Heat and fluid flow in complex joints during gas metal arc welding—Part II: Application to fillet welding of mild steel

TLDR: Zhang et al. as discussed by the authors used a numerical model to investigate the heat transfer and free surface flow during gas metal arc fillet welding of mild steel, and the calculated shape and size, finger penetration characteristic and solidified surface profile of the fillet welds were in fair agreement with the experimental results for various welding conditions.

Abstract: A numerical model described in part I [W. Zhang, C.-H. Kim, and T. DebRoy, J. Appl. Phys. 95, 5210 (2004)] was used to investigate the heat transfer and free surface flow during gas metal arc fillet welding of mild steel. Dimensional analysis was used to understand the importance of heat transfer by conduction and convection and the role of various driving forces on convection in the liquid weld pool. The calculated shape and size, finger penetration characteristic and solidified surface profile of the fillet welds were in fair agreement with the experimental results for various welding conditions. The calculated cooling rates were also in good agreement with independent experimental data. The effect of welding parameters on important weld bead characteristics was quantitatively studied using the numerical model. The results reported here indicate a significant promise for understanding and control of gas metal arc fillet welding processes based on fundamental principles of transport phenomena.