Abstract
The submerged-arc welding process has several advantages, e.g., a high deposition rate and a high surface quality. Due to the fact that the arc is burning in a weld cavity, which is formed under a flux blanket and slag, the droplet detachment and the arc behavior in the cavity are not quite clear. Therefore, the conditions under the influence of a pulsed and non-pulsed submerged-arc welding (SAW) process are observed and compared with one another. By using experimental setups and different techniques based on high-speed technology and pressure measurements of the cavity, an intended changing of the cavity size between a pulsed and non-pulsed process can be observed. The results can be detected by high-speed videos taken with a frame rate of 20,000 fps through glass panes, which expose the cavity on one side and through ceramic tubes, which make a connection with the cavity either in welding direction or perpendicular to the welding direction for a short time. Additionally, pressure measurements of the cavity give evidence of a changing size in the cavity by using a pulsed process. Analysis of the videos shows a free droplet detachment without any contact of the droplet with the cavity wall. The welds are carried out using high-strength fine-grained structural steels, which are continuously gaining in importance and therefore are often used in current construction applications. The SAW process has economical advantages, however, with a risk of hydrogen diffusion. Therefore, the knowledge of the cavity size and the droplet conditions are of great interest.
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Acknowledgments
This research work was supported by the “Industrielle Gemeinschaftsforschung IGF/AiF” with the reference number 17.351N and the German Research Foundation DFG within the Cluster of Excellence “Integrative Production Technology for High-Wage Countries.” The authors would like to express their thanks for the support.
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Reisgen, U., Schäfer, J. & Willms, K. Analysis of the submerged arc in comparison between a pulsed and non-pulsed process. Weld World 60, 703–711 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40194-016-0336-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40194-016-0336-6