Thermal Science of Weld Bead Defects: A Review

Abstract

Mechanisms for the formation of bead defects, such as humping, gouging, rippling, and other unexpected surface patterns, encountered in welding or drilling are interpreted and reviewed from thermal-fluid science viewpoint. These defects usually accompanying with porosity, undercut, segregation, stress concentration, etc., seriously reduce the properties and strength of the joint or solidification. Even though different mechanisms for formation of the defects have been extensively proposed in the past, more systematical understanding of pattern formations from thermal, fluid, physics, electromagnetic, pattern selections, and metallurgy sciences is still limited. The effects of working parameters and properties on humping and rippling, for example, can be systematically and quantitatively interpreted from scale analysis presented in this work. Good comparison with experimental results reveals mechanisms of different surface patterns. The mechanistic findings for bead defects are also useful for other manufacturing and materials processing.