Thermal modeling of gas Tungsten arc welding process with nonaxisymmetric boundary conditions

Abstract

A numerical study of three-dimensional heat transfer and fluid flow in a moving gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) process is performed by considering nonaxisymmetric boundary conditions. The current density distribution and the resulting Lorentz force field are evaluated by numerically solving Maxwell's equations in the domain of the workpiece. The numerical modeling of the melting/solidification process is done by appropriately applying the enthalpy-porosity approach to the GTAW process. Numerical computations of the heat transfer and flow characteristics are carried out by including the effects of buoyancy, surface tension, and electromagnetic forces. The weld-pool dynamics is found to be strongly dependent on the relative locations of the clamp and electrode.