Optimisation of flash welding parameters for wheel rim manufacture using continuously cast steels

Continuously cast steels are nowadays commonly employed for the manufacture of wheel rims, and the flash welding process is generally employed for that purpose. The current work addresses the flash welding of a continuously cast material (carbon steel with carbon segregation in it), in the wheel rim manufacturing process route, with emphasis on the control of process parameters on the quality of weld joints. It has been established in this research work that the controlled post weld heat cycles, during the flash welding process, improve the quality of joints and also eliminate or at least drastically decrease the failure susceptibility of such flash welded joints during subsequent manufacturing operations.