Short Arc Modes Determining Both Contact Welding and Material Transfer

Microscopic investigations of the molten marks left by metal vapor bounce arcs on both anode and cathode showed characteristic results dependent on the arc mode ("anode arc" or "cathode arc" according to Germer). Differences in arc spot sizes and appearance yielded a key to explain the different weld strength values caused by short time and by long time bounces, respectively, but also to understand the changes of direction of material transfer when the arc mode changes