Fluid Flow Characteristics and Weld Formation Quality in Gas Tungsten Arc Welding of a Thick-Sheet Aluminum Alloy Structure by Varying Welding Position

This study aims to reveal the cause of different weld formation quality for varying welding position in the GTAW (Gas Tungsten Arc Welding) of a thick-sheet aluminum alloy structure. The fluid flow characteristics of weld pools are investigated by CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamic) modeling and high-speed imaging for the climbing and flat welding positions, which correspond to the start and finish ends of the welds of the structure, respectively. Results show that the directions of gravity relative to weld pools may notably affect the fluid flows in weld pools for different welding positions. For flat welding, gravity will accelerate the fluid flow in the direction of sheet thickness only and in turn result in a high velocity downwards, which implies a good penetrating capability. Welds of good formation with smooth surface and consistent width can be produced under flat welding position. In contrast, for climbing welding, gravity will act on the molten metal in both the direction of sheet thickness and the lateral direction of the weld pool. As a result, the velocity in sheet-thickness direction is decreased, which implies a decreased penetrating capability. Meanwhile, the velocity backwards is increased in the top portion of the weld pool, which makes the molten metal apt to flow out of the weld pool. Both the decreased penetrating capability and the accelerated molten metal outflow would render the climbing welding process unstable, and result in welds of poor formation with uneven weld surface and inconsistent weld width. Based on the study, possible methods are proposed that could be used to improve the weld formation quality when welding thick-sheet aluminum alloys structures using various welding positions.