Effect of shielding gas flow on welding process of laser-arc hybrid welding and MIG welding

Abstract

The influence of shielding gas on welding process of laser-arc hybrid welding (LAHW) and metal inert-gas welding (MIG) was investigated by the computational fluid dynamics analysis (CFD) and high-speed photography. The results show that the process stability of MIG under high gas flow rate is poorer than that of LAHW. And the force of gas flow Fg can hinder the droplet transfer, whether MIG or LAHW. But the vaporization-induced recoil force Fv in LAHW helps to reduce this kind of hindrance and keep the process stability. Next, it can be found that the shielded gas flow mode in the main welding area cannot be changed significantly by increasing the shielding gas flow rate, while high gas flow rate can increase the area of high argon concentration and benefit the spread of molten metal.