Известия ТулГУ. Технические науки. 2015. Вып. 6. Ч.

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УДК 621.791

INFLUENCE OF PULSED TIG WELDING PARAMETERS ON THE

FORMATION OF SUBSURFACE CHANNELS IN METAL BODIES

Anna Tokar, Vladimir Ponomarov

The present work shows that welding has great potential not only in the area of join-
ing materials, but also in other areas of manufacturing where machining or casting is usually
used, for example, for making heating or cooling channels. This paper presents a channel
making technique in metal bodies using Pulsed TIG welding. The idea was to enhance the de-
fects called in the literature as ''tunneling'' (elongated cavities) and "convert" them in subsur-
face channels. Simple deposition on stainless steel plate tests were performed, varying the
current pulse shape, pulse rate, arc length, electrode grinding angle, working angle and the
welding speed seeking a greater robustness of the process. It was observed that the channel
formation process was more fail-safe using a rectangular current pulse compared to a trape-
zoidal shape one. The pulse rate must be maintained between 1 and 3 Hz according to ob-
tained results. The channels were more pronounced with sharpening angles around 60o.
Key words: Subsurface Channels, Elongated Cavities, Pulsed TIG Welding Process,
Welding Parameters

1. Introduction
Many types of equipment for industry, transport or other area applica-
tions contain some parts subjected to excessive heating or cooling during opera-
tion and thus must be cooled or heated respectively to maintain their operational
properties and an appropriate performance. The most commonly used approach-
es for this purpose are external fins (as in heat exchangers) or water jackets (as
in combustion engines), which application is not always feasible as it may, for
example, hinder the operation, as in the case of the matrices casting or mechani-
cal forming. Subsurface channels offer a good alternative for these cases.
Among the methods for making subsurface channels (also called as in-
ternal channels) can be mentioned conventional drilling or the introduction of
tubes made of high thermal conductivity material to parts manufactured by cast-
ing [1]. As some disadvantages of conventional drilling may be mentioned limi-
tations regarding the use of high hardness materials (for example, those for
molds and dies) and the impossibility to manufacture long channels and chan-
nels in curvilinear complex geometry parts, since the drills do not curve. In the
case of method of tube incorporation [1], the tube must be cooled with air or wa-
ter during the casting to avoid being fused over by the liquid metal (which
would result in the loss of channels). In addition to be complicated, this method
does not guarantee a proper contact of the tube surface with the workpiece ma-
terial.
Another way to produce rectilinear and curvilinear subsurface channels
in metal parts is a technique called Friction Stir Channeling - FSC [2]. This
technique is based on the same principle that is used in Friction Stir Welding -
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FSW, as described, for example, in the papers [3] and [4]. In this technique, a
rotary tool (similar to a drill) penetrates the workpiece, plasticizes its material
(by friction and plastic deformation), and then moves it away from the center of
the plasticized region opening a channel in the bottom of that zone. The main
disadvantage of this technique is that the metal being processed must be ductile
enough and of a low hardness in order channels to be created with less effort and
less tool wear, which is generally not the case for materials for molds and dies
for forging and casting. In addition, this technique cannot be applied to surfaces
with sharp profile changes (steps and corners, for example).
Alternatively, there are additive manufacturing techniques based on de-
position of metal layers by sintering or fusion a metal powder using laser or
electron beam [5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10]. These techniques allow to "print" (like a 3D
printer) metal parts with various internal details, including subsurface channels.
Disadvantages of these techniques are an enormous time required for production
of details, limitations in terms of size of the parts produced (because they are
usually produced in vacuum chambers or chambers filled with an inert gas), and
the high cost of equipment used.
Thus, this paper presents a new manufacturing technique for subsurface
channels, which is free from such limitations, and which allows a better operat-
ing flexibility and can be applied for a wide range of materials and workpiece
geometries.

2. Materials and methods

The welding process used to manufacture subsurface channels was the
Pulsed TIG with electrode negative polarity and with no metal deposition. The
tungsten electrode was of the EWTh2% type of 4.0 mm diameter. The argon
shielding gas was used with the 15 l/min flow rate. The welds were made on 304
stainless steel plates of 200 mm x 32 mm x 6,4 mm dimensions. The manipula-
tion of the torch was performed using an X-Y coordinate table.

3. Results and discussion

3.1. Influence of the frequency of the rectangular shaped current
pulse on bead geometry and on formation of channels
The main purpose of these tests was to find maximum and minimum
values of pulse frequency (fp) for the current pulse rectangular format that de-
termines the range with a greater reliability of the channel formation (table). The
tests were made using the same average current (Im = 183,0 A) and the same
amplitude of the pulse current (Ip = 350,0 A) and background current (Ib = 15,0
A), thereby maintaining the same difference between them (∆I) of 335,0 A. The
travel speed, the gap between the electrode tip and the plate and the electrode
sharpening angle were kept constant at 150,0 mm/min, 3,5 mm and 60o respec-
tively.
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except that the pulse frequency was kept constant equal to 1,25 Hz. The pulse
current rising and decreasing rates were varied. It was observed that, unfortu-
nately, the use of a current pulse trapezoidal format did not result in an increase
of the robustness of channel formation. There were no continuous cavities ob-
served.

3.4. Influence of electrode sharpening angle on bead geometry and

formation of channels
Erohin A.A. [11] showed that the electrode sharpening angle influences
the occurrence of cavities in the case of continuous (not pulsed) current. To eva-
luate this relationship for the case of a pulsed current some test were conducted
with varied electrode sharpening angle (γ). As in the tests described above, there
were made simple beads on plate under the welding conditions mentioned in
item 3.1, except that the pulse frequency (fp) was kept constant of 2 Hz and the
electrode sharpening angle (γ) varied from 30º to 80º.
The results show that the acute electrode sharpening angles (30º, 40º and
60º) provide a triangular shaped profile of the melted zone with high fused area
and penetration, while more obtuse angles (70º and 80º) result in a reduced fused
area with a flat profile (wide and shallow). The registered average voltage val-
ues may help to explain these results. A lower voltage was recorded for tests
with obtuse electrodes. This fact would suggest that, in this case, the arc was
shorter, though all tests were conducted with the same distance between the
electrode tip and the workpiece equal to 3,5 mm. It can have the next explana-
tion. When the current is increased (during the pulse), the arc becomes wider for
obtuse angle electrode tips with a limited increment in its length, whereas in the
case of acute angles, the arc length grows more because of the requirement of
having the same electrode - arc coupling area for the same current.
These results confirm the hypothesis of Erohin [11], which showed that
the reduction of the electrode sharpening angle provoked a higher concentration
of heat flow towards the workpiece, namely the current density, and thus an in-
crease of the arc pressure (causing some gain of the penetration). It is worth
mentioning that there are some contradictory results in the literature regarding
the influence of the electrode sharpening angle on the penetration. For example,
Key [12] has shown that the smaller is the electrode sharpening angle, the lower
the penetration becomes.
The electrode sharpening angle, besides exerting an influence on bead
geometric parameter, also influences the formation of subsurface channels. The
longest channels (up to 120 - 130 mm) were observed with the grinding angles
at 60º. The sharpening angles of 30º to 40º resulted in somewhat shorter chan-
nels (reaching at maximum 50 - 70 mm), while for the angles of 70º to 80º, there
were no channels observed. According to Erohin, Bukarov and Ishenko [12] this
phenomenon can be explained by an influence of the electrode tip shape on the
dynamic pressure of the arc plasma flow. Smaller angles cause increased con-
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The torch travel angle influences, besides on the bead geometry, also on
the formation of cavities/channels. The cavities/channels were more pronounced
when the right angle was used (fig. 3). They were of smaller cross section and
shorter when drag angles were used, and they almost did not appear under push
angles welding technique. Moiseenko, V.P. et all [13] received somewhat simi-
lar results. They also observed that push angles did not favor the formation of
cavities/channels. On the other hand, their tests showed that drag angels are
more favorable to cavities/channels formation than the right angle (what, actual-
ly, disagrees with the results described above). This discrepancy in results may
be related to different welding conditions such as the current type and value,
welding travel, pulse frequency, electrode grinding angle, base metal properties,
etc.

3.6. Influence of arc length on bead geometry and formation of

channels
These tests were carried out maintaining the same welding conditions as
in previous tests. The distance from the electrode tip to the plate (La) was varied
from 2,0 to 12,5 mm. The welds were made on 304 stainless steel plates of 200
mm x 38 mm x 6,1 mm dimensions. It was expected that an increase in the arc
length would result in a reduction in the penetration and increased width of the
bead. What actually was not confirmed. The test results showed that when the
arc length was changed from 2 to 6 mm, the bead geometric parameters re-
mained almost unchanged. The penetration started decreasing and the bead
width increasing only after the arc length reached 9 and 12,5 mm. It was found
that shorter arcs (in the range of 2,0 to 4,0 mm) are prone to generate channels
long enough and with a large channel cross-section.

3.7. Influence of travel speed on bead geometry and formation of

channels
The tests performed so far gave understanding that one of the most im-
portant parameters, with regard to the formation of channels, is the travel speed.
Therefore, this parameter was intentionally varied to find its most appropriate
value to produce channels with large cross-section and as long as possible. The
welds were performed with the same parameters mentioned in item 3.6, except
the travel speed, which value was varied from 120 to 180 mm/min. The obtained
results showed that travel speeds in the rage of 150 - 160 mm/min provided the
best conditions for the formation of channels (they had a larger section and a
higher length). The travel speed of 120 mm/min was not favorable for the chan-
nel formation (for these particular welding conditions). Travel speeds above 160
mm/min generated irregular weld beads with craters, undercuts and short length
cavities.
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- shorter arcs (2 - 3 mm) are more favorable for the formation of subsur-
face channels;
- travel speeds which provided optimum conditions for the generation of
channels (with a higher cross section and a longer length) were of 150 - 160
mm/min for the welding conditions used;
- the trapezoidal format of current pulses was not favorable for the ro-
bustness of the channel formation (formed cavities were not continuous);
- the technique for making subsurface channels in metal bodies with
Pulsed TIG welding is quite promising. However, the robustness of the channel
formation for this technique is not acceptable yet. The formation of the subsur-
face channel is very susceptible to variations of many welding parameters.
5. Acknowledgements
The authors would like to acknowledge the technical support offered by
the LAPROSOLDA/UFU, the financial support received from the CNPq (a re-
search grant) and from the FAPEMIG, which were very essential for the success
of this work.
References
1. Method of casting cooling elements. United Kingdom Patent, Patent
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pean Patent, Patent N. EP0615480 (A1). Sep. 1994.
4. Quintino L., Vilaça P., Miranda R. Friction stir welding and
processing at TU – Lisbon. In: I IIW European-South American School of
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5. Xu, X. et al. Designing Conformal Cooling Channels for Tooling.
Proceedings from the Solid Freeform Fabrication Symposium, Austin, Texas,
USA, August 10-12, 1998, ISSN 1053-2153, P. 131-146
6. Wylonis N. Production of injection molding tooling with conformal
cooling channels using the three dimensional printing process. 1995. pp. 160.
Master of Science. Dissertation submitted to Massachusetts Institute of Tech-
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7. Hopkinson N. Investigation into Part Ejection and Heat Transfer in the
Direct AIMTM Process. 1999. Ph.D. Thesis submitted to De Montfort Universi-
ty, UK.
8. Koch J., Mazumder J. Apparatus and methods for monitoring and con-
trolling multi-layer laser cladding, United States Patent, Patent N. US6122564
(A). Sep. 2000
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nels, United States Patent, Patent N. US 6354361 (B1). Mar. 2002.
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10. Andersson L., Larsson M. Device and arrangement for producing a
three-dimensional object, International Publication, Patent N. WO 2001081031
(A1).Nov. 2001
11. Erohin A.A et al. Influence of Tungsten Cathode Geometry on Some
Welding Arc Characteristics and Metal Penetration. Welding Production. Mos-
cow, №18, Р. 25-28, 1971.
12. Key J.F. et al. Arc Physics of Gas – Tungsten Arc Welding. In:
AMERICAN WELDING SOCIETY. The Welding Handbook. V.6, 1990, 86 p.
13. Moiseenko V.P., Edelstein V.I., Krasnov O.G. Discontinuities in the
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Anna Tokar, master, annatokar@mecanica.ufu.br, Brazil, Uberlandia, Federal Uni-
versity of Uberlandia,

Vladimir Ponomarov, candidate of technical science, ponomarev@mecanica,ufu.br,

Brazil, Uberlandia, Federal University of Uberlandia

ВЛИЯНИЕ ПАРАМЕТРОВ ИМПУЛЬСНО-ДУГОВОЙ СВАРКИ НЕПЛАВЯЩИМСЯ

ЭЛЕКТРОДОМ НА ФОРМИРОВАНИЕ ПОДПОВЕРХНОСТНЫХ КАНАЛОВ В
МЕТАЛЛИЧЕСКИХ ДЕТАЛЯХ

Анна Токарь, Владимир Пономарев

Настоящая работа показывает, что сварка может быть использована не

только для соединения материалов, но и там, где обычно применяются способы меха-
нообработки или литья, например для выполнения каналов охлаждения/нагрева. Эта
работа представляет способ выполнения каналов в металлических загатовках с ис-
пользованием импульсно-дуговой сварки неплавящимся электродом. Основная идея за-
ключается в трансформации дефектов сварного шва, типа удлиненных полостей, в
подповерхностные каналы. Эксперименты были выполненны простой наплавкой на
пластины из нержавеющей стали с изменением таких параметров, как форма импуль-
са тока, частота пульсации, длина дуги, угол заточки электрода, угол наклона горелки
и скорость сварки с целью повышения надежности формирования канала. Было уста-
новлено, что прямоугольный импульс тока обеспечивает лучшие результаты, чем
трапецоидальный. Частота пульсации должна находиться в диапазоне 1 - 3 Гц. Угол
заточки электрода должен быть близким к 60 o.
Ключевые слова: Подповерхностные каналы, удлиненные полости, импульсно-
дуговая сварка неплавящимся электродомб параметры сварки.

Анна Токар, магистр, annatokar@mecanica.ufu.br, Бразилия, Уберландия, Феде-

ральный Университет города Уберландия,

Владимир Пономарев, канд. техн. наук, ponomarev@mecanica.ufu.br, Бразилия,

Уберландия, Федеральный Университет города Уберландия

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