Theoretical and experimental investigation of gas metal arc weld pool in commercially pure aluminum: Effect of welding current on geometry

Abstract

Effects of welding current on temperature and velocity fields during gas metal arc welding (GMAW) of commercially pure aluminum were simulated. Equations of conservation of mass, energy and momentum were solved in a three-dimensional transient model using FLOW-3D software. The mathematical model considered buoyancy and surface tension driving forces. Further, effects of droplet heat content and impact force on weld pool surface deformation were added to the model. The results of simulation showed that an increase in the welding current could increase peak temperature and the maximum velocity in the weld pool. The weld pool dimensions and width of the heat-affected zone (HAZ) were enlarged by increasing the welding current. In addition, dimensionless Peclet, Grashof and surface tension Reynolds numbers were calculated to understand the importance of heat transfer by convection and the roles of various driving forces in the weld pool. In order to validate the model, welding experiments were conducted under several welding currents. The predicted weld pool dimensions were compared with the corresponding experimental results, and good agreement between simulation and preliminary test results was achieved.

Keywords

simulation / modeling / heat transfer / fluid flow / AA1100 aluminum alloy / finite element method (FEM) / weld pool geometry / temperature and velocity fields

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