POWER SUPPLIES WITH IMPROVED CHARACTERISTICS

The designs of contact current conductors are highly diverse.In mechanized welding torches for gas-shielded arc welding with a consumable electrode, cylindrical contact current conductors with a continuous electrode-conducting channel are primarily used.Materials such as copper and its alloys, as well as copper-based composite materials, are employed for the manufacture of current conductors due to their excellent electrical conductivity and wear resistance.During welding, as the electrode wire passes through, the current conductor experiences rapid wear, resulting in a loss of electrical contact with the welding wire.This leads to instability in the wire feeding, as well as in the welding process itself, and causes increased electrode metal losses due to oxidation and spattering.The wear-induced losses in the current conductor increase by 1.5-2 times compared to the normal operational period, while welding process productivity decreases by 5-8%.According to data from machine-building enterprises, the operational life of the current conductor averages one working shift.An analysis of existing data indicates that there are currently no specific recommendations on selecting materials for current conductors or measures to enhance their service life.This paper explores different current conductor designs, where the use of the elastic properties of the electrode wire helps to improve their service life and the conditions of current transfer.The designs of these current conductors are presented.A current conductor with an insert is recommended.This simple design can be manufactured by small enterprises or workshops.A methodology for calculating the parameters of elastic elements and inserts has been developed.The recommended designs provide significant economic benefits, which include improved weld quality and a 2.5 to 3 times longer service life, resulting in copper savings.