1.3.1 arc efficiency
The welding arc provides the intense heat needed to locally melt the workpiece and the filler metal in fact, all the electrical energy supplied by the power source is converted into heat (current x voltage). Some energy is lost in the electrical leads, and therfore the energy available for welding is the product of the current (l) and voltage drop between the electrode where the current enters it and the weld pool (V). For example, with 400 A current and 25 V drop from the contact tip to the weld pool, the arc energy is 10,000 joules/second. This arc energy is partly used up in heating the electrode, melting the consumable electrode or the separately added filler metal in a nonconsumable electrode process, and heating and locally melting the workpiece. The rest of the heat is lost by conduction, comvection, radiation, spatter, etc. The proportion of the energy that is available to melt the electrode/filler metal and the workpiece is termed the src efficiency.
The arc efficiency for some of the commonly used arc welding processes varies butween 20% and 90%.
For a given process, factors like welding in a deep groove, arc length, etc. Also influence the arc efficiency. Higher arc efficiency urually means that for a given arc energy, a greater amount of weld metal is deposited and the workpiece cools at a comparatively slower rate.
1.3.2 voltage distribution along the arc
In any welding set up, there is a continuous drop in voltage from the lower-most point of contact between the contact tip and the wire, to the molten weld pool or the workpiece. Figure 1.5 schematically shows that this voltage drop occurs in four steps.
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First,there is a drop in voltage over the electrode extension, that is the length of electrode detween the point of electrical contact with the contact tip,and its melting tip, also called cathode spot for the current flow direction shown in the sketch . The magnitude of this voltage drop depends on the electrode extension and the wire diameter as well as the current; a longer electrode extension, a smaller wire diameter or higher current all increase the voltage drop over the electrode extension length.
The voltage drop over the arc length, that is the distance between the cathode spot and the anode spot (the molten weld pool surface in figure 1.5)
Takes place in three steps. Right next to the anode and cathode spots are small, thin, gaseous regions called the anode drop zone and cathode drop zone, respectively, and over these zones there can be a significant drop in voltage, in the range of 1 to 12 V depending on the electhde material.
1.3.3 magnetic field associated with a welding arc
When an electric current passes through a conductor, a magnetic field is created that surrounds the conductor (figure 1.6) unless this magnetic field is balanced in all directions, the welding arc will tend to be deflected from its normal axial orientation in line with the electrode . This phenomenon is called arc blow. It is more liekly to be present during welding of magnetic materials (steels) and can cause incomplete fusion types of flaws in welds.
Some degree of imbalance in the magnetic field is always present. The path of the magnetic flux in the workpiece is continuous behind the arc and discontinuous ahead, due to the chenge in the direction of the current ss it goes from workpiece to electride (figure 1.7) since a shorter arc is stiffer, it is also less susceptible to arc blow.