How welding wire feed speed affects weld bead penetration, length, and width in robotic gas metal arc welding

Abstract

In this study, the effect of welding wire feed speed on penetration quality in the gas metal arc welding method (GMAW), which is widely used in the automotive industry, was investigated in terms of product safety and quality. In the gas metal arc welding robots used in automotive production, the welding process is carried out through communication between the robot and the gas metal arc welding machine within predetermined parameters. In the study, 3 mm thick 6224 ERD steel was used and overlap welding was applied for experimental analysis. Among the gas metal arc welding parameters, welding current, wire diameter, and gas flow rate were kept constant, while wire feed speed was considered as the only variable. Starting from 2 m/min, the welding wire feed speed was increased by 2 m/min in each test, reaching up to 12 m/min, resulting in a total of 6 different experiments. The test results were evaluated based on metallographic analyses to determine the macro and microstructures of the welds. According to the findings, it was observed that penetration increased as the welding wire feed speed increased. However, it was also determined that beyond a certain optimum value, the increased welding speed had a negative effect on weld bead width and length. Accordingly, the optimum welding wire feed speed was suggested for achieving the appropriate penetration and maintaining weld quality.