APPARATUS AND METHOD OF SHORT CIRCUITING ARC WELDING

摘要

Apparatus and method to reduce spatter and allow better semi-automatic welding in short circuiting arc welding of the type using a single D.C. power supply for causing a welding current to pass through a welding wire extending variable distances from a holder and between the welding wire and a workpiece at a molten metal pool on the workpiece. The welding current flows in response to an arc voltage while the welding wire is fed from the holder toward the workpiece whereby the welding wire is subjected to a succession of welding cycles each of which include an arcing condition during which the wire is spaced from the pool and a short circuit condition during which a molten metal ball formed on the end of the wire contacts the metal pool and then transfers from the wire to the workpiece by a necking action. In this type of welding operation, the invention involves the application of a preselected amount of energy into the wire during the arcing condition for each welding cycle, which preselected amount of energy slightly exceeds the known value of energy necessary to melt a given volume of metal to form a consistent molten metal ball onto the end of the wire. This constant energy is divided between the resistance heating of the wire extending from the wire holder and the anode heating caused by the arc during each arcing condition of a cycle. Consequently, constant energy is inputted to the end of the wire irrespective of changes in the amount of wire extension or stick-out.