Effects of activating flux on the welded joint characteristics in gas metal arc welding

This paper presents the effect of each welding parameter on the weld bead geometry, and then sets out to determine the optimal process parameters using the Taguchi method to determine the parameters. Three kinds of oxides, Fe2O3, SiO2, and MgCO3, were used to investigate the effect of activating flux aided gas metal arc welding (GMAW) on weld bead geometry, angular distortion and mechanical properties in AISI 1020 carbon steel. During welding, a charge coupled device (CCD) camera system was used to observe and record images of the welding arc and analyze the relationship between penetration increase and arc profile. The experimental results showed that activating flux aided GMAW increased the weld area and penetration and tended to reduce the angular distortion of the weldment. The MgCO3 flux produced the most noticeable effect. Furthermore, the welded joint presented better tensile strength and hardness.