A

Electrode Coating
Table 13-4 Shielded Arc Properties of Weld
Core Wire
Metal Deposited with Covered Electrodes Shielding Atmosphere
B

Arc Pool
Tensile strength 65,00077,000 p.s.i. Solidified Slag
Ductility or elongation in 2" 2026% C
Impact 3070 ft-lb (Izod) Weld
Fatigue 28,00032,000 p.s.i. Basic
Density 7.847.86 Metal
Arc Stream
Resistance to corrosion is better than mild steel.
It should be noted that these characteristics permit the weld metal to be flanged or bent Crater Depth
cold with success. (Penetration)
As deposited (not stress relieved).
Fig. 13-5 Action of the shielded arc electrode.
Shielded arc welding metal electrodes produce weld
metal characteristics that are superior to the base metal. 4. E7028: iron powder, low hydrogen; DCEP or a.c.;
In this course we will be concerned with those types flat and horizontal position
of shielded arc welding metal electrodes that are widely 5. E7016: low hydrogen; DCEP or a.c.; all position
used in industry and covered electrodes in the following 6. E7018: iron powder, low hydrogen; DCEP or a.c.;
AWS-ASTM classifications: all position
1. E6010: covered electrode; DCEP only; all position All electrodes in other tensile strength classifications
2. E6011: covered electrode; DCEP or a.c.; all position produce welds resembling those in the 60XX and 70XX
3. E6013: covered electrode; DCEP or a.c.; all position classifications shown in Fig. 13-6. Study Table 13-5 (p. 338)

A B C D E F G H I J K

Fig. 13-6 Comparative appearance of weld beads made with various electrodes.

Shielded Metal Arc Welding Practice: Jobs 13-J1J25 (Plate) Chapter 13 337
 Table 13-5 Weld Characteristics Obtained in Mild Rolled Steel with Covered Electrodes

Resulting Weld Characteristics

Penetration
Operating Variables1 Arc Sound and Fusion Electrode Burnoff Appearance of Bead
Normal amps, normal volts, Sputtering hiss plus Fairly deep and Normal appearance. Smooth, well-defined bead and
normal speed (A) irregular energetic well-defined Coating burns evenly no under-cutting. Excellent
crackling sounds fusionno overlap
Low amps, normal volts, Very irregular Poor: not very Not greatly different Bead lies on top of plate.
normal speed (B) Sputtering deep nor defined from above Note there is not the overlap
Few crackling sounds produced by bare rod;
excessive pilling
High amps, normal volts, Rather regular Deep, long crater Coating is consumed Broad, rather thin bead; good
normal speed (C) explosive sounds at irregular high fusion; excessive spatter and
ratewatch carefully undercutting; irregular deposit
Low volts, normal speed, Hiss plus steady sputter Small Coating too close Bead lies on top of plate but
normal amps (D) to crater. Touches not so pronounced as for low
molten metal and amps. Somewhat broader
results in porosity
High volts, normal speed, Very soft sound plus Wide and rather Note drops at end of Wide, spattered, irregular
normal amps (E) hiss and few crackles deep electrode. Flutter and bead; pilling
then drop into crater
Low speed, normal amps, Normal Crater normal Normal Wide beadlarge overlap base
normal volts (F) metal and bead heated for
considerable area; pilling
High speed, normal amps, Normal Small, rather well- Normal Small beadundercut. The
normal volts (G) defined crater reduction in bead size and
amount of undercutting depend
on ratio of speed and amps

See Fig. 13-7 for welds A through G.

1

carefully. It lists operating variables and weld characteris-

tics that will be helpful as you begin practice with covered
electrodes.
A B C D E F G
You will observe fusion of the weld metal and
base metal so that you will gain a good under-
standing of its action and importance. The arc
requires that the welder hold an almost perfect
arc gap for a weld of good appearance and qual-
ity. Practice will help you developa steady hand
and make it easier for you to make good welds.
Study Fig. 13-7 to learn what operating and
weld characteristics you should strive for and
what you should avoid when welding.

Practice Jobs
Instructions for Completing Practice Jobs
Your instructor will assign appropriate practice
in arcwelding from the jobs listed in the Job Out-
Fig. 13-7 Plan and elevation views of welds made with electrodes under various
line, Table 13-6, page 387. Before you begin a operating conditions. (A) Current, voltage, and speed normal. (B) Current too low.
job, study the specifications given in the Job Out- (C) Current too high. (D) Voltage too low, short arc. (E) Voltage too high, long arc.
line. The Text Reference column lists the pages (F) Speed of travel too low. (G) Speed of travel too high.

338 Chapter 13 Shielded Metal Arc Welding Practice: Jobs 13-J1J25 (Plate)
in the chapter on which the job drawing and job description
appear. Pay particular attention to the drawing that accom-
panies the job description. The title block gives the size
and type of stock, the number, type and size of electrodes,
and the tolerances required. A pictorial view of the job
is shown to help you interpret the top, front, and left side
views. Refer to Chapter 30, Welding Symbols, as necessary
to interpret the welding symbols shown on the drawings.
As an example of how to find the information neces-
sary to complete a job, turn to the Job Outline and find Job
13-J11, Stringer Beading. The Job Outline states that the
weld is to be made on flat plate, the direction of travel is
down, and the position of welding is vertical. The welding
current may be either direct current, electrode positive po-
larity, or alternating current. Use the E6010 electrode with
direct current, electrode positive, and the E6011 electrode
with alternating current. The job drawing and job descrip-
tion may be found on pages345 to 347. Turn to page346 Fig. 13-8 Position of the electrode and electrode holder when
striking the arc. Location: Northeast Wisconsin Technical College
and study the job drawing. The title block states that the McGraw-Hill Education/Mark A. Dierker, photographer
stock is 316 7 8 mild steel plate, the fractional limits
are 18-inch, and 532-inch electrodes are required. The front Welding Technique
view indicates 116-inch reinforcement, 116-inch penetra-
tion, and beads that are 516 inch wide. The top view shows The arc is established by lightly touching the plate with the
the direction of travel and instructs you to make beads on electrode and then withdrawing it, Fig. 13-8. Current flows
both sides of the plate. The welding symbol shown in the immediately, and the arc will be maintained if the gap is not
pictorial view tells you that these are surface beads and too great. The heat of the arc causes the plate, electrode coat-
directs you to read note A below the view for additional ing, and the electrode to melt, making it possible to weld. If
information. the electrode is not withdrawn fast enough, it will stick to the
Complete the jobs in the order assigned by your in- plate and may be freed by a quick twist of the wrist.
structor. At certain points in your practice, you will test a Striking the arc may be accomplished by a straight up-
sample weld for soundness. Refer to Job 13-J14, page 363, and-down motion (Fig. 13-9A), or by a scratching motion
for an example of such a check test. As you progress, you
will be asked to pass performance tests for welder quali-
fication. After completing Job 14-J28, for example, you
will take Test 1 in the flat position. Depending on local A B OU T WEL DIN G
requirements, your instructor may also ask you to pass
Test 3 in the flat position. At the conclusion of the course U.S. Tanker
in shielded metal arc welding (plate) you will be required The first all-welded U.S. tanker was the
Poughkeepsie Socony. It was launched in the 1920s.
to take the complete series of welder qualification tests.
These tests are described on pages 920934.
Electrode Electrode
Job 13-J1 Striking the Arc and Short Start of Start of
Stringer Beading End of
Stroke
Stroke End of
Stroke
Stroke

Objective
To strike the arc and deposit short stringer beads on flat Contact Contact
steel plate in the flat position with E6013 electrodes. Work Work
Striking the arc with a Striking the arc with
General Job Information vertical down and up stroke. a scratching motion.
Striking the arc is a basic action throughout the entire A B
welding operation. It will occur each time the welding op-
eration is started. Fig. 13-9 Two methods of striking the arc.

Shielded Metal Arc Welding Practice: Jobs 13-J1J25 (Plate) Chapter 13 339
(Fig. 13-9B), page 339. Use the method that causes you
the least trouble.
After you have mastered striking the arc, practice
depositing sort stringer beads. Hold the electrode at the
starting point for a short time to allow fusion to occur
and the bead to form. Advance the electrode at a uniform Start Arc 3/8 Inch
Ahead of Weld Point
rate of travel, feeding steadily downward as the electrode
is melted into the pool. Consume the electrode until it
reaches the last classification numbers. This will reduce Fig. 13-10 Use this hot-start method with the rapid motion and
waste and help your instructor control costs. correct arc gap to eliminate cold starts, poor fusion, and poor weld
It is important that the correct arc gap be maintained. profile at the start.
A sharp crackling sound, an even transfer of the molten
and help stabilize the arc, which will provide good fusion
ball of metal across the arc gap, and lack of spatter are
at the start of the weld and in the arc strike area, Fig. 13-10.
indications of correct arc gap. An arc that is held too short
is very erratic. It will stick to the plate and go out. A long
arc is recognized by a steady hiss, like escaping steam. Operations
Penetration is poor, and overlap occurs along the sides of 1. Obtain plate; check the job drawing, Fig. 13-11, for size.
the bead. There is a considerable amount of spatter. 2. Obtain a square and scale, dividers, scribe, and
In order to get a good hot start and prevent arc strikes, center punch from the toolroom.
start the arc 38 inch ahead of where you want to start the 3. Lay out parallel lines as shown in the job drawing.
weld. With a rapid motion and correct arc length move to the 4. Mark the lines with a center punch. They should
starting point of the weld. This will preheat the starting point look like those in Fig. 13-8, page 339.

Fig. 13-11 Job drawing J1.

340 Chapter 13 Shielded Metal Arc Welding Practice: Jobs 13-J1J25 (Plate)
 5. Obtain electrodes of each quantity, type, and size
specified in the job drawing.
6. Set power source for 70 to 120 amperes. Set a d.c.
power source for DCEN.
7. Lay the plate in the flat position on the welding
table. Make sure it is well-grounded.
8. Practice striking the arc and make beads as instructed
in the job drawing. Hold the electrode in the position
shown in Fig. 13-8. Strike the arc by touching the plate
with either of the motions shown in Fig. 13-9.
9. Chip the slag and brush the beads and inspect. Refer
to Inspection, below.
10. Practice this job until you can strike an arc freely,
without sticking, and where desired.
Inspection
Compare the beads with Fig. 13-12, and check them for
the following weld characteristics:
Width and height: Uniform
Appearance: Smooth with even ripples; free of voids and
high spots
Size: Refer to the job drawing.
Face of beads: Slightly convex
Edges of beads: Good fusion, no overlap, no undercut
Beginnings: Full size
Penetration and fusion: To plate surfaces
Surrounding plate surfaces: Free of spatter and arc strikes
Disposal
Discard completed plates in the waste bin. Plates must be
filled with beads on both sides before disposal.
Job 13-J2 Stringer Beading
Objective
To deposit stringer beads on flat plate in the flat posi-
tion with DCEN and/or a.c. shielded metal arc electrodes
(AWS E6013).
General Job Information
It has been found beneficial to start practice with
medium-sized electrodes (18- and 532-inch diameters)
Fig. 13-12 Method of marking parallel lines and typical appearance of short
stringer beads welded in the flat position with coated electrodes.
Shielded Metal Arc Welding Practice: Jobs 13-J1J25 (Plate) Chapter 13 341
although the tendency in industry today is toward the use
of larger-sized electrodes (316- and 14-inch diameters).
You should practice with 316-inch diameter electrodes
after you have mastered the use of the 532inch size.
This job requires E6013 electrodes. The power source
may be either DCEN or alternating current. Study the sec-
tion in Chapter12 concerning this electrode. It is classi-
fied as an all-position electrode, but is used for the most
part in the flat and horizontal positions. Vertical-down
welding is also a major use.
E6013 electrodes used with alternating current require
lower welding currents. They are particularly suited to
welding thin metals. Their arc is soft, and penetration
is very light. The bead is smooth, and the ripple is fine.
E6013 electrodes produce a flat fillet weld. They are suit-
able for groove welds because of the flat bead shape and
easily removed slag.
The principal differences between alternating current
and direct current welding are (1) the establishing of the
arc and (2) the length of the arc maintained when welding.
The a.c. arc is established by scratching or dragging the
electrode over the work. The constant reversal of alternat-
ing current causes starting to be somewhat difficult and
makes it necessary to hold a longer arc than when welding
with a direct current. The longer arc makes it more diffi-
cult to weld in the vertical and overhead positions.
One major advantage of welding with alternating cur-
rent is the absence of arc blow. This permits the use of
larger electrodes and more current so that heavy steels can
be welded faster. The same basic techniques used in weld-
ing with direct current may also be used in welding with
alternating current. A.C. welds have good penetration, are
of high quality, and are similar in appearance to those
produced with direct current.
Welding Technique
Pay close attention to your current setting. Hold the
electrode at a 90 angle to the plate. This is called the
work angle, Fig. 13-9A. Then tilt the electrode 10 to 20
in the direction of travel. This is called the travel angle,
Fig.13-9B.
Too short an arc gap allows the coating to contact the
molten weld pool and causes slag inclusions. If
the arc is too long, the metal is transferred in large
irregular drops and is exposed to the surrounding
air. This produces rough welds, excessive spatter,
and oxidation. The sound of the arc and the action
of the weld pool indicate the correct arc gap.
When starting the bead, strike a long arc and
hold it on one spot long enough to heat the base
metal. Gradually close the arc gap until a little
pool of molten metal of the proper size is formed.

JO B TI P
Areas of Growth
1. Infrastructure repair
2. Transportation, including marine and aerospace
3. Automotive use of aluminum
4. Processes such as friction stir, resistance, plasma arc,
and capacitor discharge
The pool should be fused well into the base metal before
moving forward with the bead. A slight back-and-forth mo-
tion along the line of weld may be used. Most welders, how-
ever, prefer to advance along the line of weld without this
motion. They pace their travel by the formation of the bead
and feed the electrode downward with a slow steady move-
ment to maintain a constant arc gap.
When the electrode is consumed or for any reason the arc
is broken, a special procedure must be used to ensure a good
start with good fusion and appearance. Remove the slag,
and wire brush the crater area. Restart the arc at the forward
edge of the crater. Bring it back across the crater to the edge
of the already deposited metal, and then forward again in
the direction of welding, Fig. 13-9, page 339. If you do not
bring the electrode back far enough, there will be a depres-
sion between the starting and stopping points. If you bring
it back too far, the weld metal will pile up in a large lump.
You will notice that a crater will form at the end of each
weld bead and at each stopping point. These craters are a
helpful indication of penetration. They should be filled to
the full cross section of the weld to prevent crater cracks
and for craters to meet size and strength requirements.
The crater can be filled with a number of techniques.
1. Move the arc to the back of the weld pool. Pause the
arc a short time over the crater while maintaining
the proper arc length. Then quickly break the arc.
2. Use a slight circular motion to fill the crater.
3. Reverse the direction (back-stepping) and leave the
crater on top of the previously deposited weld metal.
Since this weld has some convexity, the cross sec-
tion should be appropriate.
Never use a long arc to fill the crater. This is a bad tech-
nique, and when using the low hydrogen e lectrodes, long
arcing will cause porosity.
Weld on both sides of the plate. When the plate is com-
pletely filled, deposit additional beads at right angles to the
beads already on the plate. Be sure to practice traveling in all
directions: left to right, right to left, and away from yourself.
To execute good stop and restarts, review Fig. 13-13.
Operations
1. Obtain plate; check the job drawing, Fig. 13-14,
for size.
2. Obtain a square head and scale, dividers, scribe, and
center punch from the toolroom.
3. Lay out parallel lines as shown on the job drawing.
4. Mark the lines with a center punch. They should
look like those in Fig. 13-15.
5. Obtain electrodes of each quantity, type, and size
specified in the job drawing.
6. Set a d.c. power source for electrode negative at 110
to 190 amperes, or an a.c. power source at 120 to
210 amperes.
7. Lay the plate in the flat position on the welding
table. Make sure that the plates are well-connected
to the work connection.
8. Make beads on 58-inch center lines as shown on the
job drawing. Hold the electrode at a 90 angle to
the plate and then tilt it 10 to 20 in the direction of
welding, Fig. 13-16, page 344.
9. Chip the slag from the beads, brush, and inspect.
Refer to Inspection.
10. Make additional beads between the already
deposited beads as shown on the job drawing.

Arc Start
Weld Stop/Start

Travel Direction Travel Direction Travel Direction

38/ inch

A B C

Fig. 13-13 Stops and restarts. (A) Do not fill crater at his point. (B) As you have been doing, start the
arc 38 inch ahead of crater and move rapidly to the crater. (C) Dwell long enough to get proper fill and
begin welding in normal fashion. This is being shown on a T-joint with a fillet weld. However, this tech-
nique will work with beads on plate as well.

342 Chapter 13 Shielded Metal Arc Welding Practice: Jobs 13-J1J25 (Plate)
 Fig. 13-14 Job drawing J2.

11. Chip the slag from the beads, brush, and

inspect. Refer to Inspection.
12. Practice these beads until you can produce
uniform beads consistently with both types
of current.

Inspection
Compare the beads with Fig. 13-15 and check
them for the following characteristics:
Width and height: Uniform Fig. 13-15 Method of marking parallel lines and typical appearance of stringer
beads welded in the flat position with DCEN or a.c. shielded arc electrodes.
Appearance: Smooth with close ripples; free of
voids and high spots. Restarts should be d ifficult to
locate. Disposal
Size: Refer to the job drawing. Discard completed plates in the waste bin. Plates must be
Face of beads: Slightly convex filled with beads on both sides.
Edges of beads: Good fusion, no overlap, no undercut
Starts and stops: Free of depressions and high spots Job 13-J3 Weaved Beading
Beginnings and endings: Full size, craters filled
Penetration and fusion: To plate surfaces and adjacent Objective
beads To deposit weaved beads on flat steel plate in the flat posi-
Surrounding plate surfaces: Free of spatter tion with a DCEN and/or a.c. shielded metal arc electrode
Slag formation: Full coverage, easily removable (AWS E6013).

Shielded Metal Arc Welding Practice: Jobs 13-J1J25 (Plate) Chapter 13 343