| 2026 №05 (02) |
DOI of Article 10.37434/as2026.05.03 |
2026 №05 (04) |
"Avtomatychne Zvaryuvannya" (Automatic Welding), #5, 2026, pp. 22-29
Influence of dynamic liquid melt layer on joint formation during MIAB welding of pipes
V.S. Kachinskiy1
, D. Allford2, V.I. Klymenko1
1E.O. Paton Electric Welding Institute of the NAS of Ukraine
11 Kazymyr Malevych Str., 03150, Kyiv, Ukraine.
E-mail: vskweld@gmail.com
2ARC SPECIALTIES, 1730 Stebbins Drive, Houston, TX 77043-2807 USA. E-mail: dan@arcspecialties.com
The results of experimental and theoretical studies of the process of magnetically impelled arc butt (MIAB) welding of thickwalled pipes made of carbon and high-strength pipeline steels are presented. It is established that the key factor in the formation of a high-quality welded joint is the controlled formation and retention of a continuous layer of molten metal in the gap between the pipe ends during the period immediately preceding upsetting. It is shown that the controlled motion of the arc in an external magnetic field ensures uniform heating along the perimeter and through the thickness of the edges, reduces local overheating, and minimizes deviations from the optimal values of the temperature field and the HAZ microstructure. A regime of combined arc– electrical contact heating is identified, in which large-area liquid contacts maintain a continuous molten layer even when welding pipes with a wall thickness exceeding the diameter of the active arc spots. It is experimentally confirmed that welded joints of pipes with diameters up to 320 mm and wall thicknesses up to 16 mm made of steels X70, X80, 09G2S, 35, STPG410, and 01Star520 exhibit strength and ductility characteristics at the level of the base metal, while the impact toughness at temperatures down to –40 °C is at least 80 % of that of the base metal. The process is implemented without the use of shielding gases and without subsequent post-weld heat treatment. 23 Ref., 12 Fig.
Keywords: magnetically impelled arc butt (MIAB) welding, thick-walled pipes, controlled magnetic field, molten metal, heataffected zone, impact toughness
Received: 05.02.2026
Received in revised form: 25.06.2026
Accepted: 30.09.2026
Posted online: 20.10.2026
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Suggested Citation
V.S. Kachinskiy, D. Allford, V.I. Klymenko (2026) Influence of dynamic liquid melt layer on joint formation during MIAB welding of pipes. Automatic Welding, 05, 22-29. https://doi.org/10.37434/as2026.05.03Advertising in this issue:
