Ramachandran, Dileep ChandranSalandari-Rabori, AdibMidawi, Adbelbaset R.H.Macwan, AndrewBiro, Elliot2025-01-072025-01-072024-05-15https://doi.org/10.2355/isijinternational.ISIJINT-2023-483https://hdl.handle.net/10012/21319This study investigates the impact of paint baking on the macro and micro-mechanical properties of resistance spot welds in quenched and partitioned 980 steels. It is observed that paint baking enhances both peak load and energy absorption during cross-tension tests, as indicated by load-displacement curves. Four different regions were identified from the load-displacement curves after paint baking. An intriguing observation was a quick increase in the loading rate following a prior decrease, attributed to change in crack propagation behavior rather than improved work hardening. The study further simulated the upper-critical heat-affected zone using a Gleeble thermo-mechanical simulator to evaluate flow strength and work hardening. The Kocks-Mecking strain-hardening model was employed to analyze work hardening behavior in the studied conditions.enAttribution 4.0 Internationalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/advanced high strength steelswork hardeningpaint bakingcrackresistance spot weldingArticle