THERMAL CYCLES IN MULTIPLE ELECTRODE SUBMERGED ARE WELDING

Multiple electrode sub merged are welding (SAW) is often used to incre ase the deposition rate in high productivity fabrication. However, whi le the development and application of the process have succeeded, the approach has not been systematic, and there is limited scientific info rmation available regarding the process. This paper is concerned with the thermal cycles and resulting weld bead shape in four-electrode SAW . The experimental data were obtained with embedded thermocouples, by macroscopic examination of sections, and by weld pool ejection. The di scussion considers the relationships between the welding conditions, t he thermal responses and bead profiles. Data describing the geometry o f the solidification boundary during the welding process are included and used to augment the description of the heat flow outside the weld pool. The study concludes that one may anticipate and control many fea tures of the thermal response and bead profile.