Thermal Characteristics of Weld and HAZ during Pulse Current Gas Metal Arc Weld Bead Deposition on HSLA Steel Plate

The criticality of pulse current gas metal arc welding (P-GMAW) due to simultaneous influence of its pulse parameters on thermal characteristics of weld and heat-affected zone HAZ) has been studied as a function of summarized influence of pulse parameters defined by a dimensionless factor phi=[(Ib/Ip)f center dot tb], mean current (Im), and heat input () during weld bead deposition on high strength low alloy (HSLA) steel plate using low alloy steel filler wire. The thermal characteristics have been estimated with the help of suitable expressions and in consideration of relevant geometrical features of the ripples formed at the surface of weld bead. The validity of those estimations has been confirmed by comparing them with measured values and found that they are well in agreement with each other with a deviation lying in the range of 8 to 10%. It is observed that the trends of variation in thermal characteristics of weld and HAZ are maintaining good correlations with the phi, Im, and of the welding process.