A study of an arc sensor model for gas metal arc welding with rotating arc - Part 2: simulation of an arc sensor in mechanically rotating gas metal arc welding

The high-speed rotating arc process forms a flat bead surface and decreased penetration depth. It can be effectively applied to automatic seam tracking, because the sensitivity of this type of arc sensor is greater than that of the conventional torch weaving method. In this study, a new rotation mechanism was developed by using a hollow shaft motor designed to be installed in the electrode nozzle. By rotating the welding arc, the amplitude of the current waveform increases remarkably since self-regulation of the arc is not fully performed. This paper presents a mathematical model for the dynamic behaviour of the electrode melting rate and arc length to simulate the welding signals in rotating arc welding. A simplified weld pool shape is considered with the dynamic wire melting model, because the welding arc rotates above the preformed weld pool.