Fusion Welding Process

ARC-WELDING PROCESSES
- In arc welding, the heat is obtained from electrical energy
- By using AC or a DC power supply.
- The process involved can be either consumable or nonconsumable electrode.
- An arc is produced between the tip of electrode and the
work piece which need to be welded.
- The arc produces temperatures approximately 5000 degrees
celsius.

Arc welding
Equipments:

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

Arc Welding Equipments

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

Arc shielding is accomplished by:

argon, helium, CO2
S

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

Power Source in Arc Welding

DC arc welding is more expensive than AC welding.
DC W is generally preferred because of the control of heat
input offered by it.
70 % of heat is liberated near the anode ,30% cathode.
If more heat is required at w/p ( thicker w/p, high thermal
conductivity metals such as Al, Copper ) w/p can be
connected to anode Straight polarity or DCEN ( Direct
current Electrode negative)
It produces welds that are narrow and deep.

 If less heat is required at w/p, (thinner w/p)

w/p can be connected to negative. This is
referred as reverse polarity, or DCEP(direct
current Electrode positive )
The weld zone is shallower and wider
DCEN

DCEP

Fig. The effect of polarity on weld beads:

(a) dc current straight polarity; (b) dc current reverse polarity; (c) ac current.

Comparison of AC & DC welding machines

AC machine ( Transformer)

DC machine (Generator)

1.Efficency is more (80 to 85 %)

Efficiency is less (30 to 60 %)

2.Power consumption is less

Power consumption is more

3.Cost of equipment is less

Cost of equipment is more

4. Any terminal can be connected

Polarity is significant
to work or electrode
5.Voltage is higher, not safe
Voltage is low, safer operation
6.Not suitable for welding
nonferrous metals

Very much suitable for both

ferrous & nonferrous metals

7.Not preferred for welding thin

sections

Preferred for welding thin sections

Arc welding
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.

Heat transfer in arc welding

Heat input is

H
VI
e
l
v

H = heat input
l = weld length
V = voltage applied I = current
v = welding speed e = efficiency

Heat input to melt a certain volume of

material is

H uVm uAl
Welding speed is
ve

VI
uA

u = specific energy required for melting

Vm = volume of material melted
A = cross section of the weld

Consider the situation where a welding operation is being

performed with V = 20volts, I = 200A and the cross-sectional area
of the weld bead is 30 mm2. Estimate the welding speed if the
work piece and electrode are made of (a) aluminium, (b) carbon
steel, and (c) titanium. Use an efficiency of 75%.

20 200
VI

Solution

ve
34.5 mm/s
0.75
uA
2.930
a)For aluminium,

b)For carbon steel,

c)For titanium,

v 8.1mm/s

v 7.0 mm/s

Consumable Electrode
AW Processes
Shielded Metal Arc
Welding
Gas Metal Arc
Welding(MIG)
Flux-Cored Arc Welding
Electrogas Welding
Submerged Arc Welding

Non consumable
Electrode Processes
Gas Tungsten Arc
Welding (TIG)
Plasma Arc Welding
Carbon Arc Welding
Stud Welding

MIG (Metal Inert Gas)

or
GMAW (Gas Metal Arc Welding )

Weld materials:
Carbon steels, low alloy steels, stainless
steels, most aluminum alloys, zinc based
copper alloys

MIG or GMAW

Consumable electrode is in the form of a wire reel which is fed

at constant rate.

Weld area is shielded by an external source of gas.

Deoxidizers are present in the electrode to prevent oxidation.
Process is rapid, versatile and economical.
Shielding gas :Argon, Nitrogen, Helium
The temperatures generated are relatively low.
Suitable only for thin sheets which is less than 6mm.

Gas Metal-Arc Welding

TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas)

or
Gas Tungsten Arc Welding ( GTAW)
As the tungsten electrode is not consumed, a constant
and stable arc gap is maintained at a constant current
level
GTAW process is used for applications with aluminium,
magnesium & titanium
Cost of the inert gas is more expensive but provides high
quality welds and surface finish

 Suitable for thin metals.

Provides welds with very high quality and surface
finish
Filler metal is supplied from a filler wire

The shielding gas is usually argon or helium

This filler metals are similar to the metal that need to
be welded, and flux is not used.
In this operation, tungsten electrode is not consumed,
therefore a constant and stable arc gap is maintained at
a constant current level.

 Power supply either 200A DC or 500A AC; depending on

the metals to be welded.
Generally, AC is suitable for aluminum and magnesium.
Thorium or zirconium may be used in the tungsten
electrodes to improve the electron emission
characteristics.

Contamination of the tungsten electrode by molten

metal can cause discontinuities in the weld.
Therefore, contact between the electrode with the
molten metal pool should be avoided.

Gas Tungsten Arc Welding

Gas Tungsten Arc Welding

Gas Tungsten-Arc Welding

Gas Tungsten Arc Welding

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)

In this welding operation, a concentrated plasma arc is
produced and directed towards the weld area.
The arc is stable and the temperature can reaches up to 28000
degrees celsius.

PAW has less thermal distortion, and higher energy

concentration permitting deeper and narrower welds.
Plasma: it is an ionized hot gas composed of nearly equal
number of electrons and ions.

 This plasma initiated between the tungsten electrode and the small orifice by a

low current pilot arc.

Operating current: usually below 100A.
Filler metal is fed into the arc during welding process.
There are two methods of plasma-arc welding:
a) Transferred-arc method
Work piece being welded is part of the electrical
circuit. The arc transfers from the electrode to
the work piece.
b) Non-transferred method
The arc occurs between the electrode and the
nozzle. The heat is carried to the workpiece by
the plasma gas.

 Welding speeds from 120 to 1000 mm/min.

Can be welded with part thickness less than 6mm.

Plasma-Arc Welding Process

Welded Joints

Fig. Examples of
welded joints and
their terminology.