Professional Documents
Culture Documents
22/12/2017
Submission of Report: ________________
(Date)
Received by : ________________
No. Contents Marks Allocated Mark Obtained
2 Introduction 10
3 Explanation on topic 30
4 Discussion 20
5 Conclusion 20
6 References 10
7 Total 100
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.0 INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................... 1
One of latest methods of welding tube to tube joints and tube to flange joints is still little
known in industry is Magnetically impelled arc butt (MIAB) welding (sometimes referred to
as rotating arc welding) is a rapid, clean, and reliable arc welding process that employs forging
to produce the finished weld. As such, it is classified as an electric arc welding process since
that is the energy source for producing melting or fusion, even though pressure from forging is
needed to complete the weld. It is thus a fusion arc pressure welding process, and, in that way,
is related to arc stud welding.
The MIAB welding process is well established in Europe (especially Eastern Europe)
and the independent states of the former Soviet Union, finding application in the automotive
industry for the fabrication of tubular-section butt welds and, to a lesser extent, tube-to-plate
welds. Tubes can have circular or non-circular cross sections, with walls ranging from 0.5 to 5
mm or more (0.020 to 0.200 in.) thick. Steel as well as aluminium alloy has been welded
successfully in mass production, producing welds with exceptional quality even for safety-
critical applications.
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2.0 MIAB WELDING
As the figure indicates, an arc is made to spin around the tubes due to the
presence of a magnetic field generated with either permanent or electromagnets. The
velocity of the arc is considerable, reaching speeds as high as 200 m/s. The rapidly
spinning arc, in combination with the thermal conductivity of the metal being welded,
effectively creates very uniform heating at the joint. Upon completion of the heating
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phase, the parts are rapidly brought together under pressure. This upset step squeezes
the molten material out of the joint, and creates a forging action on the remaining
plasticized metal. The forging action produces the final solid-state joint. The process
does not use filler metal. Shielding gas, although sometimes used, is usually not
required. When shielding gas is not used, as in the case of this research, a short pulse
of high current is added which expels contaminated molten metal prior to upset.
The force exerted on the flowing current affects the acceleration of the rotating
arc. Therefore, it is clear that by adjusting the strength of the magnetic field, the
magnitude of the arc current, or the width of the arc gap, the speed of the arc can be
altered. The ability to alter the speed of the arc by changing arc current can play an
important role in the process. In particular, by sharply increasing the current for a very
short time just prior to upset, a rapid expulsion of molten metal occurs which provides
cleaning action. This eliminates the need for shielding gas.
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The direction of the force is determined by applying Fleming's left hand rule,
which states that the rotating direction of the arc is always perpendicular to the applied
magnetic field and the arc current, as shown previously in Figure 2. The force occurs
due to the magnetic flux lines generated by the flowing current interacting with the
magnetic flux lines of the applied magnetic field. This phenomenon is shown
graphically on Figure 3, which depicts a current carrying
conductor under the influence of an applied magnetic field. The force is generated on
the side of the conductor where the magnetic flux lines are aligned. Ironically, in arc
welding processes, a similar interaction creates a phenomenon called "arc blow", often
a detriment to the process.
In addition to the primary force on the arc that causes the arc to spin rapidly
around the part, there is an additional important force on the arc. This force is generated
when the radial component of the arc 𝐼𝑟 , crosses the axial component of the magnetic
field, 𝐵𝑎 , as shown in Figure 4. Initially, when MIAB welding a ferromagnetic material,
the arc is pushed to the ID of the joint due to arc blow effects. Upon heating, the curie
temperature is first reached on the ID of the tube, altering the distribution of magnetic
flux in the joint and pushing the arc outward. The outward movement of the arc can
play an important role in generating uniform heating at the joint.
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Figure 5 Radial Component of Arc Current Affects Arc Movement
3.0 DISCUSSIONS
Flash welding does not actually generate a true arc, but relies on the creation of shorts
between the parts being welded, and subsequent rapid expulsion of the metal at the
localized shorting points. This results in considerable loss of material during the
flashing process. Flash welding also does not utilize a magnetic field to control the
movement of the arc, which promotes very uniform heating in the MIAB welding
process. For these reasons, Flash welding is not an ideal process for welding tubular
automotive components.
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3.2 Application
Butt welding of thin-walled tubes
Butt and T-butt welding of automobile parts
Butt welding of thick-walled tubes
Butt welding od solid parts
Tube to plate welding
Tube to flange welding
3.3 Advantages
The major benefits of MIAB welding are no rotation of either component
(thereby overcoming problems with asymmetrical parts encountered with many friction
welding processes), short welding times (e.g., 2-4 s for 2 to 4-mm CO.040- to 0.080-
in.]-thick low-carbon steel tube), low material loss, low fumes and spatter, and
relatively low required arc current.
As opposed to flash and upset welding, MIAB welding does not use resistance
to accomplish heating at the joint, but, rather, an electric arc. This makes it an arc rather
than a resistance welding process. The fact that forging removes most molten metal
suggests that the process could be considered non-fusion; after all, the role of the liquid
is largely fluxing. The process is considered a non-consumable electrode arc process
because the intent is not to consume the parts being welded and used as electrodes, but
to preserve those parts.
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3.4 Limitations
The main limitation to the technique is that wall thicknesses about 6mm can be
difficult to weld since the rotating arc may not cause the entire butting surfaces to be
heated uniformly. There are, however, techniques which enable the thicker sections to
be welded and wall thicknesses up to 20mm have been welded using MIAB.
The MIAB process uses a forging action to weld together the component
surfaces which have been heated by the rotating arc. As with the other forge processes,
this results in the production of a flash on both the inner and outer surfaces of the
components. For many purposes, this welding flash can be left in place. If however, it
is necessary to maintain the bore of a welded tube assembly or restore the external
profile, then the flash should be removed.
4.0 CONCLUSION
As a conclusion, we know that this technologies (MIAB) can weld tube to tube or tube to
flange, and can weld irregular or non-circular components as easily as circular. This welding
process is one of the fastest methods of welding for tube and weld results are free from
inclusions and impurities. An automated process enables the result of weld to be highly
reproducible. The components also are not rotated so the alignment can be maintained. The
uniform heating of the joint results in low distortion and the weld a wide variety of materials
including dissimilar combinations. Lastly, the weld can be interfaced with automatic handle
system so production will increase.
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5.0 REFERENCES
[2] “Process _ MagWeld Technologies LLC _ Magnetically Impelled Arc Butt Welding MIAB _
Magweld Technologies LLC.” .
[5] D. H. W. E. Phillips, “Magnetically Impelled Arc Butt (Miab) Welding of Chromium- Plated
Steel Tubular Components Utilizing Arc Voltage Monitoring Techniques,” 2008.
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6.0 APPENDICES
Figure 7 Machine K-872 is intended for welding pipelines under field conditions
Figure 8 Machine MD-1 is intended for welding small diameter tubes & pipeline.
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Figure 9 Machine MD-103 and MD-102 type for MIAB welding of shock absorber
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