Thekeyproblemfornumericalsimulationofplasmaarcwelding(PAW)processistodevelopasuitableandadaptivevolumetricheatsourcemodewhichreflectsthephysicalcharacteristicsofkeyholePAW.Tothisend,thekeyholegeometryunderdifferentPAWprocessconditionsmustbepredicted.Inthispaper,amathematicalmodelfordeterminingthekeyholeshapeisdevelopedwithconsideringthemassandmomentumconservationofthein-keyholeplasmajetaswellasthepressureequilibriumattheplasmajet/liquidmetalboundary.AsuitableheatsourcemodelrelatedtothekeyholeshapeisappliedtothecalculationofPAWwelddimensions.Thepredictedresultsareingoodagreementwiththeexperimentalones.
