Characteristics of welding and arc pressure in TIG narrow gap welding using novel magnetic arc oscillation

Tungsten inert gas (TIG) narrow gap welding using magnetic arc oscillation is one of the most important methods for joining thick components. Today’s developments are aimed at increasing a sophisticated process understanding, especially concerning the physical effect of arc behavior, which can provide many strategies to enhance weld prediction and joint quality. In this article, the arc behaviors studied by its arc pressure, static characteristic, and arc profile in terms of arc force are presented. With the help of the forces acting on the welding arc, arc profile can be considered separately to allow an improved investigation of narrow gap welding involved. Measurements of arc pressure distribution are used to validate the weld formation and the final welding result. Under the same conditions, the uniformity of arc pressure distribution in both the bottom and sidewall improved with the increase in magnetic flux density. Furthermore, a comparative study of arc static characteristic with magnetic field and non-magnetic field has also been carried out. The reduction in the difference of arc static characteristic is attributed to the inverse effect between electromagnetic pinch force and Lorentz force with the increasing welding current.