An investigation on heat transfer analysis of Micro-Plasma arc welds using finite element method

Predicting temperature distribution and controlling cooling rate to mitigate welding defects and residual stresses using a high-density arc welding process is quite significant. Therefore, choosing the right process parameters is very vital. However, performing experimental trials and deciding process parameters is quite expensive and time-consuming. Hence, a numerical investigation has been put forth using two different heat source models using the Finite element-based method. The three-dimensional heat source model has been solved using COMSOL Multiphysics. The study unfolds the most suitable heat source model for calculating temperature distribution around weld bead for the micro-plasma arc welding process. This study also lays the foundation for further analysis of residual stress.