Abstract
It is expected that in the future large welded structures will be constructed in space. In this case a high electromagnetic field must be applied to guarantee the integrity of welded joints for subatomospheric pressure, because the flow tends to be directed out of the melted zone. In the present paper, the heat transfer and the melting behavior of metal were numerically analyzed on the basis of a finite difference code. In particular, it was investigated how the direction of applied magnetic field affects not only the development of melted zone in metal but also the flow pattern of convection and the temperature distribution in the melted zone. The analysis was carried out for a two-dimensional body and only the natural convection of melted zone was taken into account. As a result, it was found that the maximum surface velocity is inversely proportional to the square of the Hartmann number, which is represented in terms of a vertical component of magnetic field.
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