The Paton Welding Journal, 2015, №04



2015 №04 (11)

DOI of Article 10.15407/tpwj2015.04.01

2015 №04 (02)

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The Paton Welding Journal, 2015, #3/4, 6-15 pages  

Interaction of CO₂-laser radiation beam with electric arc plasma in hybrid (Laser + TIG) welding

I.V. Krivtsun¹, I.V. Krikent¹, V.F. Demchenko¹, U. Reisgen², A.F. Zabirov² And O.A. Mokrov²

¹E.O. Paton Electric Welding Institute, NASU. 11 Bozhenko Str., 03680, Kiev, Ukraine. E-mail: office@paton.kiev.ua
²Welding and Joining Institute, Aachen University. 49 Pontstrasse, Germany. E-mail: reisgen@isf.rwth-aachen.de
 
 
Abstract
Self-consistent mathematical model was proposed for the processes of energy-, mass- and charge transfer in the plasma of the column and anode region of electric arc with refractory cathode, running in inert gas, and exposed to a focused beam of CO₂-laser radiation, propagating along the arc column. Mathematical description of the processes running in such a system uses single-temperature model of arc plasma, allowing for additional plasma heating due to laser radiation absorption, as well as its multicomponent nature, associated with metal evaporation from cathode surface. Influence of laser beam power and anode surface temperature on thermal and electromagnetic characteristics of plasma of the column and anode region of argon arc on refractory cathode was analyzed. It is shown that as a result of additional local heating of arc plasma by laser radiation, its temperature in the paraxial zone of arc column can rise by 5000-10000K, compared to the respective arc in TIG welding. This leads to an essential restructuring of spatial distributions of electric potential and density of electric current in the arc column near-anode region, as well as density of thermal flow applied by the arc to the anode, thus changing the distributed and integral characteristics of its thermal and dynamic impact on the metal being welded. It is established that the impact of a focused laser beam on arc plasma leads to the effect of electric current contraction in the center of the region of anode binding of the arc and respective increase of the density of heat flow, applied by the arc to the anode, in hybrid (CO₂-laser + TIG) welding. This promotes an increase of the energy applied to the metal, which is consumed in its melting and, therefore, an increase of penetrability of laser-arc heat source. It is shown that anode metal evaporation leads to a certain weakening of the effect of electric current contraction in the arc near-anode region, which is exposed to a focused laser beam. The influence of laser radiation absorption and refraction in arc plasma on the characteristics of laser beam interacting with it and its thermal impact on the surface of metal being welded under the conditions of hybrid (CO₂-laser+ TIG) welding was studied. It is shown that laser beam absorption in arc plasma leads to a certain decrease of radiation power, reaching the anode surface. The size of beam focusing spot on the above surface practically does not change, i.e. beam refraction in arc plasma turns out to be insignificant. 11 Ref., 1 Table, 14 Figures.
 
 
Keywords: hybrid (CO₂-laser + TIG) welding, electric arc, refractory cathode, arc column, anode region, evaporating anode, arc plasma, laser beam, simulation
 
 
Received:               19.01.15
Published:               21.05.15
 
 
References
1. Seyffarth, P., Krivtsun, I.V. (2002) Laser-arc processes and their applications in welding and material treatment. Vol. 1. London: Taylor and Francis Books.
2. Dilthey, U. (2002) Laser arc hybrid welding - An overview. Arc welding processes and production systems: IIW Doc. XII-1710, 243-248.
3. Krikent, I.V., Krivtsun, I.V., Demchenko, V.F. (2012) Modelling of processes of heat-, mass- and electric transfer in column and anode region of arc with refractory cathode. The Paton Welding J., 3, 2-6.
4. Krikent, I.V., Krivtsun, I.V., Demchenko, V.F. (2014) Simulation of electric arc with refractory cathode and evaporating anode. Ibid., 9, 17-24. https://doi.org/10.15407/tpwj2014.09.02
5. Boulos, M.I., Fauchais, P., Pfender, E. (1997) Thermal plasmas: Fundamentals and applications. Vol. 1. New York, London: Plenum Press.
6. Krivtsun, I.V., Porytsky, P., Demchenko, V. et al. (2010) On the application of the theory of Lorentzian plasma to calculation of transport properties of multicomponent arc plasmas. Europ. Phys. J. D, 57, 77-85. https://doi.org/10.1140/epjd/e2010-00012-1
7. Wendelstorf, J., Simon, G., Decker, I. et al. (1997) Investigation of cathode spot behaviour of atmospheric argon arcs by mathematical modeling. In: Proc. of 12th Int. Conf. on Gas Discharges and Their Applications (Germany, Greifswald, 1997), Vol. 1, 62-65.
8. Krivtsun, I.V., Demchenko, V.F., Krikent, I.V. (2010) Model of the processes of heat, mass and charge transfer in the anode region and column of the welding arc with refractory cathode. The Paton Welding J., 6, 2-9.
9. Lyashko, I.I., Demchenko, V.F., Vakulenko, S.A. (1981) Version of the method of splitting equations of uncompressible viscous fluid dynamics on Lagrangian-Eulerian networks. Doklady AN UkrSSR, Series A, 7, 43-47.
10. Demchenko, V.F., Lesnoj, A.B. (2000) Lagrangian-Eulerian method of numerical solution of multidimensional problems of convective diffusion. Dopovidi NANU, 11, 71-75.
11. Gladush, G.G., Smurov, I. (2011) Physics of laser materials processing: Theory and experiment. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-19831-1

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Suggested Citation

I.V. Krivtsun, I.V. Krikent, V.F. Demchenko, U. Reisgen, A.F. Zabirov And O.A. Mokrov (2015) Interaction of CO₂-laser radiation beam with electric arc plasma in hybrid (Laser + TIG) welding. The Paton Welding J., 04, 6-15.

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