Search Results (2)

Narrow-gap arc welding is an efficient method that significantly enhances industrial production efficiency and reduces costs. This study investigates the application of low-alloy steel wire EG70-G in narrow-gap gas metal arc welding (GMAW) on thick plates. Experimental observations were made to examine the arc behavior, droplet transition behavior, and weld formation characteristics of double-wire welding under various process parameters. Additionally, the temperature field of the welding process was simulated using finite element software (ABAQUS 2020). Finally, the microstructure and microhardness of the fusion zone in a double-wire, single-pass filled joint under the different welding speeds were compared and analyzed. The results demonstrate that the use of double-wire GMAW in narrow-gap welding yielded positive outcomes. Optimal settings for wire feeding speed, welding speed, and double-wire lateral spacing significantly enhanced welding quality, effectively preventing side wall non-fusion and poor weld profiles in the welded joints. The microstructure of the fusion zone produced at a higher welding speed (11 mm/s) was finer, resulting in increased microhardness compared to welds obtained at a lower speed (8 mm/s). This is attributed to the shorter duration of the liquid molten pool and the faster cooling rate associated with higher welding speed. This research provides a reference for the practical application of double-wire narrow-gap gas metal arc welding technology. Full article

Narrow gap welding is a prevalent technique used to decrease the volume of molten metal and heat required to fill a joint. Consequently, deleterious effects such as distortion and residual stresses may be reduced. One of the fields where narrow groove welding is most employed is pipeline welding where misalignment, productivity and mechanical properties are critical to a successful final assemblage of pipes. This work reports the feasibility of joining pipe sections with 4 mm-wide narrow gaps machined from API X80 linepipe using cold wire gas metal arc welding. Joints were manufactured using the standard gas metal arc welding and the cold wire gas metal arc welding processes, where high speed imaging, and voltage and current monitoring were used to study the arc dynamic features. Standard metallographic procedures were used to study sidewall penetration, and the evolution of the heat affected zone during welding. It was found that cold wire injection stabilizes the arc wandering, decreasing sidewall penetration while almost doubling deposition. However, this also decreases penetration, and incomplete penetration was found in the cold wire specimens as a drawback. However, adjusting the groove geometry or changing the welding parameters would resolve this penetration issue. Full article