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AWT(U2) - Advanced Welding Technology Lecture Notes

Advanced Welding Technology (Pondicherry University)

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UNIT – II

ARC WELDING METHODS

1. METAL ARC WELDING

It is a process of joining two metal pieces by melting the edges by an electric arc. The
electric arc is produced between two conductors. The electrode is one conductor and the work
piece is another conductor. The electrode and the work piece are brought nearer with small
air gap. (3mm app.)
When current is passed an electric arc is produced between the electrode and the work piece.
The work piece and the electrode are melted by the arc. Both molten piece of metal become
one. Temperature of arc is about 4000°c Electrodes used in arc welding are coated with a
flux. This flux produces a gaseous shield around the molten metal. It prevents the reaction of
the molten metal with oxygen and nitrogen in the atmosphere. The flux removes the
impurities from the molten metal and form a slag. This slag gets deposited over the weld
metal. This protects the weld seam from rapid cooling. Fig.1 shows arc welding process.

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Equipments :( Refer Fig 2-1)

 A welding generator (D.C.) or Transformer (A.C.)

 Two cables- one for work and one for electrode
 Electrode holder
 Electrode
 Protective shield
 Gloves
 Wire brush
 Chipping hammer
 Goggles

Fig. 2-1 Arc Welding

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Fig 2-2 Electric arc welding process

Advantages

 Most efficient way to join metals

 Lowest-cost joining method
 Affords lighter weight through better utilization of materials
 Joins all commercial metals
 Provides design flexibility
Limitations

 Manually applied, therefore high labor cost.

 Need high energy causing danger
 Not convenient for disassembly.
 Defects are hard to detect at joints.

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2. CARBON ARC WELDING

In carbon arc welding, the intense of heat of an electric arc between a carbon
electrodes and work piece metal is used for welding. DC power supply is used. The carbon
electrode is connected to negative terminal and work piece is connected to positive terminal,
because positive terminal is hotter (4000°c) than the negative terminal (3000°c) when an arc
is produced. So carbon from the electrode will not fuse and mix up with the metal weld. If
carbon mixes with the weld, the weld will become weak and brittle. To protect the molten
metal from the atmosphere the welding is done with a long arc. In this case, a carbon
monoxide gas is produced, which surrounds the molten metal and protects it.
Carbon arc welding is used to weld both ferrous and non ferrous metals. Sheets of steel,
copper alloys, brass and aluminum can be welded in this method. (Refer Fig 2-3)

Fig.2-3. Carbon Arc Welding

3. GAS SHIELDED ARC WELDING:

The primary difference between shielded metal arc welding and gas shielded arc
welding is the type of shielding used. In gas shielded arc welding, both the arc and the molten
puddle are covered by a shield of inert gas. The shield of inert gas prevents atmospheric
contamination, thereby producing a better weld. The primary gases used for this process are
helium, argon, or carbon dioxide. In some instances, a mixture of these gases is used. The
processes used in gas shielded arc welding are known as GAS TUNGSTEN ARC
WELDING.
You will also hear these called <TIG= and <MIG.= Gas shielded arc welding is extremely
useful because it can be used to weld all types of ferrous and nonferrous metals of all
thicknesses. There are no hard-and-fast rules for selection of welding process.

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In general, the controlling factors are the types of metal you are joining, cost involved, nature
of the products you are fabricating, and the techniques you use to fabricate them. Because of
its flexibility and mobility, gas welding is widely used for maintenance and repair work in the
field. On the other hand, you should probably choose gas shielded metal arc welding to repair
a critical piece of equipment made from aluminum or stainless steel. No matter what welding
process you use, there is some basic information you need to know. The remainder of this
chapter is devoted to this type of information. Study this information carefully because it
allows you to follow welding instructions, read welding symbols, and weld various types of
joints using the proper welding techniques.

Fig 2-4

Fig 2-5

GAS TUNGSTEN ARC WELDING (GTAW) (Fig. 2-4) and GAS METAL ARC WELDING
(GMAW) (fig. 2-5):

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SUBMERGED ARC WELDING (SAW):

SAW uses the arc struck between a continuously fed electrode and the work piece to
melt the metal in the joint area and provide additional filler metal under a blanket of granular
flux. This arc is completely submerged under the molten flux, which protects the molten
metal from the atmosphere. There is no visible arc, spatter or fume during the welding
operation. The continuous electrode may be a solid or cored wire. The solid wires are
normally copper coated. The cored wires may contain either metallic materials or a mixture
of metallic and flux materials. Flux cored wires affect the welding characteristics and
metallurgical quality of the deposited weld metal. On surfacing applications, a strip electrode
can be used instead of a wire.

A wide range of flux compositions is used with submerged arc welding. Generally
speaking, fluxes with the best welding characteristics give inferior weld metal mechanical
properties. These fluxes are known as acid fluxes. Neutral fluxes generally give a good all
round performance. While basic fluxes give the best metallurgical results, they possess
inferior welding characteristics. The normal approach is to select the flux with the best
running characteristics that will meet the metallurgical requirements comfortably.

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SAW may be carried out using either DC or AC power sources. The best all round
welding conditions are normally obtained with DC electrode positive. DC electrode negative
will give higher deposition rates, but fusion characteristics are reduced so that this mode of
transfer is mainly used on weld surfacing applications. AC welding may also be used, but arc
control is not as good as on DC electrode positive. This means that many fluxes are
developed primarily for DC operation and will not operate satisfactorily on AC.

Operating Parameters:
SAW is capable of operating at high welding currents. Welding current is the
parameter that controls weld deposition rate. It also controls the depth of weld penetration
and the amount of base metal melted. Arc voltage controls the arc length and this has a major
influence on the shape of the weld and its exterior appearance. Raising the arc voltage
increases the arc length and this, in turn, increases the weld width. Lowering the arc voltage
has the opposite effect. The travel speed controls the heat input into the joint area. Increasing
travel speed reduces the heat input and supp is less filler metal per unit length of weld,
resulting in less weld reinforcement. Increasing travel speed reduces weld penetration but can
cause undercut. Reducing travel speed provides time for the gases to escape from the molten
metal and thus porosity may be reduced. Electrode <stick out=, the distance between the
contact tube and the arc, has a major affect on weld penetration and deposition rate.
Increasing the <stick out= increases deposition rate and reduces weld penetration. However,
to maintain optimum process control, the electrode <stick out= is normally maintained
between 25–35 mm unless special nozzle adapters are fitted.

Comparison of A.C. and D.C. arc welding

Sl.No.
Alternating Current (from Transformer) Direct Current (from Generator)
1 More efficiency Less efficiency

2 Power consumption less Power consumption more

3 Cost of equipment is less Cost of equipment is more

4 Higher voltage – hence not safe Low voltage – safer operation

suitable for both ferrous non

5 Not suitable for welding non ferrous metals
ferrous metals

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6 Not preferred for welding thin sections preferred for welding thin sections

Positive terminal connected to the

Any terminal can be connected to the work or work
7
electrode Negative terminal connected to the
electrode

APPLICATION
SAW is widely used for welding carbon, carbon manganese, alloy and stainless steels.
It is also used for joining some nickel based alloys. The ability to produce high quality, defect
free welds at high deposition rates and with deep weld penetration makes the SAW process
highly suitable for all mechanized and automatic welding and surfacing applications.

TYPICAL WELDING APPLICATIONS

With welding longitudinal and spiral welded pipes, the longitudinal welds are carried
out using a two-pass welding procedure. A welding station located inside the pipe deposits
the inside weld and the joint is completed by another station with a single weld on the outside
of the pipe. Spiral welded pipes are produced from a continuous coil of strip that is folded
into a spiral. One welding head deposits a single weld on the inside and another completes
the joint from the outside.
In ship building, the process is used to produce butt welds with a two pass welding procedure
depositing a single run on each side of the joint. Stiffeners are produced using single and twin
fillet welding procedures. Major ship yards carry out this operation using panel lines where
large sections are produced prior to transfer to the construction berth.
Submerged arc welding is widely used on general structural steel welding applications,
including mass production of repetitive short welds. Single side welding procedures using a
copper backing system are often used on applications such as propane cylinder production

ARC CUTTING PROCESS:

ARC CUTTING (AC) covers a group of thermal cutting processes that sever or remove
metal by melting it with the heat of an arc between an electrode and the workpiece. Thermal
gouging is a thermal cutting process variation that removes metal by melting or burning the
entire removed portion, to form a bevel or groove. This definition covers a number of
processes that are or have been used for cutting or gouging metals. This includes:

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 Plasma Arc Cutting PAC

 Air Carbon Arc Cutting CAC-A
 Shielded Metal Arc Cutting SMAC
 Gas Metal Arc Cutting GMAC
 Gas Tungsten Arc Cutting GTAC
 Oxygen Arc Cutting AOC
 Carbon Arc Cutting CAC

Each of these processes offers the user certain advantages and disadvantages. When selecting
a process, consideration must be given to costs relating to the volume of cutting, equipment
requirements, and operator skill requirements.

PLASMA ARC CUTTING:

The PLASMA ARC cutting (PAC) process severs metal by using a constricted arc to
melt a localized area of a work piece, removing the molten material with a high-velocity jet
of ionized gas issuing from the constricting orifice. The ionized gas is a plasma, hence the
name of the process. Plasma arcs operate typically at temperatures of 18,000 0-25,0000F
(10,0000-14,0000C).
PAC was invented in the mid 1950's and became commercially successful shortly after its
introduction to industry. The ability of the process to sever any electrically conductive
material made it especially attractive for cutting nonferrous metals that could not be cut by
the oxyfuel cutting (OFC) process. It was initially used for cutting stainless steel and
aluminum. As the cutting process was developed, it was found that it had advantages over
other cutting processes for cutting carbon steel as well as nonferrous metals. These
advantages are summarized below.
When compared to mechanical cutting processes, the amount of force required to hold the
work piece in place and move the torch (or vice versa) is much lower with the "non-contact"
plasma arc cutting process. Compared to OFC, the plasma cutting process operates at a much
higher energy level, resulting in faster cutting speeds. In addition to its higher speed, PAC has
the advantage of instant start-up without requiring preheat. Instantaneous starting is
particularly advantageous for applications involving interrupted cutting, such as severing
mesh.
There are notable limitations to PAC. When compared to most mechanical cutting means,
PAC introduces hazards such as fire, electric shock, intense light, fumes and gases, and noise

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levels that may not be present with mechanical processes. It is also difficult to control PAC as
precisely as some mechanical processes for close tolerance work. When compared to OFC,
the PAC equipment tends to be more expensive, requires a fairly large amount of electric
power, and introduces electrical shock hazards.
Arc plasma is a gas which has been heated by an arc to at least a partially ionized condition,
enabling it to conduct electric current. A plasma exists in any electric arc, but the
term plasma arc is associated with torches which utilize a constricted arc. The principle
feature which distinguishes plasma arc torches from other arc torches is that, for a given
current and gas flow rate, the arc voltage is higher in the constricted arc torch.
The arc is constricted by passing it through an orifice downstream of the electrode. As
plasma gas passes through the arc, it is heated rapidly to a high temperature, expands, and is
accelerated as it passes through the constricting orifice toward the work piece. The intensity
and velocity of the plasma is determined by several variables including the type of gas, its
pressure, the flow pattern, the electric current, the size and shape of the orifice, and the
distance to the workpiece.
PAC circuitry operates on direct current, straight polarity. The orifice directs the super-heated
plasma stream from the electrode toward the work piece. When the arc melts the work piece,
the high-velocity jet blows away the molten metal to form the kerf or cut. The cutting arc
attaches to or "transfers" to the work piece, and is referred to as a transferred arc.The
different gases used for plasma arc cutting include nitrogen, argon, air, oxygen, and mixtures
of nitrogen/hydrogen and argon/hydrogen.
PAC torches are available in various current ranges, generally categorized as low power
[those operating at 30 amperes (A) or less], medium power level [30-100 (A)], and high
power [from 100-1000 (A)]. Different power levels are appropriate for different applications,
with the higher power levels being used for cutting thicker metal at higher speeds.
One of two starting methods is used to initiate the cutting arc: pilot arc starting or electrode
(or tip) retracts starting. A pilot arc is an arc between the electrode and the torch tip. This arc
is sometimes referred to as a nontransferred arc because it does not transfer or attach to the
work piece, as compared to the transferred arc which does. A pilot arc provides an
electrically conductive path between the electrode in the torch and the work piece so that the
main cutting arc can be initiated.
The most common pilot arc starting technique is to strike a high-frequency spark between the
electrode and the torch tip. A pilot arc is established across the resulting ionized path. When
the torch is close enough to the work piece so the plume or flame of the pilot arc touches the

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work piece, an electrically conductive path from the electrode to the work
piece is established. The cutting arc will follow this path to the work
piece. Retract starting torches have a moveable tip or electrode so that the
tip and electrode can be momentarily shorted together and then separated
or "retracted" to establish the cutting arc.
Applications of arc welding:
Metal arc welding is one of the world's most popular welding
processes, accounting for over half of all welding in some countries.
Because of its versatility and simplicity, it is particularly dominant in the
maintenance and repair industry, and is heavily used in the construction of
steel structures and in industrial fabrication. In recent years its use has
declined as flux-cored arc welding has expanded in the construction
industry and gas metal arc welding has become more popular in industrial
environments. However, because of the low equipment cost and wide
applicability, the process will likely remain popular, especially among
amateurs and small businesses where specialized welding processes are
uneconomical and unnecessary.
SMAW is often used to weld carbon steel, low and high alloy steel,
stainless steel, cast iron, and ductile iron. While less popular for
nonferrous materials, it can be used on nickel and copper and their alloys
and, in rare cases, on aluminium. The thickness of the material being
welded is bounded on the low end primarily by the skill of the welder, but
rarely does it drop below 0.05 in (1.5 mm). No upper bound exists: with
proper joint preparation and use of multiple passes, materials of virtually
unlimited thicknesses can be joined. Furthermore, depending on the
electrode used and the skill of the welder, SMAW can be used in any
position.

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