dimensions are stamped into wheel spokes; hot-rolled pickled steel sheets cut to specified dimensions are rolled, welded, rolled three times, and sized to obtain wheel rims.
[0010] The hot-rolled pickled steel used for the wheel spokes and rims has the following chemical composition by weight percentage: C: 0.05%–0.07%, Si: 0.10%–0.15%, Mn: 1.25%–1.45%, P≤0.012%, S≤0.003%, Cr: 0.02%–0.03%, Al: 0.02%–0.05%, N≤0.0040%, with the remainder being Fe and unavoidable impurities. The content of these elements must meet the requirement of a carbon equivalent ≤0.35%, where the carbon equivalent Ceq=C+Mn / 6, and C and Mn are the weight percentages of the elements in the hot-rolled pickled steel plate. The metallographic structure of the hot-rolled pickled steel plate is fine-grained ferrite with a small amount of pearlite, and the ferrite grain size level in the metallographic structure is grade 10. The upper yield strength R of the 4.0–6.0 mm thick hot-rolled pickled steel plate is… eH The tensile strength is 450-500 MPa, and the tensile strength R is... m The strength is 550–600 MPa, and the elongation after fracture (A) is 20%–25%.
[0011] 2) The wheel spokes and wheel rim are welded together, including:
[0012] 2.1) Clean the steel plate end faces to be welded, and degrease and grind the steel plate end faces to be welded on the wheel spokes and wheel rims;
[0013] 2.2) Clamp the wheel spokes and wheel rim. First, assemble the wheel spokes and wheel rim. Then, clamp the assembled wheel spokes and wheel rim on the composite welding worktable and adjust the angle of the composite welding worktable.
[0014] 2.3) The wheel spokes and wheel rim are welded together using submerged arc welding equipment. The welding current is controlled at 300-600A, the welding voltage at 25-35V, and the welding speed at 20-30mm / min. Alkaline flux is used, and the welding angle is controlled at 45°-60°.
[0015] 2.4) Clean the weld immediately after welding.
[0016] Furthermore, the wheel spokes and wheel rim were welded together using 1.6mm diameter welding wire, which yielded excellent results.
[0017] The heat-affected zone hardness of the wheel spokes and wheel rim welded by the method of the present invention is 170-190HV, the tensile strength of the weld is ≥550MPa, and the weld is free of porosity and cracks.
[0018] The reasons for adopting the welding process in this invention are as follows:
[0019] 1. Setting of welding current, welding voltage, welding speed, welding wire diameter, and flux.
[0020] The adjustment of welding current has a crucial impact on weld quality. If the welding current is too high, it may lead to excessive penetration, excessive weld reinforcement, or even defects such as high-temperature cracking. Conversely, if the welding current is too low, it may result in defects such as incomplete fusion, incomplete penetration, and slag inclusions, affecting weld formation. Similarly, the welding voltage in submerged arc welding has a significant impact on weld formation and quality.
[0021] The welding voltage directly affects the arc length and stability, which in turn affects the weld penetration and width. Excessive voltage leads to a longer arc and wider weld, potentially resulting in poor weld formation. The increased weld width may also lead to insufficient weld reinforcement, affecting the weld's mechanical properties. Insufficient voltage results in a shorter arc, potentially causing excessive penetration and overheating in the weld center. Excessive penetration may increase the risk of hot cracking. Excessive welding speed reduces weld penetration, potentially leading to incomplete penetration or poor weld formation.
[0022] Welding too slowly can lead to excessive penetration, potentially causing overheating of the weld metal and affecting its mechanical properties. The choice of welding wire diameter directly impacts the quality and efficiency of submerged arc welding.
[0023] Using welding wire that is too thick or too thin can lead to a series of problems: using too thick a wire may result in excessive penetration, which can cause overheating in the center of the weld and affect the microstructure and properties of the weld metal. Using too thin a wire may not provide enough molten metal, resulting in insufficient penetration and potentially causing incomplete fusion.
[0024] The main reasons for choosing alkaline fluxes include: 1) Reducing porosity: Alkaline fluxes have strong deoxidizing capabilities, effectively reducing porosity during welding; 2) Improving weld metal toughness: Alkaline substances in alkaline fluxes (such as fluorides and silicates) can react with metal oxides during welding to generate relatively stable slag, thereby reducing weld metal oxidation. This helps improve the toughness and plasticity of the weld metal; 3) Preventing cold cracking: Alkaline fluxes can reduce the hydrogen content in the weld metal, reducing the occurrence of cold cracks. This is especially important for welding high-strength steel and other materials.
[0025] This invention employs a welding process to control the depth of the weld on one side of the wheel spoke. If the weld depth is too shallow, less than half the plate thickness, the connection between the wheel spoke and the rim will be poor, easily leading to separation during use. If the weld depth is too deep, greater than two-thirds the plate thickness, the weld will be subjected to prolonged stress from the vehicle's weight and road undulations during use, causing cracking on one side of the wheel spoke.
[0026] Therefore, a weld depth within the range of 1 / 2 to 2 / 3 of the plate thickness is most reliable. A reasonable submerged arc welding process can also ensure that the material in the heat-affected zone maintains a certain strength, preventing changes in microstructure and a reduction in material strength due to excessive welding heat input.
[0027] The method of this invention sets the welding current to 300-600A, the welding voltage to 25-35V, the welding speed to 20-30mm / min, the welding wire diameter to 1.6mm, and uses alkaline flux.
[0028] 2. Setting the welding angle
[0029] If the welding angle is too small, the depth of the heat-affected zone will decrease, resulting in a poor connection between the spokes and the rim. During use, this can easily lead to separation between the spokes and the rim. If the welding angle is too large, the depth of the heat-affected zone will increase, which can easily cause cracking on one side of the rim during use.
[0030] The welding angle in the method of this invention is set to 45° to 60°.
[0031] Compared with existing technologies, this invention has the following positive effects: 1. Through reasonable welding process design and appropriate welding treatment, this invention obtains high-quality, high-strength wheels, improves the weld qualification rate of wheel steel composite welding, ensures the microstructure and properties of materials in the weld and weld heat-affected zone, and reduces the risk of cracking at the composite weld location. 2. By precisely controlling welding parameters and welding sequence, this invention improves the quality and production efficiency of wheel welding. Detailed Implementation
[0032] The present invention will be further described below with reference to Examples 1 to 4, as shown in Tables 1 to 2.
[0033] In Examples 1-4, the chemical composition (weight percentage) of the hot-rolled pickled steel sheet used for wheel spokes and wheel rims is as follows: C: 0.06%, Si: 0.13%, Mn: 1.35%, P: 0.008%, S: 0.002%, Cr: 0.02%, Al: 0.03%, N: 0.002%, with the remainder being Fe and unavoidable impurities. The content of these elements must satisfy a carbon equivalent ≤ 0.35%, where the carbon equivalent Ceq = C + Mn / 6, and C and Mn are the weight percentages of the elements in the hot-rolled pickled steel sheet. The metallographic structure of the hot-rolled pickled steel sheet is fine-grained ferrite with a small amount of pearlite, and the ferrite grain size level in the metallographic structure is grade 10. The upper yield strength R of the 5.0mm thick hot-rolled pickled steel sheet is... eH The tensile strength is 480 MPa, and the tensile strength R is... m The strength is 575 MPa, and the elongation after fracture (A) is 23%.
[0034] Example 1: A method for welding high-strength steel wheel rims and spokes together, comprising the following steps:
[0035] 1) Prepare wheel spokes and wheel rims separately. Hot-rolled pickled steel sheets cut to specified dimensions are stamped into wheel spokes; hot-rolled pickled steel sheets cut to specified dimensions are rolled, welded, rolled three times, and sized to obtain wheel rims.
[0036] 2) The wheel spokes and wheel rim are welded together, including:
[0037] 2.1) Clean the steel plate end faces to be welded, and degrease and grind the steel plate end faces to be welded on the wheel spokes and wheel rims;
[0038] 2.2) Clamp the wheel spokes and wheel rim. First, assemble the wheel spokes and wheel rim. Then, clamp the assembled wheel spokes and wheel rim on the composite welding worktable and adjust the angle of the composite welding worktable.
[0039] 2.3) The wheel spokes and wheel rim are welded together using submerged arc welding equipment. The welding current is controlled at 300A, the welding voltage at 25V, the welding speed at 20mm / min, and the welding wire diameter at 1.6mm. Alkaline flux is used, and the welding angle is controlled at 45°.
[0040] 2.4) Clean the weld immediately after welding.
[0041] Example 2, a method for welding high-strength steel wheel rims and spokes together, comprising the following steps:
[0042] 1) Prepare wheel spokes and wheel rims separately. Hot-rolled pickled steel sheets cut to specified dimensions are stamped into wheel spokes; hot-rolled pickled steel sheets cut to specified dimensions are rolled, welded, rolled three times, and sized to obtain wheel rims.
[0043] 2) The wheel spokes and wheel rim are welded together, including:
[0044] 2.1) Clean the steel plate end faces to be welded, and degrease and grind the steel plate end faces to be welded on the wheel spokes and wheel rims;
[0045] 2.2) Clamp the wheel spokes and wheel rim. First, assemble the wheel spokes and wheel rim. Then, clamp the assembled wheel spokes and wheel rim on the composite welding worktable and adjust the angle of the composite welding worktable.
[0046] 2.3) The wheel spokes and wheel rim are welded together using submerged arc welding equipment. The welding current is controlled at 600A, the welding voltage at 35V, the welding speed at 30mm / min, and the welding wire diameter at 1.6mm. Alkaline flux is used, and the welding angle is controlled at 60°.
[0047] 2.4) Clean the weld immediately after welding.
[0048] Example 3, a method for welding high-strength steel wheel rims and spokes together, comprising the following steps:
[0049] 1) Prepare wheel spokes and wheel rims separately. Hot-rolled pickled steel sheets cut to specified dimensions are stamped into wheel spokes; hot-rolled pickled steel sheets cut to specified dimensions are rolled, welded, rolled three times, and sized to obtain wheel rims.
[0050] 2) The wheel spokes and wheel rim are welded together, including:
[0051] 2.1) Clean the steel plate end faces to be welded, and degrease and grind the steel plate end faces to be welded on the wheel spokes and wheel rims;
[0052] 2.2) Clamp the wheel spokes and wheel rim. First, assemble the wheel spokes and wheel rim. Then, clamp the assembled wheel spokes and wheel rim on the composite welding worktable and adjust the angle of the composite welding worktable.
[0053] 2.3) The wheel spokes and wheel rim are welded together using submerged arc welding equipment. The welding current is controlled at 400A, the welding voltage at 30V, the welding speed at 25mm / min, and the welding wire diameter at 1.6mm. Alkaline flux is used, and the welding angle is controlled at 45°.
[0054] 2.4) Clean the weld immediately after welding.
[0055] Example 4: A method for welding high-strength steel wheel rims and spokes together, comprising the following steps:
[0056] 1) Prepare wheel spokes and wheel rims separately. Hot-rolled pickled steel sheets cut to specified dimensions are stamped into wheel spokes; hot-rolled pickled steel sheets cut to specified dimensions are rolled, welded, rolled three times, and sized to obtain wheel rims.
[0057] 2) The wheel spokes and wheel rim are welded together, including:
[0058] 2.1) Clean the steel plate end faces to be welded, and degrease and grind the steel plate end faces to be welded on the wheel spokes and wheel rims;
[0059] 2.2) Clamp the wheel spokes and wheel rim. First, assemble the wheel spokes and wheel rim. Then, clamp the assembled wheel spokes and wheel rim on the composite welding worktable and adjust the angle of the composite welding worktable.
[0060] 2.3) The wheel spokes and wheel rim are welded together using submerged arc welding equipment. The welding current is controlled at 500A, the welding voltage at 30V, the welding speed at 28mm / min, and the welding wire diameter at 1.6mm. Alkaline flux is used, and the welding angle is controlled at 45°.
[0061] 2.4) Clean the weld immediately after welding.
[0062] Table 1 Welding control parameters of embodiments of the present invention
[0063]
[0064]
[0065] Table 2 Weld parameters of embodiments of the present invention
[0066]
[0067] In embodiments 1-4 of this invention, the welds of the wheel spokes and wheel rims are free of porosity and cracks.
[0068] In addition to the embodiments described above, the present invention may have other implementations. All technical solutions formed by equivalent substitution or equivalent transformation fall within the protection scope claimed by the present invention.
Claims
1. A method for welding the rim and spokes of a high-strength steel wheel, characterized in that, The method includes the following steps: 1) Prepare wheel spokes and wheel rims separately. Hot-rolled pickled steel sheets cut to specified dimensions are stamped into wheel spokes; hot-rolled pickled steel sheets cut to specified dimensions are rolled, welded, rolled three times, and sized to obtain wheel rims. The hot-rolled pickled steel used for the wheel spokes and rims has the following chemical composition by weight percentage: C: 0.05%–0.07%, Si: 0.10%–0.15%, Mn: 1.25%–1.45%, P≤0.012%, S≤0.003%, Cr: 0.02%–0.03%, Al: 0.02%–0.05%, N≤0.0040%, with the remainder being Fe and unavoidable impurities. The content of these elements must meet the requirement of a carbon equivalent ≤0.35%, where the carbon equivalent Ceq=C+Mn / 6, and C and Mn are the weight percentages of the elements in the hot-rolled pickled steel plate. The metallographic structure of the hot-rolled pickled steel plate is fine-grained ferrite with a small amount of pearlite, and the ferrite grain size level in the metallographic structure is grade 10. The upper yield strength R of the 4.0–6.0 mm thick hot-rolled pickled steel plate is… eH The tensile strength is 450-500 MPa, and the tensile strength R is... m The strength is 550–600 MPa, and the elongation after fracture (A) is 20%–25%. 2) The wheel spokes and wheel rim are welded together, including: 2.1) Clean the steel plate end faces to be welded, and degrease and grind the steel plate end faces to be welded on the wheel spokes and wheel rims; 2.2) Clamp the wheel spokes and wheel rim. First, assemble the wheel spokes and wheel rim. Then, clamp the assembled wheel spokes and wheel rim on the composite welding worktable and adjust the angle of the composite welding worktable. 2.3) The wheel spokes and wheel rim are welded together using submerged arc welding equipment. The welding current is controlled at 300-600A, the welding voltage at 25-35V, and the welding speed at 20-30mm / min. Alkaline flux is used, and the welding angle is controlled at 45°-60°. 2.4) Clean the weld immediately after welding.
2. The method for welding high-strength steel wheel rims and spokes as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The welding wire used for the combined welding of the wheel spokes and wheel rim is 1.6 mm in diameter.
3. The method for welding high-strength steel wheel rims and spokes as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The heat-affected zone hardness of the welds of the wheel spokes and wheel rims is 170-190HV, the tensile strength of the welds is ≥550MPa, and the welds are free of porosity and cracks.