On the fluid behavior and stability of Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy GMAW molten pool: Effect of the longitudinal magnetic field

Abstract

By establishing a three-dimensional (3D) numerical simulation of the Ti-6Al-4V Gas Metal Argon Welding (GMAW) molten pool, the molten pool’s heat transfer and fluid flow behavior under a longitudinal magnetic field were investigated. The simulation results show that when the droplet enters the molten pool, the liquid metals on the molten pool’s surface symmetrically flow towards both sides of the molten pool from different angles. With the increase of the magnetic field strengthens, the temperature gradually decreases, and the fluid flow velocity increases continuously. Besides, the magnetic field strength is correlated positively with the molten pool’s size with a certain range of 0–0.03 T. However, when the magnetic field strengthens reach 0.04 T, the magnetic field is correlated negatively with the molten pool’s size. Because the Marangoni and buoyancy begin to weaken, the molten pool’s length change occurs before the width change. Simultaneously, a sizeable velocity region appears on the left side of the molten pool. Thus, the liquid metal gathers on the left side, resulting in the weld cross-section’s asymmetry. It can conclude that only when the magnetic strengthen keeps in the range of 0–0.03 T, the longitudinal magnetic field can make the molten pool’s surface profile smooth.