Fluid flow and weld penetration in stationary arc welds

Weld pool fluid flow can affect the penetration of the resultant weld significantly. In this work, the computer simulation of weld pool fluid flow and its effect on weld penetration was carried out. Steady-state, 2-dimensional heat and fluid flow in stationary arc welds were computed, with three driving forces for fluid flow being considered: the buoyancy force, the electromagnetic force, and the surface tension gradient at the weld pool surface. The computer model developed agreed well with available analytical solutions and was consistent with weld convection phenomena experimentally observed by previous investigators and the authors. The relative importance of the influence of the three driving forces on fluid flow and weld penetration was evaluated, and the role of surface active agents was discussed. The effects of the thermal expansion coefficient of the liquid metal, the current density distribution in the workpiece, and the surface tension temperature coefficient of the liquid metal on weld pool fluid flow were demonstrated. Meanwhile, a new approach to free boundary problems involving simultaneous heat and fluid flow was developed, and the effort of computation was reduced significantly.     

Fluid flow and weld penetration in stationary arc welds

Weld pool fluid flow can affect the penetration of the resultant weld significantly. In this work, the computer simulation of weld pool fluid flow and its effect on weld penetration was carried out. Steady-state, 2-dimensional heat and fluid flow in stationary arc welds were computed, with three driving forces for fluid flow being considered: the buoyancy force, the electromagnetic force, and the surface tension gradient at the weld pool surface. The computer model developed agreed well with available analytical solutions and was consistent with weld convection phenomena experimentally observed by previous investigators and the authors. The relative importance of the influence of the three driving forces on fluid flow and weld penetration was evaluated, and the role of surface active agents was discussed. The effects of the thermal expansion coefficient of the liquid metal, the current density distribution in the workpiece, and the surface tension temperature coefficient of the liquid metal on weld pool fluid flow were demonstrated. Meanwhile, a new approach to free boundary problems involving simultaneous heat and fluid flow was developed, and the effort of computation was reduced significantly.     

Modeling of the effects of surface-active elements on flow patterns and weld penetration

A mathematical model was developed to calculate the transient temperature and velocity distributions in a stationary gas tungsten arc (GTA) weld pool of 304 stainless steels with different sulfur concentrations. A parametric study showed that, depending upon the sulfur concentration, one, two, or three vortexes may be found in the weld pool. These vortexes are caused by the interaction between the electromagnetic force and surface tension, which is a function of temperature and sulfur concentration, and have a significant effect on weld penetration. For given welding conditions, a minimum threshold sulfur concentration is required to create a single, clockwise vortex for deep penetration. When two metals with different sulfur concentrations are welded together, the weld-pool shape is skewed toward the metal with a lower sulfur content. Detailed physical insights on complicated fluid-flow phenomena and the resulting weld-pool penetration were obtained, based on the surface tension-temperature-sulfur concentration relationships.     

Computer simulation of convection in moving arc weld pools

Computer simulation for three-dimensional convection in moving arc weld pools was described, with three distinct driving forces for flow considered — the electromagnetic force, the buoyancy force, and the surface tension gradient on the pool surface. Formulation of the electromagnetic force in the weld pool was presented. The calculated and experimentally observed fusion boundaries were compared. The arc efficiency and spatial distributions of the current density and power density used in the calculations were based on experimentally measured results, in order to verify the model. The effects of the electromagnetic and surface tension forces were discussed.     

Effect of Welding Speed on Gas Metal Arc Weld Pool in Commercially Pure Aluminum: Theoretically and Experimentally

Temperature and velocity fields, and weld pool geometry during gas metal arc welding (GMAW) of commercially pure aluminum were predicted by solving equations of conservation of mass, energy and momentum in a three-dimensional transient model. Influence of welding speed was studied. In order to validate the model, welding experiments were conducted under the similar conditions. The calculated geometry of the weld pool were in good agreement with the corresponding experimental results. It was found that an increase in the welding speed results in a decrease peak temperature and maximum velocity in the weld pool, weld pool dimensions and width of the heat-affected zone (HAZ). Dimensionless analyses were employed to understand the importance of heat transfer by convection and the roles of various driving forces in the weld pool. According to dimensionless analyses droplet driving force strongly affected fluid flow in the weld pool.     

表面活性元素硫对焊接熔池中流体流动方式和熔池深宽比的影响

综述了近20年国内、外有关特定焊接条件下,硫含量对熔池中流体流动方式和熔池深度影响方面的研究状况。表面活性元素硫主要是通过改变熔池中流体的流动方式来影响熔池的形状和尺寸。表面张力温度系数是熔池表面温度和活性元素硫含量的函数,表面张力不仅仅与硫含量有关,而且还与熔池表面温度关系密切。硫含量并不是获得最好的焊接熔池深宽比的唯一因素,而是硫含量、焊接电流、电弧移动速度、焊接能量以及能量密度的共同作用影响了熔池中流体的流动方式和熔池深宽比。     

Mathematical modeling of the dynamic behavior of gas tungsten arc weld pools

The dynamic behavior of stationary fully penetrated gas tungsten arc weld pools was investigated through numerical simulation. The effects of arc pressure, electromagnetic force, and surface tension gradients on surface depression, convection, and temperature distribution were calculated. The top surfaces of fully penetrated pools were easily depressed since they were only supported by surface tension. Circulatory convection patterns were generated by electromagnetic forces and surface tension gradients and were significantly affected by the vertical velocity component produced by pool oscillation. The temperature distribution in and around the pool was influenced by pool convection. During pool formation and growth, the fully penetrated molten pool sagged dramatically when the bottom pool diameter approached the top diameter. The sagged pool oscillated with higher magnitude and lower frequency than partially penetrated or fully penetrated pools before sagging occurred. The dynamic behavior and the amount of material lost during melt-through were affected by the pool size and the magnitude of arc pressure.     

Mathematical modeling of three-dimensional heat and fluid flow in a moving gas metal arc weld pool

Mathematical models capable of accurate prediction of the weld bead and weld pool geometry in gas metal arc (GMA) welding processes would be valuable for rapid development of welding procedures and empirical equations for control algorithms in automated welding applications. This article introduces a three-dimensional (3-D) model for heat and fluid flow in a moving GMA weld pool. The model takes the mass, momentum, and heat transfer of filler metal droplets into consideration and quantitatively analyzes their effects on the weld bead shape and weld pool geometry. The algorithm for calculating the weld reinforcement and weld pool surface deformation has been proved to be effective. Difficulties associated with the irregular shape of the weld bead and weld pool surface have been successfully overcome by adopting a boundary-fitted nonorthogonal coordinate system. It is found that the size and profile of the weld pool are strongly influenced by the volume of molten wire, impact of droplets, and heat content of droplets. Good agreement is demonstrated between predicted weld dimensions and experimently measured ones for bead-on-plate GMA welds on mild steel plate.     

A model for the silicon-manganese deoxidation of steel weld metals

From an analytical and theoretical study of flat and out-of-position gas metal arc (GMA) C-Mn steel welds containing varying additions of silicon and manganese, we conclude that the buoyancy effect (flotation obeying Stokes’ law) does not play a significant role in the separation of oxide inclusions during weld metal deoxidation. Consequently, the separation rate of the particles is controlled solely by the fluid flow pattern in the weld pool. A proposed two-step model for the weld metal deoxidation reactions suggests that inclusions formed in the hot, turbulent-flow region of the weld pool are rapidly brought to the upper surface behind the arc because of the high-velocity flow fields set up within the liquid metal. In contrast, those formed in the cooler, less-turbulent flow regions of the weld pool are to a large extent trapped in the weld metal as finely dispersed particles as a result of inadequate melt stirring. The boundary between “hot” and “cold” parts for possible inclusion removal is not well defined, but depends on the applied welding parameters, flux, and shielding gas composition. As a result of the intricate mechanism of inclusion separation, the final weld metal oxygen content depends on complex interactions among the following three main factors: (1) the operational conditions applied, (2) the total amount of silicon and manganese present, and (3) the resulting manganeseto-silicon ratio. The combined effect of the latter two contributions has been included in a new deoxidation parameter, ([pct Si][pct Mn])^−0.25. The small, negative exponent in the deoxidation parameter indicates that control of the weld metal oxygen concentrations through additions of silicon and manganese is limited and that choice of operational conditions in many instances is the primary factor in determining the final degree of deoxidation to be achieved.     

On the calculation of the free surface temperature of gas-tungsten-arc weld pools from first principles: Part II. modeling the weld pool and comparison with experiments

By combining a mathematical model of the welding arc and of the weld pool, calculations are presented to describe the free surface temperature of weld pools for spot welding operations. The novel aspects of the treatment include the calculation of the heat and current fluxes falling on the free weld pool surface from first principles, a realistic allowance for heat losses due to vaporization, and a realistic allowance for the temperature dependence of the surface tension. The most important finding reported in this article is that the free surface temperature of weld pools appears to be limited by Marangoni convection, rather than heat losses due to vaporiza-tion. Furthermore, it was found that once thermocapillary flow can produce high enough surface velocities (>25 cm/s), the precise nature of the relationship between temperature and surface tension will become less important.     

Numerical analysis of metal transfer in gas metal arc welding under modified pulsed current conditions

A method has been proposed to pulsate current in gas metal arc welding (GMAW) to achieve a specific type of desirable and repeatable metal transfer mode, i.e., one drop per pulse (ODPP) mode. This method uses a peak current lower than the transition current to prevent accidental detachment and takes advantage of the downward momentum of the droplet oscillation to enhance the detachment. A numerical model with advanced computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques, such as a two-step projection method, volume of fluid (VOF) method, and continuum surface force (CSF) model, was used to carry out the simulation for the metal transfer process. The Gauss-type current density distribution was assumed as the boundary condition for the calculation of the electromagnetic force. The calculations were conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method in achieving the desired metal transfer process in comparison with conventional pulsed current GMAW. Also, the critical conditions for effective use of this proposed method were identified by the numerical simulation. Comparison showed good agreement between calculation and experimental results.     

Computational modeling of stationary gastungsten-arc weld pools and comparison to stainless steel 304 experimental results

A systematic study was carried out to verify the predictions of a transient multidimensional computational model by comparing the numerical results with the results of an experimental study. The welding parameters were chosen such that the predictions of the model could be correlated with the results of an earlier experimental investigation of the weld pool surface temperatures during spot gas-tungsten-arc (GTA) welding of Type 304 stainless steel (SS). This study represents the first time that such a comprehensive attempt has been made to experimentally verify the predictions of a numerical study of weld pool fluid flow and heat flow. The computational model considers buoyancy and electromagnetic and surface tension forces in the solution of convective heat transfer in the weld pool. In addition, the model treats the weld pool surface as a truly deformable surface. Theoretical predictions of the weld pool surface temperature distributions, the cross-sectional weld pool size and shape, and the weld pool surface topology were compared with corresponding experimental measurements. Comparison of the theoretically predicted and the experimentally obtained surface temperature profiles indicated agreement within ±8 pct for the best theoretical models. The predicted surface profiles were found to agree within ±20 pct on dome height and ±8 pct on weld pool diameter for the best theoretical models. The predicted weld cross-sectional profiles were overlaid on macrographs of the actual weld cross sections, and they were found to agree very well for the best theoretical models.     

A unified numerical modeling of stationary tungsten-inert-gas welding process

In order to clarify the formative mechanism of weld penetration in an arc welding process, the development of a numerical model of the process is quite useful for understanding quantitative values of the balances of mass, energy, and force in the welding phenomena because there is still lack of experimentally understanding of the quantitative values of them because of the existence of complicated interactive phenomena between the arc plasma and the weld pool. The present article is focused on a stationary tungsten-inert-gas (TIG) welding process for simplification, but the whole region of TIG arc welding, namely, tungsten cathode, arc plasma, workpiece, and weld pool is treated in a unified numerical model, taking into account the close interaction between the arc plasma and the weld pool. Calculations in a steady state are made for stationary TIG welding in an argon atmosphere at a current of 150 A. The anode is assumed to be a stainless steel, SUS304, with its negative temperature coefficient of surface tension. The two-dimensional distributions of temperature and velocity in the whole region of TIG welding process are predicted. The weld-penetration geometry is also predicted. Furthermore, quantitative values of the energy balance for the various plasma and electrode regions are given. The predicted temperatures of the arc plasma and the tungsten-cathode surface are in good agreement with the experiments. There is also approximate agreement of the weld shape with experiment, although there is a difference between the calculated and experimental volumes of the weld. The calculated convective flow in the weld pool is mainly dominated by the drag force of the cathode jet and the Marangoni force as compared with the other two driving forces, namely, the buoyancy force and the electromagnetic force.     

Influence of Sulfur Content on Penetration Depth in TIG Welding for High Manganese Stainless Steels

TIG welding of high manganese stainless steels was conducted with different sulfur contents of 5 and 20 ppm. The penetration depth of the welding bead clearly increased even when the sulfur content of the sample was only very slightly increased from 5 to 20 ppm. In situ observation of the surface of the molten pool revealed that the increase in penetration depth of the welding bead could be attributed to an elevation of the average temperature at the center of the molten pool from 2070 to 2200 K due to the generation of an inward fluid flow in the pool. The results of precise measurements of the surface tension of molten high manganese stainless steels using the electromagnetic levitation (EML) technique, thoroughly explained that the inward flow in the molten pool of the sample containing a sulfur content of 20 ppm was induced by Marangoni convection driven by the boomerang shape temperature dependence of the surface tension of the molten sample. The experimental results of the variations in the temperature distribution and the fluid flow direction in the molten pool depending on the sulfur content were reproduced well by a numerical calculation considering the four dominant driving forces of plasma jet, buoyancy, electromagnetic forces, and Marangoni convection, which indicated that the fluid flow direction was dominantly controlled by Marangoni convection.

     

Numerical analysis of metal transfer in gas metal arc welding

The present article describes a numerical procedure to simulate metal transfer and the model will be used to analyze the transport processes involved in gas metal arc welding (GMAW). Advanced Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques used in this model include a two-step projection method for solving the incompressible fluid flow; a volume of fluid (VOF) method for capturing free surface; and a continuum surface force (CSF) model for calculating surface tension. The electromagnetic force due to the welding current is estimated by assuming several different types of current density distribution on the free surface of the drop. The simulations based on the assumption of Gaussian current density distribution show that the transition from globular to spray transfer mode occurs over a narrow current range and the size of detached drops is nonuniform in this transition zone. The analysis of the calculation results gives a better understanding of this physical procedure. Comparisons between calculated results and experimental results are presented. It is found that the results computed from the Gaussian assumption agree well with those observed in experiments.     

Process Stability of Ultrasonic-Wave-Assisted Gas Metal Arc Welding

As a newly developed arc welding method, ultrasonic-wave-assisted arc welding successfully introduced power ultrasound into the arc and weld pool, during which the ultrasonic acts on the top of the arc in the coaxial alignment direction. The advanced process for molten metals can be realized by using an additional ultrasonic field. Compared with the conventional gas metal arc welding (GMAW), the welding arc is compressed, the droplet size is decreased, and the droplet transfer frequency is increased significantly in ultrasonic-wave-assisted GMAW (U-GMAW). However, the stability of the metal transfer has deep influence on the welding quality equally, and the ultrasonic wave effect on the stability of the metal transfer is a phenomenon that is not completely understood. In this article, the stabilities of the short-circuiting transfer process and globular transfer process are studied systematically, and the effect of ultrasonic wave on the metal transfer is analyzed further. The transfer frequency and process stability of the U-GMAW process are much higher than those of the conventional GMAW. Analytical results show that the additional ultrasonic wave is helpful for improving welding stability.     

Characteristics of a pulsed-current, vertical-up gas metal arc weld in steel

The performance of the pulsed-current gas metal arc welding (GMAW) process for vertical-up weld deposition of steel has been found to be superior over the use of the short-circuiting arc GMAW process with respect to the tensile, impact, and fatigue properties of the weld joint. The microstructure, weld geometry, and mechanical properties of a pulsed-current weld joint are largely governed by the pulse parameters, and correlate well to the factor φ, defined as a summarized influence of pulse parameters such as peak current, base current, pulse-off time, and pulse frequency. The increase of φ has been found favorable to refine the microstructure and enhance the tensile strength, C _v toughness, and fatigue life of a weld joint. The fatigue life of a short-circuiting arc weld joint has been found to be markedly reduced due to the presence of an undercut at the weld toe and incomplete side-wall fusion of the base material.     

TANDEM and GMAW Twin Wire Welding of Q690 Steel Used in Hydraulic Support

 Compared with using semi-automatic gas shielded arc welding, using automatic TANDEM twin wire welding and twin wire gas metal arc welding (GMAW) to weld Q690 steel, a low-alloy high-strength structural steel used in the hydraulic support in the fully-mechanized mining face, the welding speed, deposition rate, production environment and welding quality can be obviously improved. Compared with GMAW twin wire welding, a refined microstructure in the weld and heat-affected zone (HAZ), narrow HAZ and improved joint strength were achieved with TANDEM on Q690. Also, due to the push-pull pulsed way in TANDEM welding, the droplet transfer, distribution on heat flow and interaction between two arcs were completely different from those in GMAW twin wire system. The heat input of TANDEM is only about 766% of GMAW, and correspondingly, the welding speed and welding seam can be obviously improved. The complete oscillation caused by TANDEM pulsed current occurred in the welding pool, which refined the grains in the microstructure. The results show that TANDEM twin wire welding is very suitable in the welding of Q690 used in the hydraulic support.     

Three-dimensional transient model for arc welding process

A direct computer simulation technique, discrete element analysis (DEA), was utilized in the development of a transient multidimensional (2-D and 3-D) mathematical model for investi-gating coupled conduction and convection heat transfer problems associated with stationary and moving arc welding processes. The mathematical formulation considers buoyancy, electro-magnetic, and surface tension driving forces in the solution of the overall heat transfer conditions in the specimen. Furthermore, the formulation of the model allows realistic consideration of the geometrical variations in the workpiece. The model treats the -weld pool surface as a truly deformable free surface, allowing for the prediction of the weld surface deformations such as the “weld crown.≓ A marked element formulation was employed to monitor the transient de-velopment of the weld pool as determined by the latent heat considerations and the calculated velocities in the weld pool. The model was utilized to simulate the heat and fluid flows in the weld pool that occur during stationary (spot) and moving (linear) gas tungsten-arc welding. Also, the present analysis considers a simple rectangular specimen and a geometrically complex specimen to demonstrate the capability of the model to simulate realistic 3-D arc welding prob-lems. The results of the present investigation clearly demonstrate the significant influence of the heat and fluid flows and the specimen geometry on the development of the weld. Comparison of the predicted and the experimentally observed fusion zone and heat-affected zone (HAZ) geometries indicate good agreement.