Grain refinement of 5A06 aluminum alloy welds caused by tungsten inert gas welding arc characteristics under Ar-He alternating gas supply conditions:a coupled method of water-cooled copper plate test/numerical simulation

The welding arc,as a carrier for the conversion of electrical energy to thermal energy,has a direct impact on the quality of welding by its properties and states.In the tungsten inert gas(TIG)welding process under the condition of Ar-He alternating gas supply,the arc is alternately converted between Ar arc and He arc with an alternating gas supply cycle,which has obvious arc change characteristics.The FLUENT software was used to numerically simulate the characteristics of the TIG arc under the condition of alternating gas supply,and the arc temperature field,arc pressure,electric potential and current density distribution under the condition of alternating gas supply were obtained.Combined with the real-time data of arc pressure measured by the water-cooled copper plate with holes,it is proved that the TIG arc has obvious dynamic characteristics under the condition of Ar-He alternating gas supply.This unique dynamic TIG arc acts on the 5A06 aluminum alloy weld,causing the molten pool to stir,resulting in uniform microstructure and grain refinement at the weld,and thereby improving the mechanical properties of the welded joint.