Welding Processes

A Brief History of Welding

Late 19th Century
Scientists/engineers apply advances in electricity to heat
and/or join metals (Le Chatelier, Joule, etc.)
Early 20th Century
Prior to WWI welding was not trusted as a method to join
two metals due to crack issues
1930s and 40s
Industrial welding gains acceptance and is used extensively
in the war effort to build tanks, aircraft, ships, etc.
Modern Welding
the nuclear/space age helps bring welding from an art to a
science

Types of Welding
Fusion Welding
Homogeneous
Gas Welding
Electroslag
High Energy Beam
Electric Arc

Pressure Welding

Heterogeneous
Brazing

Friction Welding

Soldering
MIG
TIG
Shielded Metal Arc Stick

Weldability
Capacity of a metal or combination of metals to
be welded into a suitably designed structure,
and for the resulting weld joint(s) to possess
the required metallurgical properties to perform
satisfactorily in intended service
Good weldability characterized by:
Ease with which welding process is accomplished
Absence of weld defects
Acceptable strength, ductility, and toughness in
welded joint

Weldability of a Metal
Metallurgical Capacity
Parent metal will join with the weld metal without
formation of deleterious constituents or alloys

Mechanical Soundness
Joint will be free from discontinuities, gas porosity,
shrinkage, slag, or cracks

Serviceability
Weld is able to perform under varying conditions
or service (e.g., extreme temperatures, corrosive
environments, fatigue, high pressures, etc.)

Two Categories of Welding

Processes

Fusion welding - coalescence is accomplished

by melting the two parts to be joined, in some
cases adding filler metal to the joint
Examples: arc welding, resistance spot welding,
oxyfuel gas welding

Solid state welding - heat and/or pressure are

used to achieve coalescence, but no melting of
base metals occurs and no filler metal is added
Examples: forge welding, diffusion welding, friction
welding

Arc Welding (AW)

A fusion welding process in which coalescence of
the metals is achieved by the heat from an
electric arc between an electrode and the work
Electric energy from the arc produces
temperatures ~ 10,000 F (5500 C), hot enough
to melt any metal
Most AW processes add filler metal to increase
volume and strength of weld joint

What is an Electric Arc?

An electric arc is a discharge of electric current
across a gap in a circuit
It is sustained by an ionized column of gas
(plasma) through which the current flows
To initiate the arc in AW, electrode is brought
into contact with work and then quickly
separated from it by a short distance

Arc Welding
A pool of molten metal is formed near electrode
tip, and as electrode is moved along joint,
molten weld pool solidifies in its wake

Figure 31.1 Basic configuration of an arc welding process.

Two Basic Types of AW

Electrodes
Consumable consumed during
welding process
Source of filler metal in arc welding

Nonconsumable not consumed during

welding process
Filler metal must be added separately

Consumable Electrodes
Forms of consumable electrodes
Welding rods (a.k.a. sticks) are 9 to 18 inches and
3/8 inch or less in diameter and must be changed
frequently
Weld wire can be continuously fed from spools
with long lengths of wire, avoiding frequent
interruptions

In both rod and wire forms, electrode is

consumed by arc and added to weld joint as
filler metal

Nonconsumable Electrodes
Made of tungsten which resists melting
Gradually depleted during welding
(vaporization is principal mechanism)
Any filler metal must be supplied by a
separate wire fed into weld pool

Arc Shielding
At high temperatures in AW, metals are
chemically reactive to oxygen, nitrogen, and
hydrogen in air
Mechanical properties of joint can be seriously
degraded by these reactions
To protect operation, arc must be shielded from
surrounding air in AW processes

Arc shielding is accomplished by:

Shielding gases, e.g., argon, helium, CO 2
Flux

Flux
A substance that prevents formation of
oxides and other contaminants in
welding, or dissolves them and
facilitates removal
Provides protective atmosphere for
welding
Stabilizes arc
Reduces spattering

Vacuum
Produce high-quality welds
Used in electron beam welding
Nuclear/special metal applications
Zr, Hf, Ti

Reduces impurities by a factor of 20

versus other methods
Expensive and time-consuming

Various Flux Application

Methods
Pouring granular flux onto welding
operation
Stick electrode coated with flux material
that melts during welding to cover
operation
Tubular electrodes in which flux is
contained in the core and released as
electrode is consumed

Power Source in Arc

Welding
Direct current (DC) vs. Alternating
current (AC)
AC machines less expensive to purchase
and operate, but generally restricted to
ferrous metals
DC equipment can be used on all metals
and is generally noted for better arc
control

Consumable Electrode AW
Processes

Shielded Metal Arc Welding

Gas Metal Arc Welding
FluxCored Arc Welding
Submerged Arc Welding

Shielded Metal Arc Welding

(SMAW)
Uses a consumable electrode consisting
of a filler metal rod coated with
chemicals that provide flux and shielding
Sometimes called "stick welding"
Power supply, connecting cables, and
electrode holder available for a few
thousand dollars

Shielded Metal Arc Welding

Figure 31.3 Shielded metal arc welding

(SMAW).

Shielded Metal Arc Welding

Figure 31.2 Shielded

metal arc welding (stick
welding) performed by a
(human) welder (photo
courtesy of Hobart
Brothers Co.).

SMAW Applications
Used for steels, stainless steels,
cast irons, and certain nonferrous
alloys
Not used or rarely used for
aluminum and its alloys, copper
alloys, and titanium

Gas Metal Arc Welding

(GMAW)

Uses a consumable bare metal wire as electrode

and shielding accomplished by flooding arc with
a gas
Wire is fed continuously and automatically from
a spool through the welding gun
Shielding gases include inert gases such as
argon and helium for aluminum welding, and
active gases such as CO 2 for steel welding
Bare electrode wire plus shielding gases
eliminate slag on weld bead - no need for
manual grinding and cleaning of slag

Gas Metal Arc Welding

Figure 31.4 Gas metal arc welding (GMAW).

GMAW Advantages over

SMAW
Better arc time because of continuous wire
electrode
Sticks must be periodically changed in SMAW

Better use of electrode filler metal than SMAW

End of stick cannot be used in SMAW

Higher deposition rates

Eliminates problem of slag removal
Can be readily automated

FluxCored Arc Welding (FCAW)

Adaptation of shielded metal arc welding, to
overcome limitations of stick electrodes
Electrode is a continuous consumable tubing
(in coils) containing flux and other ingredients
(e.g., alloying elements) in its core
Two versions:
Selfshielded FCAW - core includes compounds
that produce shielding gases
Gasshielded FCAW - uses externally applied
shielding gases

Flux-Cored Arc Welding

Figure 31.6 Fluxcored arc welding. Presence or

absence of externally supplied shielding gas
distinguishes the two types: (1) selfshielded, in which
core provides ingredients for shielding, and (2)
gasshielded, which uses external shielding gases.

Submerged Arc Welding (SAW)

Uses a continuous, consumable bare wire
electrode, with arc shielding provided by a
cover of granular flux
Electrode wire is fed automatically from a coil
Flux introduced into joint slightly ahead of arc
by gravity from a hopper
Completely submerges operation, preventing
sparks, spatter, and radiation

Submerged Arc Welding

Figure 31.8 Submerged arc

welding.

SAW Applications and

Products
Steel fabrication of structural shapes
(e.g., Ibeams)
Seams for large diameter pipes, tanks,
and pressure vessels
Welded components for heavy machinery
Most steels (except hi C steel)
Not good for nonferrous metals

Non-consumable Electrode
Processes

Gas Tungsten Arc Welding

Plasma Arc Welding
Carbon Arc Welding
Stud Welding

Gas Tungsten Arc Welding

(GTAW)
Uses a non-consumable tungsten electrode and
an inert gas for arc shielding
Melting point of tungsten = 3410C (6170F)
A.k.a. Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding
In Europe, called "WIG welding"

Used with or without a filler metal

When filler metal used, it is added to weld pool
from separate rod or wire

Applications: aluminum and stainless steel

most common

Gas Tungsten Arc Welding

Figure 31.9 Gas tungsten arc welding.

Advantages / Disadvantages of
GTAW
Advantages:
High quality welds for suitable applications
No spatter because no filler metal through arc
Little or no post-weld cleaning because no flux
Disadvantages:
Generally slower and more costly than
consumable electrode AW processes

Plasma Arc Welding (PAW)

Special form of GTAW in which a constricted
plasma arc is directed at weld area
Tungsten electrode is contained in a nozzle that
focuses a high velocity stream of inert gas
(argon) into arc region to form a high velocity,
intensely hot plasma arc stream
Temperatures in PAW reach 28,000C
(50,000F), due to constriction of arc, producing
a plasma jet of small diameter and very high
energy density

Plasma Arc Welding

Figure 31.10 Plasma arc welding (PAW).

Advantages / Disadvantages of
PAW

Advantages:
Good arc stability
Better penetration control than other AW
High travel speeds
Excellent weld quality
Can be used to weld almost any metals
Disadvantages:
High equipment cost
Larger torch size than other AW
Tends to restrict access in some joints