Gas Tungsten Arc Welding Torch Research Articles

Microstructures and Properties of Copper to Stainless Steel Joints by Hybrid FSW

The present research article is focused to investigate the heating- and cooling-assisted friction stir welding (FSW) on dissimilar copper to stainless steel joints along with normal FSW. Gas tungsten arc welding torch was applied for heating-assisted source in front of the FSW tool, wherein preheating current was varied as 20, 40, and 60 A with rest of constant FSW parameters. Similarly, cooling-assisted FSW was performed by compressed air and water behind the FSW tool for constant FSW parameters, wherein the compressed air flow rate was varied as 15 and 30 PSI and water cooling was applied with 75 ml/min one after another. Weld properties of assisted approaches were compared with normal FSW on the scale of macrostructure and microstructure analysis, tensile testing, and microhardness properties. The obtained results reveal that the normal FSW of dissimilar copper to stainless steel joint was observed as superior relative to assisted approaches. Surface oxides were observed for the welds of heating-assisted FSW and cooling-assisted FSW of compressed air. Elimination of surface oxides was noted for FSW assisted by water cooling. Highest tensile strength was reported for normal FSW relative to heating-assisted FSW and cooling-assisted FSW. Tensile strength was deteriorated as cooling conditions increase. The microstructures of the stir zone were observed as metal matrix type with Cu matrix and SS particles, wherein SS particles were reported as in random distribution with its varying size. Major defects were reported around the largely dispersed SS particles inside Cu matrix.

Interval model control of human welder’s movement in machine-assisted manual GTAW torch operation

Torch maneuver skills possessed by a skilled welder typically require a long time to develop. A machine-assisted feedback control system that can stabilize the welder movement would thus be of interest in the manufacturing industry. In this paper, an interval model-based feedback control system is designed to assist the welder to adjust the torch movement for tracking desired speed in manual gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) process. To this end, an innovative helmet-based manual welding platform is utilized. In this system, vibrators are installed on the helmet to generate vibration sounds to instruct the welder to speed up or slow down the torch movement. The torch movement is monitored by a leap motion sensor. The torch speed is used as the feedback for the control algorithm to determine how to change the vibrations. To design the control algorithm, dynamic experiments are conducted to correlate the arm movement (torch speed) to the vibration control signal. Linear models are first identified and the corresponding linear parameter intervals are obtained. Interval model control algorithm is then implemented. Simulation results reveal that the proposed interval model control algorithm outperforms traditional Proportion Integration Differentiation (PID) controller. Experiments further verified that the welder’s speed is controlled with acceptable accuracy.

Laser and GTAW torch processing of Fe–Cr–B coatings on steel

A comparison has been made of the relationship between microstructure and microhardness developed by surface melting Nanosteel SHS 7170 Fe–Cr–B alloy powder onto a plain carbon steel surface. This powder was initially developed as a high velocity oxyfuel sprayed coating, giving a strength 10 times that of mild steel, and is particularly suitable for surface protection against wear and corrosion. In the present study, the alloy powder was injected into the laser melted surface, while a preplaced powder was melted using the gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) technique. The laser track consisted of fine dendrites and needle-like microstructures, which produced a maximum hardness value of over 800 HV, while the GTAW track produced a mixture of equiaxed and columnar grain microstructures with a maximum hardness value of 670 HV. The lower hardness values are considered to be associated with dilution and grain size.

Laser and GTAW torch processing of Fe–Cr–B coatings on steel

A comparison of a coating of Fe–Cr–B alloy powder processed on a plain carbon steel by surface melting using either laser or gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) torch was made. The alloy powder was injected in laser melted surface, while the preplaced powder was melted using the GTAW technique. The topography of the GTAW tracks showed a relatively smooth surface, but the laser track surface was very rough. Because of high energy input, the GTAW method produced very wide and deep tracks with a high dilution compared to those of the laser tracks. Pores and fine cracks were seen in laser tracks; the cracks were elongated across the track width, and some of them propagated down to the melt depth. The GTAW track produced at a low energy was free from any cracking, but a centreline crack was present when processed at a high energy input.

Characterization of Phase Transformations and Stresses During the Welding of a Ferritic Mild Steel

The transient stresses and phase evolution have been characterized in the quasi-steady state produced around a gas tungsten arc welding torch in a plain carbon (ASTM 1018) steel using in situ neutron diffraction. A novel method has been developed to isolate the deviatoric or plane stress state in the presence of isotropic contributions to the lattice parameter, such as thermal expansion and solute content. The stress state was found to evolve in the anticipated manner, with compressive stresses ahead of the weld and tensile stresses behind the weld, in the weld and heat-affected zone, and compression in the far field behind the weld. In particular, the region of compression in the heat-affected zone adjacent to and just behind the welding torch expected from weld models was observed. The evolution of phase fraction around the weld was also determined using the technique and the stresses obtained from the ferrite phase.

Double-electrode arc welding process: Principle, variants, control and developments

Double-electrode gas metal arc welding (DE-GMAW) is a novel welding process in which a second electrode, non-consumable or consumable, is added to bypass part of the wire current. The bypass current reduces the heat input in non-consumable DE-GMAW or increases the deposition rate in consumable DE-GMAW. The fixed correlation of the heat input with the deposition in conventional GMAW and its variants is thus changed and becomes controllable. At the University of Kentucky, DE-GMAW has been tested/developed by adding a plasma arc welding torch, a GTAW (gas tungsten arc welding) torch, a pair of GTAW torches, and a GMAW torch. Steels and aluminum alloys are welded and the system is powered by one or multiple power supplies with appropriate control methods. The metal transfer has been studied at the University of Kentucky and Shandong University resulting in the desirable spray transfer be obtained with less than 100A base current for 1.2mm diameter steel wire. At Lanzhou University of Technology, pulsed DE-GMAW has been successfully developed to join aluminum/magnesium to steel. At the Adaptive Intelligent Systems LLC, DE-GMAW principle has been applied to the submerged arc welding (SAW) and the embedded control systems needed for industrial applications have been developed. The DE-SAW resulted in 1/3 reduction in heat input for a shipbuilding application and the weld penetration depth was successfully feedback controlled. In addition, the bypass concept is extended to the GTAW resulting in the arcing-wire GTAW which adds a second arc established between the tungsten and filler to the existing gas tungsten arc. The DE-GMAW is extended to double-electrode arc welding (DE-AW) where the main electrode may not necessarily to be consumable. Recently, the Beijing University of Technology systematically studied the metal transfer in the arcing-wire GTAW and found that the desired metal transfer modes may always be obtained from the given wire feed speed by adjusting the wire current and wire position/orientation appropriately. A variety of DE-AW processes are thus available to suit for different applications, using existing arc welding equipment.

Real Time Monitoring of the Strain Evolution during Rapid Heat Treatment of Steel Samples by Means of Synchrotron X-Ray Diffraction

An innovative experimental set-up for fast X-ray diffraction analysis on polycrystalline materials has been established at the synchrotron radiation facility ANKA (Karlsruhe, Germany). Key components of the set-up are two fast microstrip line detectors arranged symmetrically around the incident beam in the backscatter region. The capabilities of the set-up are tested by means of in-situ heat treatment experiments on SAE 4140 steel samples. In this feasibility study the heat was introduced by means of either a heating stage or by means of a gas tungsten arc welding torch. It will be shown that the evolution of thermal and elastic lattice strains can be monitored at a sampling rate of up to 4 Hz at a bending-magnet synchrotron beamline. Since the sampling rate may be increased further at a insertion device synchrotron beamline providing higher photon flux, our setup appears to be feasible for monitoring laser treatments in real time.

Analytical thermal model of conduction mode double sided arc welding

An analytical thermal model of conduction mode double sided arc welding (DSAW) has been derived and used to predict the weld pool dimensions and shapes and temperatures within 2˙5 and 1˙15 mm thick AA5182 Al alloy sheets as functions of the primary DSAW parameters. Separate Gaussian distributed arc heat sources from a plasma arc welding and gas tungsten arc welding torch were assumed to act on the top and bottom surfaces of the sheets. There was excellent correlation between observed and predicted DSAW weld pool dimensions and shapes provided that suitable values for arc efficiencies and distribution coefficients for the two separate arcs were used in the model. The model is capable of predicting weld pool dimensions and shapes of both full and partial penetration conduction mode DSAW welds made in Al alloy sheet, the welding speed at which there is a transition from full to partial penetration welding and the speed above which no melting occurs.

Development of an auto-welding system for CRD nozzle repair welds using a 3D laser vision sensor

A control rod device (CRD) nozzle attaches to the hemispherical surface of a reactor head with J-groove welding. Primary water stress corrosion cracking (PWSCC) causes degradation in these welds, which requires that these defect areas be repaired. To perform this repair welding automatically on a complicated weld groove shape, an auto-welding system was developed incorporating a laser vision sensor that measures the 3-dimensional (3D) shape of the groove and a weld-path creation program that calculates the weld-path parameters. Welding trials with a J-groove workpiece were performed to establish a basis for developing this auto-welding system. Because the reactor head is placed on a lay down support, the outer-most region of the CRD nozzle has restricted access. Due to this tight space, several parameters of the design, such as size, weight and movement of the auto-welding system, had to be carefully considered. The cross section of the J-groove weld is basically an oval shape where the included angle of the J-groove ranges from 0 to 57 degrees. To measure the complex shape, we used double lasers coupled to a single charge coupled device (CCD) camera. We then developed a program to generate the weld-path parameters using the measured 3D shape as a basis. The program has the ability to determine the first and final welding positions and to calculate all weld-path parameters. An optimized image-processing algorithm was applied to resolve noise interference and diffused reflection of the joint surfaces. The auto-welding system is composed of a 4-axis manipulator, gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) power supply, an optimized designed and manufactured GTAW torch and a 3D laser vision sensor. Through welding trials with 0 and 38-degree included-angle workpieces with both J-groove and U-groove weld, the performance of this auto-welding system was qualified for field application.

Three-dimensional thermal simulation and experimental investigation of GTAW circumferentially butt-welded Incoloy 800 pipes

Abstract A three-dimensional finite element model was developed to simulate the multipass gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) process of Incoloy 800 petrochemical pipes. The birth and death technique was used to consider mass addition from the ERNiCr3 filler metal into the weld pool. Movement of the GTAW torch was modelled in a discontinuous manner assuming a constant welding speed. The arc heat input was applied in the weld zone using different forms of surface, volumetric and combined heat flux distribution functions. In order to validate the thermal simulation model, temperature distribution within the heat-affected zone of the welds was precisely measured during the welding process by thermocouples. The simulation results showed that a fully volumetric arc heat input represents the best match to the thermocouple measurements for welding of the thin-walled pipes used in this work. It was also shown that increasing the heat input results in a wider weld pool root along with a higher maximum temperature of the heat-affected zone which is in agreement with the measurements. The present simulation model can be used as a proper tool to investigate the effect of different GTAW process parameters.

A CO<sub>2</sub> Gas Shielded Gas Tungsten Arc and its Application to Welding of Steel Sheets

In order to develop a novel welding process with low costs and high productivity in comparison with the TIG welding process, the characteristics of a CO 2 gas shielded gas tungsten arc (GTA) are studied. A double gas shielded system which consists of CO 2 gas and inert gas is employed for the GTA welding torch due to avoiding the consumption of tungsten electrode. The arc voltage of the CO 2 gas shielded GTA in the conditions of arc current 150 A and arc gap 3 mm is about 19 V which is much higher than 12 V of TIG arc in the same conditions. The CO 2 gas clearly constricts the arc and the maximum heat intensity at the surface of a water cooled copper anode in the CO 2 gas shielded GTA becomes about 10 times larger than that of TIG arc. Furthermore, the CO 2 gas shielded GTA has very good performance in the traveling speed for welding zinc coated steel sheets in comparison with the TIG welding process.