The Arc Physical Characteristics and Molten Pool Dynamic Behaviors in Conduction Plasma Arc Welding

doi:10.11900/0412.1961.2020.00237

Acta Metall Sin

2021, Vol. 57

Issue (5): 693-702 DOI: 10.11900/0412.1961.2020.00237

Research paper

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The Arc Physical Characteristics and Molten Pool Dynamic Behaviors in Conduction Plasma Arc Welding

LI Zihan¹, XIN Jianwen¹, XIAO Xiao², WANG Huan³, HUA Xueming¹(

), WU Dongsheng¹

^1.Welding and Laser Processing Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
^2.School of Materials Science and Engineering, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang 471023, China
^3.Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co. , Ltd, Shanghai 200129, China

Cite this article:

LI Zihan, XIN Jianwen, XIAO Xiao, WANG Huan, HUA Xueming, WU Dongsheng. The Arc Physical Characteristics and Molten Pool Dynamic Behaviors in Conduction Plasma Arc Welding. Acta Metall Sin, 2021, 57(5): 693-702.

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Abstract

Conduction plasma arc welding is widely used to weld thin stainless-steel plates in a liquefied natural gas carrier, in which high arc energy density can be achieved through the constraint effects of the constricting nozzle. However, the welding current is relatively low, such that a keyhole is not formed inside the molten pool in conduction plasma arc welding, causing significantly different arc physical characteristics and molten pool dynamic behaviors from those of keyhole plasma arc welding. In this study, a one-way coupled electrode-arc-molten pool model was developed, and spectral analysis, infrared thermography, and particle tracing methods were used to investigate the arc physical characteristics and molten pool dynamic behaviors in conduction plasma arc welding. In conduction plasma arc welding, numerical and experimental results show that plasma impinges on the surface and flows toward the edge of the molten pool. Two contrary convective eddies were found inside the molten pool. The counterclockwise eddy at the center of the molten pool is driven by arc pressure, Marangoni forces, and Lorentz forces, and the clockwise eddy at the rear part of the molten pool is driven by plasma shear stress, Marangoni forces, and buoyancy forces. Additionally, the maximum temperature of the molten pool in conduction plasma arc welding is higher than that in keyhole plasma arc welding due to higher arc energy density and weaker convection.

Key words: conduction plasma arc welding numerical simulation spectral analysis infrared thermography particle tracing

Received: 06 July 2020

ZTFLH:

TG456.2

Fund: Scientific Research Project of High Technology Ship in Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China

About author: HUA Xueming, professor, Tel: (021)54748940, E-mail: xmhua@sjtu.edu.cn

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	Zihan LI
	Jianwen XIN
	Xiao XIAO
	Huan WANG
	Xueming HUA
	Dongsheng WU

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https://www.ams.org.cn/EN/10.11900/0412.1961.2020.00237 OR https://www.ams.org.cn/EN/Y2021/V57/I5/693

Fig.1 Framework of one-way coupled electrode-arc-molten pool model (q(x, y, z), τ(x, y, z), and p(x, y, z) indicate heat source, arc shear stress vector, and arc pressure in x, y, and z coordinate, respectively)

Fig.2 Directions of arc shear stress before (a) and after (b) the deformation of molten pool (o and n indicate horizontal vector and free surface normal vector, respectively)

Table 1 Physical properties of SUS304 stainless steel used in this model

Fig.3 Schematic sketch of experimental set-up of plasma arc welding

Fig.4 Distributions of temperature and velocity of plasma arc in local coordinate system y₀O₀z₀

Fig.5 Distributions of temperature and velocity at the plasma arc axis (a) and distributions of arc pressure and arc shear stress on the surface of base metal (b)

Fig.6 Distributions of temperature field, fluid flow field (a1-d1), and three-dimensional velocity field (a2-d2) at y₀ = 0 at time t = 0.06 s (a1, a2), t = 0.38 s (b1, b2), t = 1.26 s (c1, c2), and t = 1.80 s (d1, d2)

Fig.7 Spectrum of plasma arc at y₀ = 0 mm, z₀ = 8.3 mm (a) and comparison of experimental and simulated temperatures of plasma arc (b)

Fig.8 The movement of a SiC particle

Fig.9 Thermography image of molten pool surface in local coordinate system x₁O₁y₁(a) and comparison of experimental and simulated temperatures of molten pool surface (b)

Fig.10 Comparison of calculated and experimental weld profiles

Fig.11 Schematics of momentum coupling mechanism (a) and energy coupling mechanism in conduction plasma arc welding (b)

Fig.12 Schematic of momentum coupling mechanism in keyhole plasma arc welding

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