Numerical Modeling of Cold Weld Formation and Improvement in Gmaw of Aluminum Alloys

Both mathematical modeling and experiments have been conducted on the formation of cold weld in gas metal arc welding (GMAW) of aluminum alloy 6005-T4. Transient weld pool shape and the distributions of temperature and velocity were calculated by a three-dimensional numerical model. The final weld bead shape and dimensions and peak temperature in the heat-affected zone (HAZ) were obtained. Three techniques were proposed to input more energy at the initial state of welding to improve weld bead penetration. Both the simulation and the experimental results show significantly improved weld bead penetration at the start of welding.