Stationary GMAW-P weld metal deposit spreading

Non-isothermal spreading of non-travelling pulsed gas metal arc weld (GMAW-P) deposits was studied by experiments and numerical simulation. After an initial transient period, metal from the melting welding wire was deposited as a regular stream of droplets into a molten weld pool whose spreading was enhanced by direct arc heating of the solid substrate and weld pool convection. Accurate predictions of the final weld cross-section and time histories of base metal temperature and weld pool radius were produced by this simulation, which included mass, energy and momentum of transferring filler metal droplets. Dimensional analysis showed that speed of weld pool spreading was initially dominated by the momentum of liquid droplets while thermal convection by surface tension-driven flow became important at intermediate times. Eventually, the rate of spreading was matched to the thermal diffusion rate in the liquid. Capillary forces were never important in weld pool spreading. The weld metal deposit shape was well-approximated as a spherical cap with increasing volume and constant contact angle.