Research on the Mechanism of Penetration Increase by Flux in A-TIG Welding

The mechanism of penetration depth increased by activating flux in activating tungsten inert gas (A-TIG) weldingwas studied by measuring the distribution of trace element Bi in the weld and monitoring the change of arc voltageduring A-TIG welding of stainless steel 0Crl8Ni9 with fluxes SiO2 and TiO2. The results show that the mechanismof penetration depth in A-TIG welding depends on the sort of flux used. The weld pool convection after coating theflux SiO2 and flux TiO2 is changed inversely compared with convectional TIG welding without flux. The arc voltageis increased by flux SiO2 whilst flux TiO2 does not have effect on the arc voltage. The reason of penetration depthincrease for SiO2 is due to the constriction of arc plasma and the change of surface tension gradient. The increaseof weld penetration depth with TiO2 only ascribes to the change of surface tension gradient.