NUMERICAL MODEL OF DROPLET FORMATION.
Abstract
The demand for efficient, high-quality arc welding has stimulated attempts to develop simple yet realistic models of the consumable-electrode (MIG or GMA) welding process. A one-dimensional model of droplet formation is presented which will be used to study the physics of droplet growth, detachment and transfer in this form of welding. The model consists of two coupled partial differential equations describing the conservation of mass and axial momentum. An analytic description of the linear stability of the system is provided, and a numerical solution describing its non-linear evolution is presented.