Mathematical Modeling of Metal Active Gas (MAG) Arc Welding

In the present paper. a numerical model for MAG (metal active gas) arc welding of thin plate has been developed. In MAG arc welding, the electrode wire is melted and supplied into the molten pool intermittently. Accordingly, it is assumed on the modeling that the thermal energy enters the base-plates through two following mechanisms, i.e., direct heating from arc plasma and "indirect" heating from the deposited metal. In the second part of the paper, MAG arc welding process is numerically-analyzed by using the model. and the calculated weld bead dimension and surface profile have been compared with the experimental MAG welds on steel plate. As the result. it is made clear that the model is capable of predicting the bead profile of thin-plate MAG arc welding, including weld bead with undercutting.