Influence of the Longitudinal Magnetic Field on the Formation of the Bead in Narrow Gap Gas Tungsten Arc Welding

Abstract

The oscillation arc assisted by an extra alternating longitudinal magnetic field (LMF) in narrow gap tungsten arc welding is proved to be effective in avoiding welding defects due to insufficient fusion at the side walls in joining thick wall plates. The behavior of the welding arc and molten pool under the LMF is simulated to reveal the influence of the LMF on the formation of a uniform penetration weld bead. A unified mathematical model was developed for the narrow gap tungsten arc welding including the plasma arc, molten pool, electrode, and their interactions. Under the LMF, the whole welding arc is deflected and oscillates between the two side walls. When the magnetic-field strength is larger than 6 mT, the axis of the arc deflects to the side wall; the maximum value of heat flux at the bottom decreases by one-half, and the maximum value at the side wall is increased by a factor of ten. On the other hand, under the LMF, the forces acting on the molten pool are changed; the fluid flow pattern is helpful to increase the heat transferred to the side walls. The model is validated by experimental results. Both the percentage deviations of the simulation weld penetration at the side wall and at the bottom from the experimental results are lower than 10%.