The purpose of this procedure is to provide a quick qualitative assessment of the susceptibility of coated sheet steel to liquid metal embrittlement during joining. The procedure is specifically designed for the following purposes:

  • To induce LME crack formation in coated steels
  • To predict which of several types of LME cracks a given coated steel might
    exhibit when welded in a manufacturing environment
  • To allow comparison of LME susceptibility of various grades and/or lots of steel
  • To protect automakers against LME cracking for worst-case manufacturing
    conditions
  • To produce cracked spot welds for mechanical testing

This test is not intended nor suitable to develop production welding parameters.