A Study on Plasma Arc Weldability by Root Gap and Misalignment

루트 갭과 단차에 의한 플라즈마 아크 용접성에 관한 연구

Plasma arc welding(PAW) technology is a proven process that has already been adopted by other industrial fields and recently has been considered to join the tank structure of LNG carrier. The purpose of this study is to introduce PAW process for the root welding of stainless steel pipes instead of TIG welding. There are distinctive features of the PAW compared to TIG welding; higher energy density that can increase welding speed by more than twofold, and longer arc length that can be controlled to trace seam line easily because of allowable gap between workpiece and torch. However, PAW process is also very sensitive to the root gap and misalignment due to the characteristics of long and narrow arc shape. So, we have done various experiments to establish the allowable fit-up condition by changing welding parameters including arc length, with or without filler metal, groove shape, and obtained satisfactory result.