An Engineering Model for Numerical Simulations of GMA Welding

In a gas metal arc (GMA) welding process, a consumable wire is fed as an anode electrode of the arc, and then a wire extension and an arc length change simultaneously. Arc phenomena depend on the wire extension and the arc length. Therefore, understanding of dynamic characteristics of GMA welding is important. In the present model of GMA welding with a constant voltage characteristic, the wire extension and the arc length change by a balance of a wire feed rate and a calculated wire melting rate. We simulate dynamic characteristic of GMA welding when a setting voltage and a wire feed rate change, and clarify effects of the variation of the wire extension and the arc length on an arc phenomena. A self-adjusting arc welding is presented by our numerical simulation.