Studies on Twin Electrode Switching Arc Welding Method (Report 7)

Wire Melting Characteristic in Hot Wire Switching TIG Welding Process

Abstract

A new hot wire TIG welding process has been developed to prevent magnetic interaction between TIG arc and hot wire current. In the new process, TIG arc current and hot wire current which are supplied from D.C power source are alternately switched by transistor switching circuit. Arc phenomena, wire heating and melting condition and upper limit of wire melting rate were investigated using this new process for stainless steel plate.
The results obtained in this study are as follows.
(1) Arc interaction at the time of TIG peak current was preventable and arc interaction at the time of TIG base current was slight when TIG base current was 50 A bellow.
(2) Correlation of the hot wire feed rate and wire melting current was obtained in bead on plate deposition without TIG arc.
(3) Relation between wire feed rate, deposition rate and wire current was obtained under bead on plate welding. Upper limit of wire melting rate was closely related to hot wire current.