摘要
Completely understanding the physical mechanisms of the plasma arc is critical to its application in welding of medium thickness plates. In this study, a mathematical model is developed to analyze the temperature, fluid flow, electromagnetic fields and pressure distribution in plasma arc welding. The correlations between the torch structure （ nozzle diameter） and the plasma are properties are analyzed qualitatively. The influence of the plasma gas flow rate on the plasma arc behavior is also simulated numerically. The temperature distribution and current density of the plasma are change greatly with a little variation of the nozzle diameter and^or the plasma gas flow rate. Compared to the tungsten-inert-gas arc with almost same conditions, the heat intensity, fluid velocity and pressure at the anode suoCace rise by one order of magnitude for a plasma arc. The analysis results lay solid foundation for effective usage ofplnsma arc welding.
Completely understanding the physical mechanisms of the plasma arc is critical to its application in welding of medium thickness plates. In this study, a mathematical model is developed to analyze the temperature, fluid flow, electromagnetic fields and pressure distribution in plasma arc welding. The correlations between the torch structure （ nozzle diameter） and the plasma are properties are analyzed qualitatively. The influence of the plasma gas flow rate on the plasma arc behavior is also simulated numerically. The temperature distribution and current density of the plasma are change greatly with a little variation of the nozzle diameter and^or the plasma gas flow rate. Compared to the tungsten-inert-gas arc with almost same conditions, the heat intensity, fluid velocity and pressure at the anode suoCace rise by one order of magnitude for a plasma arc. The analysis results lay solid foundation for effective usage ofplnsma arc welding.
基金
Acknowledgement The authors are grateful to the financial support for this project from the National Natural Science Foundation of China （ Key Program Grant No. 50936003）.
