Hg. Fan et al., NUMERICAL-SIMULATION OF CURRENT-DENSITY IN GAS TUNGSTEN ARE WELDING INCLUDING THE INFLUENCE OF THE CATHODE, Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Part B, Journal of engineering manufacture, 211(4), 1997, pp. 321-327
A two-dimensional axisymmetric numerical model including the influence
of cathode is developed to describe the heat transfer and fluid flow
in gas tungsten are (GTA) welding arcs. The current continuity equatio
n has been solved with the combined are plasma-cathode system, indepen
dent of the assumption of current density distribution on the cathode
surface which was essential in the previous studies of the are plasma.
It is indicated that the predicted are column temperatures agree well
with existing experimental data. The effects of current, electrode ti
p geometry and are length on the anode current density distributions a
re analysed using the developed model, and the current density distrib
utions calculated at the anode are compared with the experimental data
measured by the probe method.