scope:

THE importance of the stability of the welding arc on both the ease of welding and the quality of the weld is fully recognized by everyone concerned with arc welding, whether he be a welding engineer or operator. The temi arc stability is used widely by the industry, although too often it is loosely or poorly defined. Qualitatively, arc stability is understood to mean the ability of an arc to remain fixed in position, with uniform electrical Characteristics, and uniform flow of heat to the weld. The arc should have no tendency to become extinguished and should have ample ability to recover from the frequent short circuits introduced by the deposition of weld metal.