Recent work on the low heat input and high deposition rate welding process of pulsed alternating current gas metal arc welding (AC-GMAW) has paved the way for the implementation of a cost effective solution for thick plate welding. Intense plasma jets are achieved through a high current and high electrode negative (EN) ratio based pulsed AC-GMAW, which has high negative peak currents in the EN region of the pulse. A distinct arc behavior results in high arc center temperatures and finger penetration, whereas the weak surrounding arc results in a lack of fusion on the joint sides for material thicknesses above 8 mm. The controlled induction pre-heating of the joint sides up to the desired depth can help in overcoming this problem. Numerical simulations of the induction source were performed using temperature-dependent material properties to find the optimal induction heating parameters that will result in the desired penetration depth and temperature. Experiments were conducted on a scaled-down induction system to verify the simulation model. Reasonable results were observed, confirming the proposed methodology. A full-scale induction power system needs to be implemented together with the AC-GMAW process to experimentally verify the application of the induction-assisted alternating current gas metal arc welding (IA-ACGMAW) system to thick plate welding, especially to thermally treated high-strength steels. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved