Porosity Reduction during Gas Tungsten Arc-Gas Metal Arc Hybrid Welding of Zinc Coated Steel Sheets (I) - Effect of Preceding Gas Tungsten Arc

The Zn coating on automotive galvanized steel sheets can improve corrosion resistance. However, the boiling temperature of Zn is lower than the melting temperature of steel and it causes well-known spatter and porosity problem. One of most prominent solutions is a pretreatment of Zn coating by an additional welding arc prior to the main welding process. In this research, GTA and GMA are selected as heat sources for pretreatment and main welding processes, respectively. The authors suggested three possible mechanisms to reduce weld defects by the GTA pretreatment: (1) Formation of gap between the sheets; (2) Evaporation of Zn layer; (3) Oxidation of Zn layer. Among them, Zn Oxidation is the most important mechanism to reduce weld defects in the GTA-GMA hybrid process. Key words: Gas tungsten arc welding, Gas metal arc welding, Zn coated steel, Lap fillet welding, Pretreatment