Shielded Metal Arc Welding

By L D Poyyara

1
 What Is Welding ?
Process of joining metals / alloys

The process performed by Heat with or

without Pressure

Filler metal may or may not be used

The joint will be homogeneous

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 2
 Classification Of Welding

1 Pressure Welding With Heat &

Pressure

2 Fusion Welding With Heat &

mostly with Filler

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 3
Pressure Welding Process

Metal parts heated to forging temperature

Heating by Oven, Oxy fuel flame or Electric
Resistance
Pressure applied on heated parts by
Hammer, Hydraulic Press or Mechanical lever
The Parts remain permanent homogeneous
joint

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 4
Types Of Pressure Welding

Forge Welding
Resistance Butt / Flash Butt / Stud
Welding
Resistance Spot Welding
Resistance Seam welding

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 5
 Fusion Welding Process
Metal parts locally heated to melt along the joint.

Heating by oxy fuel flame or electric Arc.

Invariably filler metal added to molten pool.

On cooling, molten puddle solidifies to permanent

homogeneous joint.

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 6
Types Of Fusion Welding

Shielded Metal Arc Welding- SMAW

Gas Tungsten Arc Welding - GTAW
Gas Metal Arc Welding - MIG / MAG
Submerged Arc Welding SAW
Gas welding Oxy Fuel Gas
Electron Beam Welding - EBW
Thermit Welding
POYYARA CONSULTANTS 7
 SMAW Process
Core Wire
An electric Arc struck between
electrode and base metal joint
Base metal melts under arc Flux Coating
Electrode tip melts in drops
and transfers to molten pool of
BM
Electrode with Arc moves along
the joint keeping constant arc Arc
Pool
length
Base Metal
On cooling pool solidifies
POYYARA CONSULTANTS 8
Equipment, Accessories &
tools
Power Source

Welding Cables, Holder & Earthing

Clamp

Head Screen, Hand gloves, Chipping

Hammer & Wire Brush

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 9
 Types Of Power Source

Inverter- DC

Thyrester DC

Motor Generator / Diesel Generator Set -DC

Rectifier DC

Transformer - AC

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 10
 Characteristic Of Power
Source
Manual welding Machine welding
Drooping Cons. A Linear Cons. V
V V
V1
Vertical
V2
Horizontal
Curve Curve
V1
V2

A A
A1 A2 A1 A2

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 11
 Electrode

Consumable

Metallic Wire Coated with Flux

Conducts Current and generates Arc

Wire melts & deposited as filler in joint

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 12
Flux Coating On Electrode
Sodium Chloride
Potassium Chloride
Titanium Dioxide
Sodium Silicate
Ferrosilicon
Iron Powder
Alloying Elements
Binding Material

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 13
Function Of Flux In welding

Stabilizes Arc
Prevents contamination of weld metal
Cleans the weld from unwanted impurities
Increases fluidity of molten metal
Generates inert gas shielding while metal
transfers

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 14
Function Of Flux In welding

Forms slag after melting & covers weld

Allows deposited metal to cool slowly
Introduces alloying elements in the weld
Increases deposition efficiency
Minimizes the spatter generation
Helps in even & uniform bead finish

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 15
 CS & LAS Electrode Sizes &
Recommended Currents
Core Wire in mm Time Average
required for electrodes
No Dia Length Gage Current
burning in consumed in
seconds 8 Hrs shift

1 2 300 14 40 60 A 50-55 ---

2 2.5 350 12 60 85 A 60-65 ---

100 130
3 3.15 450 10 80 -85 120 - 140
A
130 180
4 4 450 8 85-90 110 - 120
A
150 210
5 5 450 6 90-95 80 - 90
A
240 250
6 6.3 450 4 95-100 60 -70
A
POYYARA CONSULTANTS 16
 ASME Classification Of
Electrodes
SFA 5.1
E 7018
E = Electrode
70 = UTS in 1000 psi ( 60/70/80/90/100/ 110)
1 = Position (1= all, 2= 1G, 1F & 2F, 3= 1G &
1F)
8 = Type of coating (0,1,2,3,5,6,8)

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 17
 Baking Of Basic Coated
Electrodes
Bake the loose electrodes in a baking Oven
Baking Temperature 250 C to 300 C
Baking Time 2Hrs to 3 Hrs
Reduce the temperature to 100 C to 150 C
Hold the electrodes at this temperature till use
Unused / left over electrodes to be re-baked

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 18
 Why Baking?

To remove the moisture (H2O) from coating

to avoid possible cracking of weld

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 19
 How Does Moist Electrode
Generate Crack Within Weld?
Moist electrodes introduce atomic hydrogen at high
temperature in weld
On cooling, atomic hydrogen try to form molecules
The reaction results in stresses and fine cracks
Cracks occur within hardened metal - HAZ
Known as Hydrogen Embrittlement , Under Bead
Crack, HIC, Delayed Crack

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 20
Important Terminologies used in
Critical Welding Operation

Preheating
Post Heating or Dehydrogenation
Intermediate Stress leaving
Inter pass Temperature
Post Weld Heat Treatment

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 21
 What Is Preheating?

Heating the base metal along the weld joint to a

predetermined minimum temperature
immediately before starting the weld.
Heating by Oxy fuel flame or electric resistant
coil
Heating from opposite side of welding wherever
possible
Temperature to be verified by thermo chalks
prior to starting the weld

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 22
 Why Preheating?
Preheating eliminates possible cracking of weld
and HAZ

Applicable to
Hardenable low alloy steels of all thickness
Carbon steels of thickness above 25 mm.
Restrained welds of all thickness

Preheating temperature vary from 75C to

200C depending on hardenability of material,
thickness & joint restraint

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 23
How does Preheating Eliminate
Crack?

Preheating promotes slow cooling of weld

and HAZ
Slow cooling softens or prevents
hardening of weld and HAZ
Soft material not prone to crack even in
restrained condition

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 24
 What Is Post Heating?
Raising the pre heating temperature of the weld
joint to a predetermined temperature range (250
C to 350 C) for a minimum period of time (3 Hrs)
before the weld cools down to room temperature.
Post heating performed when welding is
completed or terminated any time in between.
Heating by Oxy fuel flame or electric resistant coil
Heating from opposite side of welding wherever
possible
Temperature verified by thermo chalks during the
period
POYYARA CONSULTANTS 25
 Why Post Heating?
Post heating eliminates possible delayed
cracking of weld and HAZ
Applicable to
Thicker hardenable low alloy steels
Restrained hardenable welds of all
thickness
Post heating temperature and duration
depends on hardenability of material,
thickness & joint restrain

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 26
 How does Post Heating
Eliminate Crack?
SMAW introduces hydrogen in weld metal

Entrapped hydrogen in weld metal induces

delayed cracks unless removed before
cooling to room temperature

Retaining the weld at a higher temperature

for a longer duration allows the hydrogen to
come out of weld
POYYARA CONSULTANTS 27
 What Is Intermediate Stress
Relieving?
Heat treating a subassembly in a furnace to a
predetermined cycle immediately on
completion of critical restrained weld joint /
joints without allowing the welds to go down
the pre heat temperature. Rate of heating,
Soaking temperature, Soaking time and rate
of cooling depends on material quality and
thickness
Applicable to
Highly restrained air hardenable material
POYYARA CONSULTANTS 28
 Why Intermediate Stress
Relieving?
Restrained welds in air hardenable steel highly prone
to crack on cooling to room temperature.

Cracks due to entrapped hydrogen and built in stress

Intermediate stress relieving relieves built in stresses

and entrapped hydrogen making the joint free from
crack prone

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 29
 What Is Inter- Pass
Temperature?
The temperature of a previously layed weld
bead immediately before depositing the next
bead over it
Temperature to be verified by thermo chalk
prior to starting next bead
Applicable to
Stainless Steel
Carbon Steel & LAS with minimum impact

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 30
Why Inter Pass Temperature?

Control on inter pass temperature avoids over

heating, there by
Refines the weld metal with fine grains
Improves the notch toughness properties
Minimize the loss of alloying elements in welds
Reduces the distortion

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 31
 What Is Post Weld Heat
Treatment?
Heat treating an assembly on completion of
all applicable welding, in an enclosed furnace
with controlled heating/cooling rate and
soaking at a specific temperature for a
specific time.
Rate of heating, Soaking temperature,
Soaking time and rate of cooling depends on
material quality and thickness
Applicable to
All type of CS & LAS

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 32
Why Post Weld Heat Treatment?

Welded joints retain internal stresses within the

structure
HAZ of welds remains invariably hardened
Post Weld Heat Treatment relieves internal
stresses and softens HAZ. This reduces the
cracking tendency of the equipment in service

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 33
Welding Terminologies used in
Qualifications

Heat In Put
Heat Effected Zone HAZ
Dilution
Overlap In Weld Overlay
Tempering Bead

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 34
 What Is Heat In Put In
Welding?
The extent of heat energy generated in Joules per
unit length while making each weld bead.
Heat In Put is the Function of Welding Current,
Arc Voltage, And the Welding Speed
It is measured in Joules -
Heat In Put In Joules / mm
= (A x V x 60) Travel Speed in mm / min

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 35
 Why Control On Heat in Put?

Heat In put controls the grain size of weld

metal.
Lower the Heat in put finer the grain size.
Finer the Grain size Better the impact properties
Heat In Put Also controls Dilution, HAZ &
Geometry of Bead size

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 36
 What Is Heat Affected Zone
(HAZ)
A small volume of BM adjacent to weld
fusion line, which is totally changed in its
structure due to intense heat of each weld
bead is known HAZ
Diluted BM
HAZ Weld Zone

Fusion Line Diluted BM

Weld Zone
POYYARA CONSULTANTS 37
 What Is Significant Of HAZ
It is a part and parcel of weld joint
It is inevitable
It has properties different from BM &
Weld Metal
Diluted BM
HAZ Weld Zone

Fusion Line Diluted BM

Weld Zone
POYYARA CONSULTANTS 38
 What Is Dilution In Weld
In all Fusion welding, a small portion of BM
very close to the welding heat gets melted and
added to weld zone / fusion zone. Dilution is
the ratio of molten base metal volume (Area)
to the volume ( Area) of total fusion zone
% Dilution = (Area of Diluted BM Total Fused Area) 100

HAZ Weld / Fusion Zone

Fusion Line Diluted BM

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 39
 What Is Significant Of Dilution
Weld metal chemistry changes depending on
the extent of dilution
Chemical elements influence Physical
properties of the joint.
Weld chemistry influences corrosion
resistance of weld overlays
Diluted BM
HAZ Weld Zone

Fusion Line Diluted BM

Weld Zone
POYYARA CONSULTANTS 40
 What Is Overlap In Weld
Overlay?

The extent of covering or over lapping of

previous weld bead by the adjacent bead.

More Thickness
Less Dilution Less Thickness More Dilution

40 to 50 % Over Lap 10 to 15 % Over Lap

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 41
What Is Significant Of Overlap
In Weld Overlay?
Overlap of 40 to 50% results in Less Dilution & more weld
overlay Thickness per layer
Less dilution results weld metal chemistry more towards
filler metal chemistry

More Thickness
Less Dilution Less Thickness More Dilution

40 to 50 % Over Lap 10 to 15 % Over Lap

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 42
 What Is Temper Bead
Technique?
In a multi pass groove & Fillet Welds, each bead &
its HAZ are getting tempered (heat treated) by the
welding heat of the next bead.
Thus all beads & their HAZ, except those in last
layer, are tempered.
Temper beads are the specially & carefully welded
temporary beads on the top of final weld
reinforcement with out allowing to generate any
HAZ within the BM. Temper beads are to be
ground flush with the required reinforcement.

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 43
 Temper Bead

Temper Bead T1 & T2 Not To Generate HAZ

In BM
Temper Beads To Be Ground Flush
T1 T2 T1 & T2 To be ground Flush
Rqd. Reinforcement

5 5
4 4
3 3
2
1
HAZ

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 44
 Common Defects In SMAW
1. Cracks 2. Lack Of Fusion
3. Slag 4. Porosity
5. Pinhole 6. Piping
7. Undercut 8. Overlap
9. Lack Of Penetration 10. Excess Penetration
11. Spatters 12. Suck Back
13. Under Flush 14. Burn Through
15. Uneven Bead 16.Stray Arcing

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 45
 Crack
Cause Remedy
1) Wrong Consumable 1) Use Right Electrode
2) Wrong Procedure 2) Qualify Procedure
3) Improper Preheat 3) Preheat Uniformly
4) Excessive Restrain 4) Post heating or ISR

crack

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 46
 Lack Of Fusion

Cause Remedy
1) Inadequate Current 1) Use Right Current
2) Wrong Electrode angle 2) Train /Qualify welder
3) Improper bead placement 3) Train/Qualify Welder

Lack Of Fusion

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 47
 Slag

Cause
1) Inadequate Cleaning
2) Inadequate Current
3) Wrong Electrode angle
4) Improper bead placement
Remedy
1) Clean each bead
2) Use Right Current
3) Train / Qualify welder
4) Train / Qualify Welder

Slag

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 48
 Porosity

Cause
1) Damp Electrode
2) Damaged coating
3) Wet surface of BM
4) Rusted core wire
Remedy
1) Bake the electrodes
2) Replace the electrodes
3) Clean & warm the BM
4) Replace the electrodes

Porosity . .

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 49
 Pinhole

Cause
1) Damp Electrode
2) Damaged coating
3) Wet surface of BM/WM
4) Rusted core wire
Pinhole
Remedy
1) Bake the electrodes
2) Replace the electrodes
3) Clean & warm the BM
4) Replace the electrodes

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 50
 Piping

Cause Remedy
1) Damp Electrode 1) Bake the electrodes
2) Damaged coating 2) Replace the electrodes
3) Previous beads wet 3) Clean & warm the weld
4) Rusted core wire 4) Replace the electrodes

Piping

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 51
 Undercut
Cause Remedy
1) Excess Current 1) Reduce the Current
2) Excess Voltage 2) Reduce Arc length
3) Improper Electrode 3) Train & Qualify the
angle Welder
4) Eccentric Coating 4) Replace the electrode
Under cut

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 52
 Overlap

Cause Remedy
1) Wrong Electrode Angle 1) Train & Qualify welder

2) Inadequate current 2) Increase the current

Overlap

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 53
 Lack Of Penetration*
Cause
1) Excess Root Face
2) Inadequate Root opening
3) Over size electrode
4) Wrong Electrode angle
5) Improper bead placement
6) Improper weaving technique
* Applicable to SSFPW
LOP POYYARA CONSULTANTS
Remedy
1) Reduce Root Face
2) Increase Root Opening
3) Reduce electrode size
4) Train / Qualify Welder
5) Train / Qualify Welder
6) Train & Qualify Welder
54
 Excess Penetration*
Cause Remedy

1) Excess root opening 1) Reduce root gap

2) Excess Current 2) Reduce Current
3) Inadequate root face 3) Increase Root face
4) Wrong Electrode angle 4) Train / Qualify Welder
* Applicable to SSFPW

Excess Penetration POYYARA CONSULTANTS 55

 Spatters
Cause Remedy
1) Excess Current 1) Reduce to Right Current
2) Excess Voltage 2) Reduce Arc length
3) Wrong Polarity 3) Correct the polarity
4) Wet Electrodes 4) Use Baked electrodes
5) Rusted BM surface 5) Clean BM surface
6) Rusted Core wire 6) Replace the electrodes
7) Eccentrics coating 7) Replace the electrodes
Spatters

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 56
 Suck Back*
Cause Remedy
1) Excess weaving in root 1)Reduce weaving
2) Excess Current 2) Reduce Current
3) Inadequate root face 3) Increase Root face
4) Wrong Electrode angle 4) Train / Qualify Welder

* Applicable to SSFPW in 4G, 3G & 2G

Suck Back POYYARA CONSULTANTS 57

 Under Flush

Cause Remedy
1) Inadequate weld beads in 1) Weld some more beads
final layer in final layer
2) Inadequate understanding on 2) Train / Qualify welder
weld reinforcement requirement
3) Wrong selection of Electrode 3) Train / Qualify Welder
size for final layer

Under flush

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 58
 Burn through*

Cause
1) Excess Current
2) Excess Root opening
3) Inadequate Root face
4) Improper weaving
Remedy
1) Reduce the Current
2) Reduce root opening
3) Increase root face
4) Train / Qualify Welder

Burn trough *Applicable to root pass

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 59
 Uneven Bead Finish
Cause Remedy
1) Improper bead 1) Train & Qualify the
placement Welder
2) Excess Voltage 2) Reduce Arc length
3) Excess / inadequate 3) Train & Qualify the
current Welder
Uneven bead finish

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 60
 Stray Arcing
Cause Remedy
1) Wrong Arc Striking Practice 1) Train the Welder
2) Inadequate Skill of Welder 2) Train the Welder

Arc Strikes

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 61
Good Engineering Practices in
Shielded Metal Arc Welding

62
Good Engineering Practices In
SMAW
Do Welding with properly baked electrodes
Basic coated CS electrodes to be baked to 250C
to 300C for two hours
Baked electrodes to be directly used on job or to
be retained in a hold over oven at 100C to
150C until use
Unused balance electrodes shall be returned to
baking oven

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 63
Good Engineering Practices In
SMAW

Do not weld with damp Electrodes

Do not try to heat electrodes by touching the job
(Short circuiting)
Do not use electrodes with damaged coating
Do not use electrodes with cracked coating
Do not bend the electrodes after holding it in the
holder

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 64
Good Engineering Practices In
SMAW
Do not weld on groove / surface with mill
scale or rusting
Prior to welding, clean the weld groove
with power wire wheel
Do not weld with unidentified electrodes
Do not leave balance electrodes
unattended on shop

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 65
Good Engineering Practices In
SMAW
All connections with earthing and welding
cables shall be tight fitted
Earthing clamp shall always be tightly
connected to the job
Burn the full length of electrode till 37
mm stub length

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 66
Good Engineering Practices In
SMAW
Earthing cable shall directly connect to
the job with an earthing clamp.
Tacks for set up shall be minimum 5
times the electrode diameter
Weaving shall be limited to three times
the electrode diameter.
Only trained & qualified welders shall be
employed for welding

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 67
Good Engineering Practices In
SMAW

Do not direct fan or blower to welding arc

Remove paint if any from the area near welding
While welding in open, area shall be covered to
protect from rain water & breeze
Weld edge preparation shall be free from
serrations

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 68
Good Engineering Practices In
SMAW
Use poison plates between the job
material & structural supports.
Do not damage parent metal while
removing temporary supports.
Locations where from temporary supports
are removed shall be touched up by
welding / grinding and PT checked.

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 69
Good Engineering Practices In
SMAW
Remove visible defects from welds before
placing the subsequent beads
Do not weld over a visible crack
Electrodes kept out side more than 2 Hrs
shall be returned to baking oven
Maximum 15 electrodes at a time shall be
taken from oven for welding

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 70
Good Engineering Practices In
SMAW
When preheat is required, heat from
opposite side of welding.
Use temperature indicating crayons for
checking temperature
Do not Weld more than specified weld
size- Fillet / Reinforcement.

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 71
Safety Precautions in
Shielded Metal Arc Welding

72
Safety Precautions In SMAW

Welders shall use safety devises Hand

gloves, Head screen with right glass &
Safety shoes
Welders shall use full sleeve boiler suit
Use welding glass-DIN 11/12 up to 250
Amps and 13 above 250 Amps
Do not look at the arc with naked eyes

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 73
Safety Precautions In SMAW

Do not throw Stubs on ground. They shall be

placed in stub collector.
Do not keep electrode in the holder when work
is not in progress
Do not touch the electrode held on holder and
the the job when the power source is on
Keep welding cables duly wound near power
source when no welding is done

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 74
Safety Precautions In SMAW

Do not breath welding fumes

When working in confined area, ensure
adequate ventilation / exhaust
Gas cutting torch / preheating burner
shall not be taken inside confined area
unless the flame is lit
When not in use, switch off the the power
source from electric supply

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 75
Safety Precautions In SMAW

Acetone / inflammable liquids (Chemical

for dye penetrant test) shall not be
brought near welding
Gas cutting unit / fuel gas cylinders shall
be away from welding area
Wet safety Shoes or wet hand gloves shall
not be worn while welding

POYYARA CONSULTANTS 76
Thank You