Study on Weld Quality Characteristics of Pulsed Current Micro Plasma Arc Welding of Inconel625 Sheets

Nickel alloys had gathered wide acceptance in the fabrication of components which require high temperature resistance and corrosion resistance, such as metallic bellows used in expansion joints used in aircraft, aerospace and petroleum industry. In the present paper an attempt is made to study various weld quality characteristics like weld bead geometry dimensions, micro hardness, microstructure, grain size and tensile properties of Pulsed Current Micro Plasma Welding of Inconel625sheets. Weld joint was prepared by fusing the two parent metals of Inconel625 sheets. Square butt joint is used and welding was carried out using Pulsed DCEN, without filler wire. Peak current, back current, pulse and pulse width are considered as the main influential input variables during the welding.

Welding of Ti-6Al-4V alloy using dynamically controlled plasma arc welding process

A novel dynamically controlled plasma arc welding process was introduced,which is able tominimize heat input into the workpiece materials while maintaining desired full penetration,and it was used to weld Ti-6Al-4V alloy sheets.The microstructures,facture surfaces and microhardness of the welded joints were characterized by using optical microscope,scanning electron microscope （SEM） and Vickers microhardness tester.Comparing with welds such as gas tungsten arc and conventional plasma arc processes,the experimental results revealed the improvements when using the present process including：1） reducing prior-beta （β） grain size and prohibiting formation of hard martensite phases in the fusion zone due to the decreased heat input;and 2） better toughness and higher hardness.

Sensing controlled pulse key-holing condition in plasma arc welding

According to the strategy of controlled pulse key-holing,a new sensing and control system was developed for monitoring and controlling the keyhole condition during plasma arc welding(PAW). Through sensing and processing the efflux plasma voltage signals,the quantitative relationship among the welding current,efflux plasma voltage and backside weld width of the weld was established. PAW experiments show that the efflux plasma voltage can reflect the state of keyhole and backside weld width accurately. The closed-loop control tests validate the stability and reliability of the developed keyhole PAW system.

A computer-based control system for keyhole plasma arc welding

A new kind of control system for keyhole plasma arc welding （K-PAW） was developed based on the computer and the Graphics Language--LabVIEW. It can set and output the required current waveforms with desired decreasing slopes so that the corresponding ＂opening and closing＂ of keyhole can occur periodically. With this control strategy of welding current waveforms, the workpiece is fully penetrated while no burn-through Occurs. Keyhole plasma arc welding experiments were conducted to verify the stability and reliability of the developed system.

Digital control of pulsed gas metal arc welding inverter using TMS320LF2407A

A digital control of pulsed gas metal arc welding inverter was proposed. A control system consisting of analogue parts was replaced with a new digital control implemented in a TMS320LF2407A DSP chip. The design and constructional features of the whole digital control were presented. The resources of the DSP chip were efficiently utilized and the circuits are very concise, which can enhance the stability and reliability of welding inverter. Experimental results demonstrate that the developed digital control has the ability to accomplish the excellent pulsed gas metal arc welding process and the merits of the developed digital control are stable welding process, little spatter and perfect weld appearance.

Research and engineering application of the arc welding pulsed controller technology

The tenacity of heat-affected zone （HAZ） will decline and the size of grains will increase, because of the overheating on HAZ when submerged are welding （SAW） is ased to thick plate with high heat input. The shaping will worsen when SAW is used to thin plate with high current at high speed. A new SAW technology, the pulsed direct current （DC） automatic SAW, will be put forward in this paper in order to overcome the above shortcomings. And a pulsed controller with micro-controller unit （MCU） as the core, nixie tube （NT） and keyboard as the man-machine conversation interface is developed. The main functions of the pulsed controller include the output of pulsed welding current and the working with twinwire. The research has widely prospects in application with significant meanings in theory and practical engineering.

Study on Effect of Welding Speed on Micro Structure and Mechanical Properties of Pulsed Current Micro Plasma Arc Welded Inconel 625 Sheets

Nickel alloys had gathered wide acceptance in the fabrication of components which require high temperature resistance and corrosion resistance, such as metallic bellows used in expansion joints used in aircraft, aerospace and petroleum industry. Micro Plasma Arc Welding (MPAW) is one of the important arc welding processes commonly using in fabric- cation of Nickel alloys. In the present paper welding of Inconel 625 sheets using pulsed current micro plasma arc weld- ing was discussed. The paper mainly focuses on studying the weld quality characteristics like weld pool geometry pa- rameters, microstructure, grain size, hardness and tensile properties of Pulsed Current Micro Plasma Arc Welded In- conel 625 sheets at different welding speeds. Results reveals that at a welding speed of 260 mm/minute better weld quality characteristics can be obtained.

Closed-loop control of weld penetration in keyhole plasma arc welding

To improve the penetrating ability and the welding quality of keyhole plasma arc welding, a novel penetration closed loop control system was established. In the system, welding current and plasma gas flow rate were selected as adjusting variables. The wavelet method was used to detect penetration status from welding arc voltage in real time. The control strategy of one keyhole per pulse was adapted to fulfill stable and high quality welding process. Experimental results show that the developed system can apparently increase the penetrating force of plasma arc and keyhole plasma arc welding is realized successfully in stainless steel with 10 mm in thickness. Moreover, the disturbances of gradual change and break change from 3 mm to 6 mm in thickness are come over due to the good response property of the developed system.

System Identification of Controlled Pulse Keyhole Plasma Arc Welding Process

The development of closed-loop control systems is one of the most effective ways to improve the stability of the keyhole status during keyhole plasma arc welding （K-PAW）. Due to the disadvantages of the ＂one-pulse-one-keyhole＂ technology based on the conventional square current waveform, the controlled pulse welding current waveform is newly applied to control the keyhole open and close periodically. In order to realize the real-time control on the keyhole behavior with this advanced current waveform, welding experiments and system identification are conducted based on the classical control theory. One complete welding cycle can be divided into 3 periods. The keyhole establishing time is the most important time variable, which determines the keyhole behavior and welding process stability. At the same time, the averaged effiux plasma arc voltage during one pulse cycle can reflect the real keyhole dimension and status in a real-time manner. Therefore, two single-input-single-output （SISO） systems are proposed, in which keyhole establishing time and keyhole average dimension are taken as the system controlled variables respectively. Welding experiments are designed with the peak current varying randomly. Experiments show that the keyhole establishing time changes in an opposite direction to the varied peak current, and the averaged efflux plasma arc voltage varies with the same trend as the peak current. Based on the least squares technique and F test of classical system identification, second order difference equation for keyhole establishing time/peak current system and first order difference equation for keyhole average dimension/peak current system are obtained. It is proved that the calculated data by the two mathematical expressions are well matched with the measured data. The proposed research provides mathematical expressions and theoretical analysis to develop closed-loop systems for the controlled pulse K-PAW.

Closed-loop control system design and experimental study for controlled pulse keyhole plasma arc welding

The controlled pulse waveform is newly applied in keyhole plasma arc welding process. Two additional descending slopes can guarantee stable and smooth transition of keyhole closing and opening periodically. To develop a closed-loop control system for this special welding process, the key point is the determination of system input and output variables. The averaged efflux plasma voltage during a pulse cycle is defined as the characteristic variable reflecting the real keyhole dimension. Research and experiments are conducted to explore the relationship between the characteristic variable and weld pe^Cormance. Results show that alternated peak current can significantly change the keyhole dimension and the penetration. It is proposed that the keyhole average dimension is taken as the controlled variable, and the peak pulse current value and slopes are taken as control variables.

Numerical analysis of transient keyhole shape in pulsed current plasma arc welding

Based on the characteristics of ＂one keyhole in a pulse＂ in pulsed current plasma arc welding （PAW） , the transient variation process of weld pool in a pulse cycle is simulated through the establishment of corresponding heat source model. And considering the effects of gravitational force, plasma arc pressure and surface tension on the weld pool surface, the dynamic change features of the keyhole shape in a pulse cycle are calculated by using surface deformation equation. Experiments are conducted and validate that the calctdated weld fusion line is in good agreement with the experimental results.

Numerical analysis of weld pool geometry in pulsed current plasma arc welding

Numerical analysis of weld pool shape and size is of great significance for selection and optimization of the process parameters in pulsed current plasma arc welding （PAW）. In this paper, a mathematical model and relevant algorithm are developed to determine the temperature profiles and weld pool geometry in pulsed current PAW through employing an adaptive heat source model. The volumetric heat source consists of semi-ellipsoid at upper part and a conic body at lower part along the workpiece thickness direction. The dynamic variation features of weld pool shape during a pulse cycle are numerically simulated. The calculated weld cross-section is consistent with the measure one.

A twin-electrode alternating current to direct current synergetic pulsed arc welding control method

A novel synergetic arc control method was used to control twin-electrode alternating current （ AC） to direct current （DC） pulsed arc welding and the mechanism of poor sidewall fusion in narrow gap welding was investigated. The synergetic arc control method easured that the arc voltage of DC welding source could switch in phase with the AC welding source. To test the reliability and operability of this method, a twin-electrode AC to DC pulsed arc welding system was set up and data was acquired through high-speed photography and electrical signal measurement system. The results show that the interactions between the two arcs can be controlled effectively and the control method is a sensitive and efficient control method.

Effects of controlled pulse current waveform on key-holing condition in plasma arc welding

To overcome the shortcomings of conventional plasma arc welding （ PAW）, the ＇ controlled pulse key-holing＇ strategy is proposed and the keyhole PAW experiment system is developed. ＇The efflux plasma voltage signal is detected in realtime to characterize the keyhole size and dimension. The welding current waveform for controlled pulse key-holing strategy is implemented, and two slow-decreasing slopes are added at the dropping point from peak current to base current to further reduce both heat input and arc force so that the controllability of keyhole dynamics is improved. Two kinds of PAW tests are conducted, anti the different parameters of the controlled pulse current and the relevant efflux plasma voltage are measured in real-time to investigate ihe effects of welding current waveform parameters on the key-holing condition.

Correction factor based double model fuzzy logic control strategy of arc voltage in pulsed MIG welding

According to the feature of arc voltage control in welding steel using pulsed MIG welding, a correction factor based double model fuzzy logic controller (FLC) was developed to realize the arc voltage control by means of arc voltage feedback. When the error of peak arc voltage was great, a coarse adjusting fuzzy logic control rules with correction factor was designed, in the controller, the peak arc voltage was controlled by the wire feeding speed by means of arc voltage feedback. When the error of peak arc voltage was small, a fine adjusting fuzzy logic control rules with correction factor was designed, in this controller, the peak arc voltage was controlled by the background time by means of arc voltage feedback. The FLC was realized in a Look-Up Table (LUT) method. Experiments had been carried out aiming at implementing the control strategy to control the arc length change in welding process. Experimental results show that the controller proposed enables the consistency of arc length and the stability of arc voltage and welding process to be achieved in pulsed MIG welding process.

Realizing precision pulse TIG welding with arc length control and visual image sensing based weld detection

Methods of arc length control and visual image based weld detection for precision pulse TIG welding were investigated. With a particular all hardware circuit, arc voltage during peak current stage is sampled and integrated to indicate arc length, deviation of arc length and adjusting parameters are calculated and output to drive a step motor directly. According to the features of welding image grabbed with CCD camera, a special algorithm was developed to detect the central line of weld fast and accurately. Then an application system were established, whose static arc length error is ±0.1 mm with 20 A average current and 1 mm given arc length, static detection precision of weld is 0.01 mm , processing time of each image is less than 120 ms . Precision pulse TIG welding of some given thin stainless steel components with complicated curved surface was successfully realized.

Research of precise pulse plasma arc powder welding technology of thin-walled inner hole parts

The inner hole parts played an oriented or supporting role in engineering machinery and equipment,which are prone to appear surface damages such as wear,strain and corrosion. The precise pulse plasma arc powder welding method is used for surface damage repairing of inner hole parts in this paper. The working principle and process of the technology are illustrated,and the microstructure and property of repairing layer by precise pulse plasma powder welding and CO2 gas shielded welding are tested and observed by microscope,micro hardness tester and X-ray residual stress tester etc. Results showed that the substrate deformation of thin-walled inner hole parts samples by precise pulse plasma powder welding is relatively small. The repair layer and substrate is metallurgical bonding,the transition zones( including fusion zone and heat affected zone) are relatively narrow and the welding quality is good. It showed that the thin-walled inner hole parts can be repaired by this technology and equipment.

Modeling, Simulation and Control of Pulsed DE-GMA Welding Process for Joining of Aluminum to Steel

Joining of aluminum to steel has attracted significant attention from the welding research community,automotive and rail transportation industries.Many current welding methods have been developed and applied,however,they can not precisely control the heat input to work-piece,they are high costs,low efficiency and consist lots of complex welding devices,and the generated intermetallic compound layer in weld bead interface is thicker.A novel pulsed double electrode gas metal arc welding（Pulsed DE-GMAW）method is developed.To achieve a stable welding process for joining of aluminum to steel,a mathematical model of coupled arc is established,and a new control scheme that uses the average feedback arc voltage of main loop to adjust the wire feed speed to control coupled arc length is proposed and developed.Then,the impulse control simulation of coupled arc length,wire feed speed and wire extension is conducted to demonstrate the mathematical model and predict the stability of welding process by changing the distance of contact tip to work-piece（CTWD）.To prove the proposed PSO based PID control scheme’s feasibility,the rapid prototyping experimental system is setup and the bead-on-plate control experiments are conducted to join aluminum to steel.The impulse control simulation shows that the established model can accurately represent the variation of coupled arc length,wire feed speed and the average main arc voltage when the welding process is disturbed,and the developed controller has a faster response and adjustment,only runs about 0.1 s.The captured electric signals show the main arc voltage gradually closes to the supposed arc voltage by adjusting the wire feed speed in 0.8 s.The obtained typical current waveform demonstrates that the main current can be reduced by controlling the bypass current under maintaining a relative large total current.The control experiment proves the accuracy of proposed model and feasibility of new control scheme further.The beautiful and smooth weld beads are also obtained by this method.Pulsed DE-GMAW can thus be considered as an alternative method for low cost,high efficiency joining of aluminum to steel.

Digital pulsed MIG welding machine based on adaptive fuzzy controller

Digital pulsed metal inert gas welding machine with double closed-loop control mode is designed and implemented. It realizes precision control for real time energy and demonstrates the flexibility of digital control. Test results of design prototype show that the designed control strategy can effectively adapt to the change of arc length and achieve ideal droplet transfer via one drop per pulse mode. Thus the welding process is stable and the weld bead is good.

Pulsed plasma arc cladding

A prototype of Pulsed Plasma Arc Cladding system was developed, in which single power source supplies both transferred plasma arc (TPA) and non-transferred plasma arc (N-TPA). Both plasmas work in turn in a high frequency controlled by an IGBT connecting nozzle and workpiece. The working frequency of IGBT ranges from 50 ～ 7 000 Hz, in which the plasmas can work in turn smoothly. Higher than 500 Hz of working frequency is suggested for promotion of cladding quality and protection of IGBT. Drag phenomenon of TPA intensifies as the frequency goes up, which tends to increase the current proportion of TPA and suppress N-TPA. The occupation ratio of IGBT can be regulated from 5% ～ 95%, which balances the power supplies of both plasmas. An occupation ratio higher than 50% gives adequate proportion of arc current for N-TPA to preheat powder.