Contribution to arc plasma modeling for welding TIG application

In this paper we present a numerical model that simulates transferred energy by a welding thermal plasma to the weld pool. This energy transfer allows materials melting. The originality of our model is to include the modeling of transition zones and the vaporization of the anode. The cathodic and anodic areas are taken into account in the model by means of heat balance at the gas-solid interfaces. We report the heating and cooling effects they induce on the solid (cathode, anode) and plasma. Code_Saturne® the CFD software developed at EDF R&D is used for this work Comparisons between simulations and measurements of temperature and electron density confirm the model assumptions for TIG welding.