Arc Characteristics and Welding Process of Magnetic Field Assisting Plasma-GMAW-P

Low-carbon steel Q235B was successfully joined by plasma-pulsed gas metal arc welding (plasma-GMAW-P) with an external magnetic field. The arc profile, temperature field, electrical signal, microstructure, and mechanical properties of this method were analyzed. The results indicated that the coupling degree of the two arcs increased with the strengthening of the magnetic field current. However, when the magnetic field current was greater than 1 A, the arc pro-file changed slightly with the increase of the magnetic field current. Fixed on the magnetic field current, the coupling degree first increased and then decreased with the increase of the plasma welding current, GMAW-P welding current, plasma gas flow rate, and nozzle height, respectively. The maximum temperature had no obvious influence on joint penetration at different magnetic field cur-rents. However, the average temperature had an inverse effect on joint penetration at different magnetic field currents. The weld fusion zone joint tensile test results showed that the ratio of depth to width increased with the application of magnetic field currents. Moreover, tensile strength on the upper and lower part of the tensile samples were 521 and 488 MPa, respectively, which were 4.6% and 3.2% higher than those without the magnetic field. The microhardness of the weld joints was higher than that without the magnetic field.