Monitoring TIG welding using infrared thermography – simulations and experiments

In the current work a 3D model has been developed to predict the thermal cycles during the Tungsten Inert Gas welding of Aluminum 2219. This paper describes the step by step procedure adopted to get the actual cooling rate during the TIG welding process both experimentally and numerically. The model was developed in the COMSOL Finite Element Package and considered a Gaussian heat distribution. The developed model then validated using the experimental data collected in field experiments on actual large propellant tanks. Temperature measurements were performed using Infrared Camera. Results show a close comparison between model and experiment.