A finite volume analysis of two-dimensional transient heat transfer in TIG welding

Abstract

The thermal history of a weld joint produced by gas tungsten arc welding process (TIG) is analyzed using two dimensional finite volume method . One of the fundamental problems in the analysis of heat flow during welding consists in defining welding heat source model. In our analysis the heat source is approximated by the Gaussian distribution for the heat flux delivered by the welding arc. Temperature-dependent thermal properties and convective and radiative surface thermal conditions are considered. Computations are carried out for butt welding of two thin plates of carbon steel and austenitic stainless steel. To assess the accuracy of the model, the computed sizes of the heat affected zone and melt pool zone are compared with available experimentally measured values. The results indicate good agreement.