AWS C1.4M/C1.4:2017

An American National Standard

Specification for Resistance Welding of Carbon and

Low-Alloy Steels

AWS C1.4M/C1.4:2017

An American National Standard

Approved by the American National Standards Institute

January 3, 2017

Specification for Resistance Welding of Carbon and Low-Alloy Steels

3rd Edition

Supersedes AWS C1.4M /C1.4:2009

Prepared by the American Welding Society (AWS) C1 Committee on Resistance Welding

Under the Direction of the AWS Technical Activities Committee

Approved by the AWS Board of Directors

Abstract

This specification provides the shear strength and weld button diameter requirements for carbon steel and low-alloy steel sheet resistance and projection welds.

AWS C1.4M/C1.4:2017

ISBN: 978-0-87171-904-1

©2017 by American Welding Society

All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America

Photocopy Rights. No portion of this standard may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, including mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

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Statement on the Use of American Welding Society Standards

All standards (codes, specifications, recommended practices, methods, classifications, and guides) of the American Welding Society (AWS) are voluntary consensus standards that have been developed in accordance with the rules of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). When AWS American National Standards are either incorporated in, or made part of, documents that are included in federal or state laws and regulations, or the regulations of other governmen- tal bodies, their provisions carry the full legal authority of the statute. In such cases, any changes in those AWS standards must be approved by the governmental body having statutory jurisdiction before they can become a part of those laws and regulations. In all cases, these standards carry the full legal authority of the contract or other document that invokes the AWS standards. Where this contractual relationship exists, changes in or deviations from requirements of an AWS standard must be by agreement between the contracting parties.

AWS American National Standards are developed through a consensus standards development process that brings together volunteers representing varied viewpoints and interests to achieve consensus. While AWS administers the proc- ess and establishes rules to promote fairness in the development of consensus, it does not independently test, evaluate, or verify the accuracy of any information or the soundness of any judgments contained in its standards.

AWS disclaims liability for any injury to persons or to property, or other damages of any nature whatsoever, whether special, indirect, consequential, or compensatory, directly or indirectly resulting from the publication, use of, or reliance on this standard. AWS also makes no guarantee or warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of any information pub- lished herein.

In issuing and making this standard available, AWS is neither undertaking to render professional or other services for or on behalf of any person or entity, nor is AWS undertaking to perform any duty owed by any person or entity to someone else. Anyone using these documents should rely on his or her own independent judgment or, as appropriate, seek the advice of a competent professional in determining the exercise of reasonable care in any given circumstances. It is assumed that the use of this standard and its provisions is entrusted to appropriately qualified and competent personnel.

This standard may be superseded by new editions. This standard may also be corrected through publication of amend- ments or errata, or supplemented by publication of addenda. Information on the latest editions of AWS standards includ- ing amendments, errata, and addenda is posted on the AWS web page (www.aws.org). Users should ensure that they have the latest edition, amendments, errata, and addenda.

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AWS does not monitor, police, or enforce compliance with this standard, nor does it have the power to do so.

Official interpretations of any of the technical requirements of this standard may only be obtained by sending a request, in writing, to the appropriate technical committee. Such requests should be addressed to the American Welding Society, Attention: Managing Director, Standards Development, 8669 NW 36 St, # 130, Miami, FL 33166 (see Annex B). With regard to technical inquiries made concerning AWS standards, oral opinions on AWS standards may be rendered. These opinions are offered solely as a convenience to users of this standard, and they do not constitute professional advice. Such opinions represent only the personal opinions of the particular individuals giving them. These individuals do not speak on behalf of AWS, nor do these oral opinions constitute official or unofficial opinions or interpretations of AWS. In addi- tion, oral opinions are informal and should not be used as a substitute for an official interpretation.

This standard is subject to revision at any time by the AWS C1 Committee on Resistance Welding. It must be reviewed every five years, and if not revised, it must be either reaffirmed or withdrawn. Comments (recommendations, additions, or deletions) and any pertinent data that may be of use in improving this standard are requested and should be addressed to AWS Headquarters. Such comments will receive careful consideration by the AWS C1 Committee on Resistance Welding and the author of the comments will be informed of the Committee’s response to the comments. Guests are invited to attend all meetings of the AWS C1 Committee on Resistance Welding to express their comments verbally. Procedures for appeal of an adverse decision concerning all such comments are provided in the Rules of Operation of the Technical Activities Committee. A copy of these Rules can be obtained from the American Welding Society, 8669 NW 36 St, # 130, Miami, FL 33166.

AWS C1.4M/C1.4:2017

iv

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Personnel

AWS C1 Committee on Resistance Welding

B. Kelly, Chair Kelly Welding Solutions

W. Qualls, Vice Chair Consultant

A. Babinski, Secretary American Welding Society

T. Alexander Centerline (Windsor) Ltd.

B. Bastian Benmar Associates

W. Brafford Brafford Technical Solutions LLC

R. Cohen WeldComputer Corporation

M. Cubert SpaceX

R. Michelena T. J. Snow Company, Inc.

N. Scotchmer Huys Industries Limited

D. Sorenson ENTRON CONTROLS LLC

Advisors to the AWS C1 Committee on Resistance Welding

C. Albright The Ohio State University

K. Hofman RoMan Manufacturing

W. Jaxa-Rozen Bombardier Transportation

M. Kimchi The Ohio State University

D. Maatz R&E Engineering Services

M. Tumuluru U.S. Steel

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Foreword

This foreword is not part of this standard, but is included for informational purposes only.

The original edition of C1.4M/C1.4, Specification for Resistance Welding of Carbon and Low-Alloy Steels, replaced the following documents:

MIL-W-12332A, Welding, Resistance, Spot, Seam, and Projection; for Fabricating Assemblies of Low Carbon Steel

MIL-W-45223A, Welding Spot-Hardenable-Steel

MIL-W-46154, Welding, Resistance, Spot and Projection for Fabricating Assemblies of Carbon Steel Sheets

MIL-W-6858 and/or AMS –W-6858 may take precedence over this standard based on contract specification. All changes to the 2009 edition are identified by a vertical line in the margin next to the text or an underline.

Comments and suggestions for the improvement of this standard are welcome. They should be sent to the Secretary, AWS C1 Committee on Resistance Welding, American Welding Society, 8669 NW 36th St, #130, Miami, FL 33166.

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Table of Contents

Page No.

Personnel v

Foreword vii

List of Tables xi

List of Figures xi

1. General Requirements 1

   1. Scope 1

   2. Units of Measurement 1

   3. Safety 1

2. Normative References 1

3. Terms and Definitions 2

4. General 2

   1. Materials 2

   2. Material Coatings 8

   3. Surface Conditions 8

   4. Part Fitup 8

5. Welding Equipment Requirements 8

   1. Welding Tool 8

   2. Resistance Welding Control 8

   3. Welding Current 8

   4. Roll Spot or Seam Welding Travel Speed 8

6. Preproduction Requirements 8

   1. Validation of Welding Equipment and Qualification of Welding Procedures 8

   2. Visual Examination and Tolerances of Welded Assembly or Test Specimen 9

   3. Tests 9

   4. Correlation of Welding Procedure Monitoring with WPS Qualification Test Results 9

   5. Recording of Results 9

   6. Rejection 9

7. Production Requirements 9

   1. Control of Production 9

   2. Welded Assembly Inspection 10

Annex A (Informative) — Informative References 15

Annex B (Informative) — Requesting an Official Interpretation on an AWS Standard 17

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List of Tables

Table Page No.

1. Weld Button Diameter Requirements for Resistance Spot Welds of Carbon and Low-Alloy Steels 3

2. Weld Button Diameter Requirements for Resistance Projection Welds of Carbon and

   Low-Alloy Steel Sheet 4

3. Weld Button Diameter Requirements for Resistance Seam Welds of Carbon and

   Low-Alloy Steels 5

4. Tension-Shear Strength Requirements for Resistance Spot Welds of Carbon and

   Low-Alloy Steels 6

5. Tension-Shear Strength Requirements for Resistance Single Projection Welds of Carbon

   and Low-Alloy Steels 7

6. Qualification of Essential Variables 9

List of Figures

Figure Page No.

1. Peel Test 10

2. Measurement of a Weld Button Resulting from the Peel Test 11

3. Tension-Shear Test Specimen 11

4a. U-Test Specimen 12

4b. U-Test Specimen Holder 13

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Specification for Resistance Welding of Carbon and Low-Alloy Steels

1. General Requirements

   1. Scope. This specification establishes welding equipment requirements and welding procedures used to produce welds of acceptable quality in coated and uncoated carbon and low-alloy steels, including mild steels and high strength low alloy (HSLA) steels. Since this standard relies on a pulled button to validate the welding procedure, it may not apply to the welding of Advanced High Strength Steels (AHSS) including: dual phase (DP), transformation induced plasticity (TRIP), complex phase (CP) and martensitic steels (MART); or to hot stamped steels (HSS).

   2. Units of Measurement. This standard makes use of both the International System of Units (SI) and U.S. Customary Units. The latter are shown within brackets [ ], or in appropriate columns in tables and figures. The measurements may not be exact equivalents; therefore, each system must be used independently.

   3. Safety. Safety issues and concerns are addressed in this standard, although health issues and concerns are beyond the scope of this standard. Safety and health information is available from the following sources:

      American Welding Society:

      1. ANSI Z49.1, Safety in Welding, Cutting, and Allied Processes

      2. AWS Safety and Health Fact Sheets

      3. Other safety and health information on the AWS website Material or Equipment Manufacturers:

         1. Safety Data Sheets supplied by materials manufacturers

         2. Operating Manuals supplied by equipment manufacturers Applicable Regulatory Agencies

         Work performed in accordance with this standard may involve the use of materials that have been deemed hazardous, and may involve operations or equipment that may cause injury or death. This standard does not purport to address all safety and health risks that may be encountered. The user of this standard should establish an appropriate safety program to address such risks as well as to meet applicable regulatory requirements. ANSI Z49.1 should be considered when devel- oping the safety program.

         
         

2. Normative References

The documents listed below are referenced within this publication and are mandatory to the extent specified herein. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced standard shall apply. For dated references, subsequent amend- ments to, or revisions of, any of these publications do not apply.

AWS A2.4, Standard Symbols for Welding, Brazing, and Nondestructive Examination

AWS A3.0M/A3.0, Standard Welding Terms and Definitions Including Terms for Adhesive Bonding, Brazing, Soldering, Thermal Cutting, and Thermal Spraying.