Globular-to-Spray Transition in Cold Wire Gas Metal Arc Welding

The electrical current required for a transition from globular to spray droplet transfer during gas metal arc welding (GMAW) is determined by the specified wire feed speed in the case of constant-voltage power supplies. Generally, in narrow groove welding, spray transfer is avoided, be-cause this transfer mode can severely erode the groove sidewalls. This work compared the globular-to-spray transition mechanism in cold wire gas metal arc welding (CW-GMAW) vs. standard GMAW. Synchronized high-speed imaging with current and voltage samplings were used to characterize the arc dynamics for different cold wire mass feed rates. Subsequently, the droplet frequency and diameter were estimated, and the parameters for a globular-to-spray transition were assessed. The results suggest that the transition to spray occurs in CW-GMAW at a lower current than in the standard GMAW process. The reason for this difference appears to be linked to an enhanced magnetic pinch force, which is mainly responsible for metal transfer in higher welding current conditions.