Abstract Welding operations are one of the most important operations during pipeline construction and most are still carried out manually with SMAW. The challenges associated with the automation of orbital welding are related to several variables, including the weld pool behavior in vertical and overhead positions, monitoring of parameters and metal transfer, bevel preparation and orbital welding head control. In order to achieve a 360º orbital root pass with GTAW process, this study was focused on evaluating the influence of the arc voltage control (AVC) system for pulsed current process, the bevel geometry and filler wire insertion technique on the welding process and weld bead. Experiments were carried out using 16” ASTM A36 pipes with ½” wall thickness and an automated orbital welding head. The results show that the AVC control must be appropriate for the current mode applied (pulsed or constant) in order to avoid arc length oscillation. Also, the counterboring operation during the bevel preparation increases the amount of material of the groove land and promotes less penetration. Regarding the metal transfer, the continuous bridge transfer mode is recommended for automated orbital GTAW welding and this is achieved with an appropriate AVC control method and filler wire positioning.

Abstract Numerous GMAW processes have appeared for one-pass welding of medium to high thickness. This concept originated in the 1980s with the T.I.M.E. technique and the 1990s and 2000s saw the emergence of Rapid Arc, Rapid Melt and Buried Arc techniques. These processes did not include any special control features, but rather parameter combinations to improve bead geometry. A new interpretation of the factors that are critical to achieving high performance GMAW (penetration) is presented herein. Tests with a voltage controlled power source with inductance control and the Rapid Arc process were conducted on bead-on-plate for high speed videography. Later, validation tests were conducted on butt joints, with the technique developed, with and without groove on AISI 1020, 3/8” thick steel plates. The power source may be of voltage control but has to provide a dynamic response able to sustain a metastable equilibrium of the molten pool applying the semi-keyhole technique. The technique developed was able to weld, in a single pass, 3/8” thick butt joint steel plates. The results showed that a power source, to achieve the GMAW buried arc condition, only needs to provide dynamic characteristics able to maintain the molten pool in a metastable equilibrium.