Finite Element Modeling of Heat Transfer Behaviors Between the Weld Pool and Water-Cooled Components During Electro-Gas Welding

Electro-gas welding involves intense heat input and rapid dissipation through water-cooled components, yet the quantitative role of conductive pathway remains insufficiently understood. Available finite element studies have focused on convective and radiative losses, while conduction has often been treated with simplified assumptions, limiting predictive reliability. In this study, a three-dimensional finite element model of EGW has been developed to explicitly quantify heat conduction from the molten weld pool to the water-cooled components and to predict the temperature field within the welded joint. The results demonstrate that conduction through water-cooled components is the dominant dissipation mode, accounting for approximately 70.17 pct of the total heat loss with a flux density of − 2.3 × 10⁵ W m⁻². Model validation against weld morphology and peak temperature distribution shows commendable agreement with experimental observations. By elucidating the dominant role of conductive heat transfer embedded into finite element analysis, our findings may offer a more robust thermal framework for EGW, thereby advancing predictive accuracy for microstructural evolution and weld performance geared toward high heat input applications.