Auxiliary energy-assisted arc welding processes and their modelling, sensing and control

Abstract

Arc welding processes are still widely used in manufacturing industry. To further improve the arc welding efficiency and the joint quality, secondary energy field/source is usually applied to assist the conventional arc welding process. Modelling, sensing and control of such arc welding processes are efficient and powerful ways for process modification and development and complete understanding the underlying interaction mechanism of the auxiliary energy and the welding process. This article reviews the present status in this aspect. A few typical examples such as external magnetic field-assisted gas metal arc welding, ultrasonic vibration-assisted gas tungsten/metal arc welding, and ultrasonic-assisted plasma arc welding are introduced to demonstrate their system, principle and effectiveness. Additionally, some challenges and future outlooks are summarised.

KEYWORDS:

• Arc welding processes
• assistance of auxiliary energy
• process improvement
• modelling
• sensing
• control

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The authors are grateful for the financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant numbers 51775312, 52005296 and 51775313].