Environmental, concerns regarding reducing CO2 emissions and the drive of having better fuel economy have already enthused the car manufacturer to use the weight materials having better mechanical properties. Automotive industry has shown a great interest in Dual Phase steels due to the possibility of reducing weight of vehicles and increasing the passenger safety at a very competitive cost. Automotive applications unavoidably entail welding and joining in the manufacturing process and the fatigue resistance of welded joints due to the integrity and safety requirements. The variation of welding parameters (voltage, current and speed of welding) affects weld performance, mechanical, and metallurgical properties.

The CMT (Cold Metal Transfer) braze welding is a relatively new technology that partially decouples the arc electrical transients from the filler wire feed rate. It allows reducing the heat required for welding and permits higher joining speeds.

The aim of this work is to study the interfacial microstructures and intermetallic compounds produced by cold metal transfer welding of two plates of galvanized DP600 dual phase steel with CuSi3 as filler metal. The study was performed by applying a CMT braze welding with three different joining speeds. The welded microstructures and microhardness were determined and related to the welding process conditions.

A small HAZ, constituted by martensite, bainite and coarse ferrite grains, has been highlighted. Furthermore, an intermetallic Fe-Si-Cu compound layer formed at the interface between steel and filler metal. The joining speed sways the size of ZTA since the heat input Q affects the phase transformation in the weld and heat affected zone

This parameter also affects the thickness of the compound layer and the size of precipitates in the filler metal, likewise the mechanical characteristics. The fracture starts at the interface steel-copper where intermetallic compounds formed.