Optimizing the Pulsed Current Gas Tungsten Arc Welding Parameters

The selection of process parameter in the gas tungsten arc （GTA） welding of titanium alloy was presented for obtaining optimum grain size and hardness. Titanium alloy （Ti-6Al-4V） is one of the most important non-ferrous metals which offers great potential application in aerospace, biomedical and chemical industries, because of its low density （4.5 g/cm^3）, excellent corrosion resistance, high strength, attractive fracture behaviour and high melting point （1678℃）. The preferred welding process for titanium alloy is frequent GTA welding due to its comparatively easier applicability and better economy. In the case of single pass （GTA） welding of thinner section of this alloy, the pulsed current has been found beneficial due to its advantages over the conventional continuous current process. Many considerations come into the picture and one needs to carefully balance various pulse current parameters to reach an optimum combination. Four factors, five level, central composite, rotatable design matrix were used to optimize the required number of experimental conditions. Mathematical models were developed to predict the fusion zone grain size using analysis of variance （ANOVA） and regression analysis. The developed models were optimized using the traditional Hooke and Jeeve＇s algorithm. Experimental results were provided to illustrate the proposed approach.

Optimization of gas tungsten arc welding parameters for the dissimilar welding between AISI 304 and AISI 201 stainless steels

This present study applied gas tungsten arc welding in order to join AISI 304 and AISI 201 stainless steels.The objective was to find the optimum welding condition that gave a weld bead in accordance with DIN EN ISO 25817 quality level B, pitting corrosion potential of the weld metal of not less than that of the AISI304 base metal and a ratio of delta-ferrite in austenite matrix of the weld metal of not lower than 3%.Such a ratio is a criterion widely accepted to protect the weld metal from solidification cracking. At the welding current of 75 A and by using pure argon as a shielding gas 0 to 8 vol.% and applying a welding speed in the range of 2-3.5 mm·s^(-1) was found to give a complete weld bead with an increased depthper-width ratio(promote weldability). For welding speed in the range of 3 and 3.5 mm·s^(-1)(promote corrosion resistance). Increasing the welding speed in such a range decreased the amount of delta-ferrite in the austenite matrix, and increased the pitting corrosion potential of the weld metal to be 302 mV_(SCE).This value was still lower than the pitting corrosion potential of the AISI 304 base metal. Mixing nitrogen in argon shielding gas increased the nitrogen content in the weld. The optimum condition was found when using a welding speed of 3 mm· s^(-1) and mixing 1 vol.% of nitrogen in the argon shielding gas(promote weldability and corrosion resistance). Pitted areas after potentiodynamic test were observed in the austenite in which its Cr content was relatively low.

In situ synthesis and hardness of TiC/Ti_5Si_3 composites on Ti-5Al-2.5Sn substrates by gas tungsten arc welding

TiC/TisSi3 composites were fabricated on Ti-5A1-2.5Sn substrates by gas tungsten arc welding （GTAW）. Identification of the phases was performed using X-ray diffraction （XRD）. The microstructures were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy （SEM） combined with energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry （EDS） and optical microscopy （OM）. The Vickers hardness was measured with a micro-hardness tester. The TiC/TisSi3 composites were obtained in a double-layer track, and the Vickers hardness of the track increased by two to three times compared with the Ti-5A1-2.5Sn substrate.

Study on stress and deformation of keyhole gas tungsten arc-welded joints

Keyhole gas tungsten arc welding(K-TIG)of Q345 low alloy steel plates was simulated by using SYSWELD software.The temperature field of the K-TIG welding process was simulated with three different combined heat sources and was compared with the weld profile that was obtained experimentally.The temperature field that was obtained by a combination of a double ellipsoid heat source on the upper half and a three-dimensional Gauss heat source on the lower half was similar to the real situation.The effects of plate thickness,gap and welding speed on the deformation and stress of the K-TIG welded joints were investigated by K-TIG welding numerical simulation.A reduction in the thickness of the weld plates reduced the z-direction deformation and transverse residual stress;an appropriate gap reduced the residual stress and an increase in the welding speed reduced deformation after welding,but did not help to control the residual stress after welding.

A NEURAL NETWORK FOR WELD PENETRATION CONTROL IN GAS TUNGSTEN ARC WELDING

Realizing of weld penetration control in gas tungsten arc welding requires establishment of a model describing the relationship between the front-side geometrical parameters of weld pool and the back-side weld width with sufficient accuracy. A neural network model is developed to attain this aim. Welding experiments are conducted to obtain the training data set （including 973 groups of geometrical parameters of the weld pool and back-side weld width） and the verifying data set （108 groups）. Two data sets are used for training and verifying the neural network, respectively. The testing results show that the model has sufficient accuracy and can meet the requirements of weld penetration control.

Penetration control by weld pool resonance during gas tungsten arc welding

Presents penetration control by weld pool resonance which occurs when the natural frequency of weld pool is equal to the frequency of sine wave current while the weld pool is excited into oscillation by superimposing sine wave current with definite frequency or regular frequency on DC current, and experiments carried out on detecting resonance signals during both stationary and travelling arc welding with variant frequency pulse current, and concludes with experimental results that penetration control can be realized by weld pool resonance when welding speed is lower than 80mm/min, and this control method is applicable to welding thin (0.5～3.0 mm) plates of carbon steel, low alloy steel, high strength steel and superhigh strength steel, and suitable for alternating polarity welding of stainless steel, titanium alloy steel and aluminum alloy.

Microstructure and corrosion behaviour of gas tungsten arc welds of maraging steel

Superior properties of maraging steels make them suitable for the fabrication of components used for military applications like missile covering, rocket motor casing and ship hulls. Welding is the main process for fabrication of these components, while the maraging steels can be fusion welded using gas tungsten arc welding(GTAW) process. All these fabricated components require longer storage life and a major problem in welds is susceptible to stress corrosion cracking(SCC). The present study is aimed at studying the SCC behaviour of MDN 250(18% Ni) steel and its welds with respect to microstructural changes. In the present study, 5.2 mm thick sheets made of MDN 250 steel in the solution annealed condition was welded using GTAW process. Post-weld heat treatments of direct ageing(480 C for 3 h), solutionizing(815 C for 1 h) followed by ageing and homogenizing(1150 C for 1 h) followed by ageing were carried out. A mixture of martensite and austenite was observed in the microstructure of the fusion zone of solutionized and direct aged welds and only martensite in as-welded condition. Homogenization and ageing treatment have eliminated reverted austenite and elemental segregation. Homogenized welds also exhibited a marginal improvement in the corrosion resistance compared to those in the as-welded, solutionized and aged condition. Constant load SCC test data clearly revealed that the failure time of homogenized weld is much longer compared to other post weld treatments, and the homogenization treatment is recommended to improve the SCC life of GTA welds of MDN 250 Maraging steel.

Influence of arc pressure on the forming of molten pool in tungsten inert gas arc butt welding with micro gap for tantalum sheet

Arc pressure is the key influencing factor to forming of molten pool. Countering the characteristic of tungsten inert gas arc welding with micro gap for tantalum sheet, according to the fundament of arc physics, a distribution model of arc pressure and forming mechanism of molten pool with micro butt gap are proposed, and the influences of arc pressure on forming of molten pool are discussed. Experimental researches for the dynamic formation process of weld molten pool by using high-speed vidicon camera show that when butt gap is appropriate, that is from 0. 1 to 0. 15 mm, molten metals formed on two workpiece uplift and grow up first, then are fused and form uniform molten pool finally.

Wear resistance of surface metal matrix composite produced by gas tungsten arc melt injection of Cr3C2 -NiCr particles into low carbon steel

Cr3 C2-NiCr particles were injected into the melted surface of Q235 low carbon steel to make a surface metal matrix composite （MMC） layer by gas tungsten are melt injection （GTAMI） process. Hardness of the surface MMC layer was tested. Wear resistance of the surface MMC was investigated with a ball-on-disk dry sliding setup. Microstrnetures of the surface MMC layer and morphology of the worn surfaces were investigated with scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. The results showed that the hardness of the MMC was as high as 1 960. 7 HV. Wear loss of the upper part of the MMC layer is onlyO. 8% of that of the substrate under the dry sliding condition given. Wear loss of the bottom part is 2. 5 % of that of the substrate.

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.

Effects of pulse parameters on arc characteristics and weld penetration in hybrid pulse VP-GTAW of aluminum alloy

A novel ultrafast-convert hybrid pulse variable polarity gas tungsten arc welding process （HPVP-GTAW） is developed. High frequency pulse square-wave current which has a frequency of more than 20 kHz is exactly integrated in the positive polarity current duration. The effects of pulse current parameters on arc characteristics and weld penetration have been studied during the HPVP-GTAW process using Al-5. 8 Mg alloy plates. The arc characteristics studied by arc voltage and its profile, weld penetration noted by the ratio of weld depth to width have been found to be influenced significantly by the pulse current. The experimental results show that the HPVP-GTA W process can improve the arc profile predominantly and obtain the higher weld penetration with lower heat input. The observation may help in understanding the weld characteristics with respect to variation in the pulse current parameters which may be beneficial in using the novel HPVP-GTAW process to produce the better weld quality of aluminum alloy plates.

The study of arc behavior with different content of copper vapor in GTAW

In order to understand the effects of different content of copper vapor entering the arc plasma on the arc behavior,the tungstencopper materials with copper contents of 0%,10%,20%and 30%were made into special tungsten electrodes,which replaced the melting electrode to generate copper vapor.The effects of different content of copper vapor on the arc morphology,arc voltage,arc pressure,current density and arc axial temperature were studied.When copper vapor was transported into the arc plasma,the arc consisted of two parts:a high brightness arc core and the surrounding green luminous area.Through the observation and measurement of the stabilized arc,the results showed that as the content of copper vapor increased,the radius of the greenish region gradually increased,the brightness and size of the core area gradually decreased,the axial temperature of the arc gradually decreased and arc voltage gradually increased with a maximum difference of 1.5 V.This is because the increase of copper vapor concentration changes the net emission coefficient,resulting in a decrease in arc temperature and electrical conductivity.The distribution of arc pressure and current density showed unimodal distribution on the anode surface,and as the content of copper vapor increased,the distribution curves were gradually flattening.A factor contributing to this is that with the increase of copper vapor concentration,the current tends to flow through the edge of the electrode,which expands the conductive path and makes the arc disperse.And the coupling mathematical model of tungsten electrode and arc were established to further explain the experimental results.

Effects of distance between arc and heat sink on stress and distortion in DC-LSND welding technology

The characteristics of temperatures, stresses and strains fields have been studied numerically for a titanium alloy sheet welded with an improved gas tungsten arc welding method, in which a trailing spot heat sink is introduced to control the welding stress and distortion. The impinging jet model is employed to describe the internee heat transfer between the cooling media and the top suufuce of the workpiece. The influcnee of the distance between arc and heat sink is investigated. Results show that there is an ideal range of distance. Using the ideal distance, a low stress and no distortion welding structure can be derived.

Effect of Gravity on Arc Shape in GTA Welding-for Low Electric Arc Current

Gas tungsten arc (GTA) welding was performed both in a microgravity environment and in a terrestrial environment,and the arc shapes in both environments were compared. A microgravity condition was obtained using the free fallsystem at the Japan Microgravity Center. The system can maintain a 10 s microgravity of less than 10-5 g. Awater-cooled Cu plate was used to simplify the arc phenomenon. The electric arc current was between 15 and 80 A,and the shielding and atmospheric gas was 99.9995% Ar and its flowing rate was 10 l/min. The polarity was a directcurrent electrode negative (DCEN). The arc gap was 3 mm and careful attention was also paid to the arc gap in boththe terrestrial and microgravity environments being the same. As a result, it was found that no effect of gravity onthe arc shape is observed under general welding conditions (over 60 A). When the electric arc current is lower than25 A, the arc shape is determined by the initial position of the arc root and is constant with time. Accordingly, itcan not be judged whether or not the arc shape is affected by gravity for this range. When the electric arc current isbetween 25 A and 60 A, it is estimated that the arc shape is not affected by gravity though it is occasionally affectedby other minor effects.

Effect of shielding gas on microstructure and properties of GTAW joints of 2205 duplex stainless steel

2205 duplex stainless steels （ DSSs） are welded in gas tungsten arc welding （GTAW） with the addition of N2 to argon, and the desirable microstructure and properties of the joints are obtained by altering the nitrogen percentage in the shielding gas mixture. The mechanical properties of joints are tested with tensile and microhardness machine, and the joint micrustructure is analyzed with scanning electron microscope （SEM） and optical microscope （ OM ） , and detrimental phase precipitate is investigated with X-ray diffraction （XRD）, respectively. Finally, the corrosion behaviour of joint is also evaluated. Results show that the favorable joint strength and corrosion resistance can be obtained with appropriate shielding gas mixture in GTA W. No detrimental phase precipitates in the weldment, and the joint tensile fracture obviously presents the characteristic of ductile fracture.

Improvement of Microstructure and Mechanical Behavior of Gas Tungsten Arc Weldments of Alloy C-276 by Current Pulsing

Superalloy C-276 is known to be prone to hot cracking during fusion welding by Gas Tungsten Arc method. Microsegregation occurring during cooling of fusion zone with consequent appearance of topologically close-packed phases P and IX has been held responsible for the observed hot cracking. The present work investigated the possibility of suppressing the microsegregation in weldments by resorting to current pulse. Weldments were made by continuous current gas tungsten arc welding and pulsed current gas tungsten arc welding using ERNiCrMo-4 filler wire. The weld joints were studied with respect to microstructure, microsegregation, and mechanical properties. Optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy were employed to study the microstructure. Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy was carried out to evaluate the extent of microsegregation. Tensile testing was carried out to determine the strength and ductility. The results show that the joints fabricated with pulsed current gave rise to narrower welds with practically no heat affected zone, a refined microstructure in the fusion zone, reduced microsegregation, and superior combination of mechanical properties.

A Study of Microstructure and Mechanical Properties for the Autogenous Single-Pass Butt Weldment of a Ferritic/Martensitic Steel Using Gas Tungsten Arc Welding

A 12%Cr ferritic/martensitic steel,HT-9,has been used as a primary core material for nuclear reactors.The microstructure and mechanical properties of gas tungsten arc butt welded joints of HT-9 in as-welded,and as-tempered conditions have been explored.In as-welded condition,the fusion zone(FZ)contained a fresh martensite matrix with delta(δ)-ferrite.Theδ-ferrite was rich in Cr and depleted in C compared with the matrix.The heat-aff ected zone(HAZ)could be divided into three areas as the distance from the fusion line increased:δ-ferrite/martensite duplex zone,fully recrystallized zone,and partly recrystallized zone.Prior austenitic grains did not coarsen in theδ-ferrite/martensite duplex zone due to the newly nucleatedδ-ferrite grains and incompletely ferritizing(δ-ferrite)during the welding thermal cycle.The weldment microhardness distributed heterogeneously with values above 600 HV_(1.0)in the HAZ and FZ and 250 HV_(1.0)in the base metal(BM).Solute C in the matrix,induced by the dissolution of carbide during the welding process,dominated the microhardness variation.Low toughness was observed in the FZ with a quasi-cleavage fracture tested from-80 to 20℃.The tensile fracture occurred in the relatively soft BM tested from 20 to 600℃.In as-tempered condition(760℃for 1 h),M_(23)C_6-type carbides precipitated within the martensitic laths,the lath boundaries,and theδ-ferrite/martensite interfaces.Moreover,V,Cr,Mo-rich nitrides with very small size also precipitated in theδ-ferrite/martensite interface.The tempering treatment improved the homogenous distribution of weldment hardness significantly.Tensile fracture still occurred in the BM of the weldment specimens tested from 20 to 600℃.The impact toughness improved significantly,but the ductile–brittle transaction temperature was-12℃which was higher than that of the normalized and tempered(N&T)BM.δ-ferrite was considered to be one of the major factors aggravating the impact toughness in the FZ.

Welding of nickel free high nitrogen stainless steel: Microstructure and mechanical properties

High nitrogen stainless steel(HNS) is a nickel free austenitic stainless steel that is used as a structural component in defence applications for manufacturing battle tanks as a replacement of the existing armour grade steel owing to its low cost, excellent mechanical properties and better corrosion resistance.Conventional fusion welding causes problems like nitrogen desorption, solidification cracking in weld zone, liquation cracking in heat affected zone, nitrogen induced porosity and poor mechanical properties.The above problems can be overcome by proper selection and procedure of joining process. In the present work, an attempt has been made to correlate the microstructural changes with mechanical properties of fusion and solid state welds of high nitrogen steel. Shielded metal arc welding(SMAW), gas tungsten arc welding(GTAW), electron beam welding(EBW) and friction stir welding(FSW) processes were used in the present work. Optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and electron backscatter diffraction were used to characterize microstructural changes. Hardness, tensile and bend tests were performed to evaluate the mechanical properties of welds. The results of the present investigation established that fully austenitic dendritic structure was found in welds of SMAW. Reverted austenite pools in the martensite matrix in weld zone and unmixed zones near the fusion boundary were observed in GTA welds. Discontinuous ferrite network in austenite matrix was observed in electron beam welds.Fine recrystallized austenite grain structure was observed in the nugget zone of friction stir welds.Improved mechanical properties are obtained in friction stir welds when compared to fusion welds. This is attributed to the refined microstructure consisting of equiaxed and homogenous austenite grains.

Effect of fusion welding processes on tensile properties of armor grade, high thickness, non-heat treatable aluminium alloy joints

AA5059 is one of the high strength armor grade aluminium alloy that finds its applications in the military vehicles due to the higher resistance against the armor piercing (AP) threats. This study aimed at finding the best suitable process among the fusion welding processes such as gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) and gas metal arc welding (GMAW) by evaluating the tensile properties of AA5059 aluminium alloy joints. The fracture path was identified by mapping the low hardness distribution profile (LHDP) across the weld cross section under tensile loading. Optical and scanning electron microscopies were used to characterize the microstructural features of the welded joints at various zones. It is evident from the results that GTAW joints showed superior tensile properties compared to GMAW joints and this is primarily owing to the presence of finer grains in the weld metal zone (WMZ) and narrow heat-affected zone (HAZ). The lower heat input associated with the GTAW process effectively reduced the size of the WMZ and HAZ compared to GMAW process. Lower heat input of GTAW process results in faster cooling rate which hinders the grain growth and reduces the evaporation of magnesium in weld metal compared to GMAW joints. The fracture surface of GTAW joint consists of more dimples than GMAW joints which is an indication that the GTAW joint possess improved ductility than GMAW joint.

Effect of process parameters of pulsed current tungsten inert gas welding on weld pool geometry of titanium welds

The effects of pulsing current parameters on weld pool geometry namely front height, back height, front width and back width of pulse current gas tungsten arc welded （GTAW） titanium alloy was analysed. Four factors, five levels, central composite design were used to develop empirical relationships, incorporating pulsed current parameters and weld pool geometry.