EFFECT OF EVAPORATION AND TEMPERATURE-DEPENDENT MATERIAL PROPERTIES ON WELD POOL DEVELOPMENT

This paper evaluates the effect of weld pool evaporation and thermophysical properties on the development of the weld pool. An existing computational model was modified to include vaporization and temperature-dependent thermophysical properties. Transient, convective heat transfer during gas tungsten arc (GTA) welding with and without vaporization effects and variable properties was studied. The present analysis differs from earlier studies that assumed no vaporization and constant values for all of the physical properties throughout the range of temperature of interest. The results indicate that consideration of weld pool vaporization effects and variable physical properties produce significantly different weld model predictions. The calculated results are consistent with previously published experimental findings.