Investigating arc and molten metal transport phenomena in gas metal arc welding with Ar–CO2 gas mixtures using a numerical method

Abstract

This paper presents a numerical investigation of the transient transport phenomena of the arc and molten metal during gas metal arc welding (GMAW) using shielding gas mixtures ranging from 100% Ar + 0% CO2 to 80% Ar + 20% CO2. The thermophysical parameters of the Ar–CO2 mixtures, considering the presence of metal vapor, were calculated as a function for a temperature range of 1000–30 000 K. The influence of metal vapor content and CO2 proportion on the thermophysical properties of the mixed gas was discussed in detail. As the CO2 content increased from 0 to 20%, the shape of the arc changed from a bell to a cone due to the increase in mass density, specific heat, and thermal conductivity. The maximum arc temperature and velocity decreased with increasing CO2 content, resulting in larger droplets and a lower droplet transfer frequency. Although the change in electrical conductivity did not affect the arc shape, it did influence the arc temperature by altering the distribution of current density. Experiments of droplet transfer and arc behavior were carried out, and the results showed that the simulated droplet size, transfer frequency, and arc temperature distribution agreed well with the experimental values. These findings could serve as a theoretical tool for better understanding the underlying physical mechanisms of the GMAW process using different shielding gases, ultimately aiming to achieve high weld quality.