Welding Phenomenon and Removal Mechanism of Aluminum-Oxide Films by Space GHTA Welding Process in Vacuum

Aluminum alloys have been widely used in constructing various space structures including the ISS (International Space Station) and launch vehicles. In order to apply the welding technology in space, welding experiments on aluminum alloy were performed using by the GHTA (Gas Hollow Tungsten Arc) welding processes using an inverter controlled DC/AC GTA welding machine in vacuum. We observed the removal mechanism of aluminum-oxide films on molten metal in detail during the welding using a high-speed video camera. As a result, it is clarified that the impact arc pressure produced by pulsed current mechanically crushes and removes aluminum-oxide films on the molten pool. This removal mechanism of aluminum-oxide films is completely different from a removal mechanism by cleaning action.