Arc Welding without Shielding Gas

This chapter is about arc welding processes that do not require shielding gas. The arc and the weld pool are protected by means of certain minerals that create gases and slag during welding. The most important process is metal arc welding with coated electrodes. The following metal arc welding processes without shielding gas should be mentioned: 1. Arc welding with coated electrodes (SMAW) 2. Gravity arc welding with coated electrodes 3. Arc welding with fluxcored filler wire (FCAW) 4. Submerged arc welding (SAW) Using wire electrodes that are fed continuously can increase the productivity, but this has caused problems with the coating. However, this problem has been solved by the use of fluxcored wire and by submerged arc welding where the coating is either inside the wire or placed loose on the surface of the weld.

Arc Welding with Coated Electrodes

Arc welding with coated electrodes requires an electrode that is made of a core wire of steel and a coating. The arc burns between the end of the coated electrode and the workpiece. The steel core melts into the weld pool and provides the necessary filler material. The coating produces shielding gases and slag during the welding which protect the arc and the weld pool, thus making it possible to produce welds unaffected by the harmful atmospheric air. Welding produces welding fumes and fierce light. The light is very harmful to the eyes and skin. Therefore both the welder and his surroundings must be protected against the welding light. Arc welding with a coated electrode is a typical manual arc welding process. The electrode has a limited length that means that the welding process is frequently interrupted and the working time is badly utilised. The many stops typically mean that the arc is only ignited 25-60% of the working time. Many initiatives have been taken to improve the productivity of MMA welding.

Current circuit of the process Arc Welding with Coated Electrodes

The arc burns between the melting electrode and the workpiece. When the coating is burning/melting it produces shielding gases and slag which protect the weld pool.

a new electrode. These many interruptions of the welding may cause an increased risk of errors and a bad productivity. The many stops typically mean that the arc is only maintained 25-60% of the welding time. Arc welding with coated electrodes (SMAW) is primarily used for welding in nonalloyed, low-alloyed and high-alloyed steels in thickness ranges from about 2 mm, for instance welding of steel constructions, vessels under pressure, construction of ships and all other similar construction in one unit production or small serial production. When working on larger serial production it is advantageous to use welding processes that are easier to mechanise.

Schematic illustration of the process in the arc with a coated electrode. On the left are small droplets, on the right large droplets The type of electrodes, which we use today, were invented and patented in 1907 by the Swedish engineer Oskar Keldberg. He was the first one to coat the electrode by dipping it into a suspension of different minerals using alkali silicate as adhesive agent. As the construction of suitable power sources developed, the use of electrode welding steadily increased and reached its peak in the years from 1964 to 1970. Afterwards the process has been somewhat set back due to the competition from the welding processes using shielding gas. The slag, which is produced when the coating melts, lies on top of the weld protecting and shaping the weld during the solidification. The slag should be removed after welding of each run. It is often self-releasing. Arc welding is a typical manual welding process. The electrode has a certain length, usually 350450 mm. If it were longer the vertical resistance for the welding current would be too great. When welding with very long electrodes the welder also has problems with keeping the electrode adequately steady during welding. When the electrode has melted, the welder has to change to An arc of a certain length in air requires a certain voltage and current intensity. Furthermore, the airdistance and the arc gap should be or must be made electrically conductive, as it is otherwise not possible to establish the arc. It will extinguish immediately after the arc is established. Atmospheric air is not electrically conductive. Therefore there must be electric charge carriers (ions, electrons) in the air gap in order to provide the adequate electrical conductivity. The air gap must be ionised. When the arc is ignited there will be a brief shortcircuit between the electrode and the surface of the workpiece, and consequently a strong heat will be produced. At the negative pole (cathode) electrons flock out and move with high speed through the electrical field to the positive pole (anode). On their way they collide with air atoms/molecules. This collision sets free more electrons, and the rest become positive ions that

moves towards the cathode. Their collisions with anode and cathode will produce heat. The continuous flow of electrons caused by the welding voltage maintains the ionisation. The arc is established and stable. The anode (+pole) will usually become hotter than the cathode (-pole). When welding with thinly coated electrodes this strong heating of the anode is very significant. Therefore welding is done with negative polarity on the electrode in order to utilise the development of heat on the workpiece. Most coated electrodes can be used both with the electrode connected to +pole and -pole. However, acidic and rutile electrodes are normally connected to negative polarity on the electrode and positive polarity on the workpiece. Basic electrodes are welded with positive polarity on the electrode. The manufacturers of electrodes normally indicate the recommended polarity on the electrode package. When welding with alternating current the voltage switches 100 times per second (50 Hz) from positive to negative. When the voltage is below a certain level the arc is extinguished. If the electrode is not coated the ionisation disappears immediately. It is then only possible to ignite the arc by touching the surface of the workpiece or by means of a certain auxiliary ignition. This is due to certain elements in the coating that add to maintaining the ionisation so welding can take place with alternating current. Therefore it is important to notice if the type of electrode in question is suitable for AC welding.

The Metallurgy of the Welding Arc

The iron core is the weld metal which is to fill the weld preparation. During melting the core material will melt quicker than the coating, providing the crater that gathers the production of gas in a forward directed flow which helps leading the droplets into the weld pool. The gas flow is so large that in combination with the electromagnetic force - the pinch effect - it is able to lift the droplets so overhead welding can be done. The size and the number of the droplets depend on the type and thickness of the coating. A thick coating provides small droplets - spray transfer, while a thin coating provides big droplets that can short-circuit during the droplet transfer. The slag is either transferred as a thin film around the droplets or as separate droplets. Due to the high temperatures in the arc, a part of the metal is vaporised and will concentrate in the weld pool while some of it is released as welding fumes. The droplets, which are formed in the crater come close with the melted coating that coats the droplets with a thin film of slag. This thin film is able to transfer alloying elements to the droplet. During the droplet transfer the alloying conditions in the droplet are equalised. Therefore it is possible to improve the alloy of the weld metal by means of alloying elements in the coating. The solidification begins in the transformation zone between the weld pool and the surrounding not melted parent material. The solidification happens first where the workpiece is thickest. Normally the solidification crystals grow in the opposite direction from where the heat is carried off. Therefore bar crystals grow from the fusion limit and perpendicular towards the centre of the

weld. The crystals reciprocally prevent crystal growth perpendicular on this direction. The thickness of the crystal layers depends on local cooling speeds. The quickest cooling takes place at the parent metal and the slowest cooling in the centre of the weld under the heat-isolating slag layer. The solidification begins in the transformation zone between the weld pool and the surrounding un melted parent material. During the solidification, liquations develop as the crystals which first solidify, contain less amounts of alloying elements and contamination than those solidifying last. This progressive process causes contamination to be pushed forward into the centre of the weld pool. It may lead to a very low tensile strength in the central part of the weld that is last to solidify. For narrow welds it may cause the formation of heat cracks. For wider welds the crystals will grow into each other to a greater extent providing a zipper effect which reduces the tendency to form heat cracks.

R - Rutile electrodes B - Basic electrodes

Electrodes with a thinner coating is cold-welding (large droplets) while a thicker coating makes the electrodes hot-welding (small droplets). Coldwelding or hot welding does in this connection not mean that the temperature in the welding or the arc is actually lower, but that the weld pool seems colder (more sluggish) or hotter (more liquid). The acid, rutile and basic electrodes are all available with an extra addition of iron powder in the coating. Such electrodes are called iron powder electrodes or high-yield electrodes. The arc voltage depends on the electrode coating, not least its thickness. The normal arc voltage is: Normal electrodes High-yield electrodes Penetration electrodes 20-30 V 30-50 V 60-70 V

Designation of Coated Electrodes

When producing coated electrodes for arc welding there are an unlimited number of combinations of types of coating. Usually there are four main types, but there are many varieties which cannot be designated pure representatives of either types. Coated electrodes can be divided according to: Coating Thickness The coating thickness is calculated as the relation between the total diameter of the electrode and the diameter of the core wire (D/d). The following designations are used: Thin coated < 1.2 Middle coated 1.2 - 1.55 Thick coated > 1.55 According to the above almost all electrodes today are thick coated. Types of Coating C - Cellulose electrodes (organic) A - Acidic electrodes

Apart from these basic types there is today quite a number of mixed types, e.g. AR - acidic-rutile electrodes. For particularly thick coated, rutile electrodes the designation RR is used.

Purpose of the Coating

The purposes of coating the electrodes are primarily: 1. To improve conductivity in the arc By alloying elements that easily vaporise and easily ionise the current passage is facilitated and the arc is stabilised. This means: Easier ignition Improvement of the welding properties Formation of slag The melted minerals from the coating form a thin film of slag on the individual droplets and cover the weld pool with a film which protects against oxygen, nitrogen and water vapour. The oxygen content in the coating influences on the surface tension and the size of the droplets.

2.

The slag forms the shape in which the weld pool solidifies, so that its fluidity and flow properties determine whether the weld becomes even and smooth or coarse and convex. The heat isolation from the slag can counteract too quick cooling and unintended hardening of alloyed materials that have a tendency to harden. This means: The slag has influence on the size of the droplets The slag protects the melting droplets and the melted metal against the harmful influence of the air The slag shapes the solidified weld seam The slag counteracts quick cooling 3. Production of Shielding Gas The shielding gas of the arc is produced by the burning of organic components e.g. cellulose or by decomposition of carbonates e.g. Ca , CO2 to Ca. O + O2 by which CO2 is set free as shielding gas. Ca O is burned lime that becomes part of the slag. This provides: A cover of shielding gas of the arc and the weld pool An air current which adds to the transport of materials Deoxidising and possible improvement by alloying Almost all types of coating contain ferroalloys (FeSi, FeMn) This means: The weld pool is stabilised The tendency to porosities is reduced

diameter of the core wire is normally: 1-1.25-22.5-3.15(3.25)-4(4.5)-5(5.6)-6.3 mm. When you talk about the size of an electrode you always mean the diameter of the core wire. The combination of the core wire has great influence on the quality of the welding especially with regard to its content of micro-alloying elements and accompanying elements as well as contamination such as sulphur, phosphorus, nitrogen, aluminium, copper, arsenic and tin. The core wire of unalloyed electrodes are normally identically made according to Stahl-EisenWerkstoffblatt 888-74. The coating substance is made of minerals, chemicals and ferroalloys that are pulverised and mixed in the correct proportions. Alkali silicate is used as adhesive agent and added to the coating powder. Alkali silicate is a clear, sticking substance of sodium or alkali silicate. It contains rather a large amount of water. In the pressing room this substance is placed in an electrode press. By means of a wire guide the core wire is guided into the press where a nozzle determines the thickness of the coating. After this process the coated electrode is guided into a drying oven by means of conveyor belt. During the transport the coating is removed from the end of the electrode which is to be fastened in the electrode holder. The opposite end is cleaned and maybe fitted with an ignition charge. In the drying ovens the coating is dried. The temperature depends on the type of coating. Acid and rutile electrodes are dried at 80 to 150oC, while basic electrodes are dried at temperatures from 300 to 450oC. After the drying process the electrodes are marked and packed and are ready for dispatch. During this process a number of required quality inspections are carried out for instance if the core is centred in the coating.

4.

Manufacturing of Coated Electrodes

Since 1928 pressing the coating onto the core has made coated electrodes almost exclusively. The core is made of 5.5 to 6 mm-thick rolled wires which after having been cleaned of scales, is cold drawn to the desired diameter. After straightening the wire is cut into lengths of either 250, 350 or 450 mm depending on type and diameter. The

Coated Electrodes with Acidic Coating A

Acid electrodes have middle thick or thick coating and produce an ironoxide - manganeseoxide silicate slag. Metallurgically this slag is acidic. Apart from oxides of iron and/or manganese this coating contains a relatively high percentage of

deoxidising agents. The solidifying slag is rather easy to remove. The acidic type of electrode normally has a high deposition speed and can be used with high current intensities. Therefore a large penetration can be obtained especially if the coating is thick. This type of electrode is best suited for downhand welding, but can also be used in other positions. Both AC and DC are applicable. When using acidic electrodes the parent material must have a fine weldability as otherwise heat cracks may appear. The sensitivity to the formation of heat cracks is most distinct in vertical fillet welds, when the content of carbon exceeds 0.24%, as killed steel is more sensitive than unkilled steel. In the same way the tendency towards heat cracks increases when the content of sulphur exceeds 0.05% in killed steel and 0.06% in unkilled steel. Thinner coated acidic electrodes are relatively cold-welding and can therefore make passes over gaps, however, acidic electrodes are not suitable for welding of bottom runs. Thick coated electrodes are hot-welding, which provides a high deposition rate, an easy-releasing slag and a very smooth weld surface, but due to the material transfer of very small droplets, they are not suited for position welding. Due to the relatively high oxide content in the weld metal the mechanical properties and the crack resistance are limited. The liquid weld pool gives a tendency towards undercuts. Due to these negative properties the acidic electrode has to a large degree been replaced by rutile-acidic electrodes.

Coated Electrodes with rutile Coating R-RR

Rutile electrodes contains a rather large amount of rutile - titanium dioxide - > 50% (this does not include organic material). This type differs from the rutile-acidic-AR electrodes by having a larger amount of slag, but it is not always easy to know the difference, especially if the coating is medium thick. Due the different applications and also their mechanical properties, subdivision has been made according to the thickness of the coating. R The coating is medium thick. It may contain small amounts of cellulose, max. 15%. These electrodes are particular suitable for vertical and overhead welding. RR The coating is very thick. It may contain up to 5% cellulose. The slag is dense, but usually self-releasing. The penetration is small and the weld pool liquid. Normally this type of electrode is only used for horizontal and vertical fillet welds and filling of V-grooves. The tendency to heat-cracks is not as distinct as it is for rutile-acidic electrodes, but it has to be considered that welding are normally done with smaller welding thicknesses than welding with acidic electrodes. The maximum current intensity is less than that of rutile-acidic electrodes. Immediately after welding the weld metal of the high-rutile electrodes contains substantial amounts of hydrogen, which may cause low pinching and contraction values. Bending tests in stronger steels may occasionally break before the required angle of 180o is achieved. However, after a couple of weeks when the hydrogen has diffused or after a hydrogen-free annealing the ductility values will be all right. Coated Electrodes with Basic coating B Basic electrodes normally has a thick coating which contains substantial amounts of calcium carbonate or other basic carbonates and fluorite so that the metallurgical nature of the electrodes is basic. In order to improve the welding characteristics in AC there is often added

Coated Electrodes with RutileAcidic Coating A

Rutile-acidic electrodes normally have a thick coating which forms a slag that is normally very liquid. The properties are normally very much like those of the acidic electrodes. However, they are less inclined to form undercuts. The difference is that the coating contains titanium dioxide, normally max. 35%.

considerable amounts of non-basic elements e.g. rutile and/or silica to the coating. The slag is usually dense and often has a brown or dark-brown colour and a shiny look. It is often easy to remove, if squeezed in. As it quickly flows to the surface of the weld pool, slag inclusions are very rare. This type of electrode provides an arc of medium penetration and is suitable for welding in all positions. Purely basic electrodes are not suitable for AC welding, but are usually welded in CC with positive polarity. The weld metal from the basic electrodes has a very high impact resistance value at low temperatures. It is also very resistant to hot and cold cracks, which is why these electrodes are very suited for welding in large cross-sections and very rigid workpieces in unalloyed steels. They are also recommendable for welding of lowalloyed steels and steels with a higher content of carbon and sulphur. Basic electrodes are dried very hard to avoid hydrogen and porosity of the weld metal, but it also means that basic electrode must be stored in a dry environment. If they have been exposed to humidity, they must be re-dried before use in accordance with the manufacturers recommendations (usually at 300-400oC). It also ensures that the weld metal has a low content of hydrogen (< 15 ml/100 g weld metal) and reduces the risk of hydrogen cracks if the steel has a tendency to harden in the heat-affected zone.

grooves. The electrodes are normally suitable for welding in all positions. Cellulose electrodes are primarily used for welding vertical-down. They are widely used in USA, but in Europe they are almost exclusively used for welding of pipelines. The bright arc, the large production of fumes and large spatter loss make cellulose electrodes undesirable for most welding jobs.

High-yielding Electrode
The yield of an electrode is expressed as a percentage of the weight of the core wire. When in catalogues of electrodes you read that an electrode yields 125% it means that the weld metal weighs 1.25 x the weight of the core wire. The additional amount of iron comes from iron powder in the coating of the electrode, and this amount of iron is transferred to the weld metal together with the core wire. The iron powder in the coating is melted mostly by means of the excess heat of the arc. High-yield electrodes are sometimes called iron powder electrodes. High-yield electrodes are normally yielding 115-185%. High-yield electrodes yielding up to 300% have been made and they can only be used for filling of vertical-down and vertical fillet welds. The advantage of high-yield electrodes is that they have a higher deposition speed (up to three times quicker) than ordinary electrodes, because the iron powder in the coating provides a thicker coating. The arc voltage increases proportionally with the thickness of the coating so the combined effect increases. Furthermore, this causes an additional deposition rate. However, the thicker the coating and higher the deposition time per electrode. It is due to high-yield electrodes that welding with coated electrodes is still competitive to the highly productive automatic and semi-automatic welding processes.

Coated Electrodes with Cellulose Coating C

Cellulose electrodes contain large amounts of burnable organic elements, and when they decompose in the arc they produce a shielding gas. The amount of slag is small and easily removable. This type of electrode is characterised by its large penetration and medium high melting speed. The spatter loss is rather high and the surface of the weld is coarse and with unevenly distributed

Storing of Coated Electrodes

Drying procedure for ordinary basic electrodes

about 70oC, the risk of porosities and hydrogen cracks in the weld will be reduced. After about 24 hours in such an electrode oven, the electrodes should be redried. The adhesive agent normally used in the coating of basic electrodes is potassium water glass. After drying at for instance 400oC this adhesive agent will still contain some chemically bound water. Dried in the same way but using another adhesive agent based on sodium water glass the content of bound water will be reduced. Another advantage of sodium water glass is the fact that is absorbs humidity very slowly. By mixing the two types 70% sodium water glass and 30% potassium water glass the optimum conditions for a slow absorption of water is achieved. Redrying of other electrodes than the basic types are useless, and in some cases it may even harm the electrodes. They are not capable of producing a weld metal with a low content of hydrogen anyway, and the normal humidity in the coating adds to providing a stable arc as hydrogen in the arc increases the arc voltage. Acidic and rutile electrodes can be dried at about 100oC if they have become wet, but normally such electrodes should be discarded.

Storing of basic electrodes All types of electrodes should be stored in a dry environment, but some types of coating have a larger tendency to absorbing water than others. Particularly the basic electrodes are highly hygroscopic. Rutile electrodes only absorb humidity very slowly, but it is also impossible to remove by redrying them without damaging the coating. Therefore, when welding with rutile electrodes it should be considered that they hold hydrogen in the weld metal. It is important to have suitable storing facilities for basic electrode. It means that the electrodes must be kept in a heating cabinet normally at a temperature of more than 100oC. The heating cabinet must be ventilated so the humidity can disappear. If basic electrodes have been exposed to humidity, they can be redried according to the manufacturers instructions, usually at a temperature of 25-350oC in 0.5 to 2 hours. If at the welding site the electrodes are placed in a heated container, normally at a temperature of

Survey of Types of Electrodes

Acidic Electrodes Ferrous ferrite Fe3 O4 Silica Calcite SiO2 Ca.Co3 Rutile Electrodes Ferrous ferrite Fe3O4 Silica Calcite Rutile Ferromanganese Water glass 20% Ferromanganese Water glass SiO2 Ca.Co3 TiO2 Basic Electrodes Fluorite Ca.F2 Silica Calcite Rutile Ferromanganese Water glass SiO2 Ca.Co3 TiO2

50% 20% 10%

10% 20% 10% 45% 15%

45% 10% 40% ?? 5%

Apart from the basic types the most common mixed types are: organic-rutile, rutile-acidic and rutile-basic. The welding properties of the basic types can be arranged as follows: Basic Type Acidic A Liquid Rutile R RR Basic B Sluggish Fine Liquid Sluggish Less fine Reduced burning Almost selfreleasing Fluidity Slag Properties Slag release metallurgic effect Acidic burning of alloying elements A bit acidic Droplet Position Transfer Welding Small droplets Limited hot welding Suitable Mediumsized droplets Mechanical Properties Medium good

Good

Small Less suitable droplets Medium to Basic content large droplets Suitable improved by Cold welding alloying

Exellent

Standards of Coated Electrodes

The designations of electrodes are standardised in EN 499 EN 757 AWS A5.1 AWS A5.4 Coated electrodes for manual arc welding of non-alloyed and low-alloyed steels E.g.: EN 499 - E 42 5 B 45 H5 Coated electrodes for manual arc welding of high-tensile steels E.g.: EN 757 - E 62 7 Mn1Ni 34 H5 Carbon steel covered arc-welding electrodes E.g.: AWS E 7016 Corrosion-resisting chromium & Cr-Ni covered arc welding electrodes E.g.: AWS E 316 L-16

EN 499

Marking of Coated Electrodes for Manual Arc Welding of Nonalloyed and Grain Refined Steel
(See the original standard for detailed information)

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1Ni

H10

Coated electrode Hydrogen content in the weld max. ml/100g 5 10 15 Positions All positions All positions exept PG Butt weld PA, fillet welds PA and PB Butt weld and fillet weld PA As 3 and welding PG Deposition % < 105 < 105 >105 < 125 >105 < 125 >125 < 160 >125 < 160 > 160 > 160 Current type AC / DC DC AC / DC DC AC / DC DC AC / DC DC

Symbol Re(min) N/mm2 35 38 42 46 50 Symbol Z A 0 2 3 4 5 6 355 380 420 460 500

Rmt N/mm2 440-570 470-600 500-640 530-680 560-720

A5(min ) % 22 20 20 20 18

H5 H10 H15 Symbol 1 2 3 4 5 Symbol 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Symbol A C R RR RC RA RB B

Impact resistant Min 47 J No requirements + 20oC 0oC - 20oC - 30oC - 40oC - 50oC - 60oC

Alloying Chemical composition symbol Mn Mo Ni No symbol 2,0 0,3 0,6 1,4 Mo > 1,4 - 2,0 0,3 0,6 MnMo 0,6 1,2 1,4 1Ni 1,8 2,6 1,4 2Ni >2,6 3,8 1,4 3Ni 0,6 1,2 > 1,4 2,0 Mn1Ni 0,3 0,6 0,6 1,2 1,4 1NiMo Z Other approved composition If not specified: Mo< 0,2, Ni< 0,3, Cr< 0,2, V< 0,05, Nb< 0,05, Cu< 0,3

Type of coating Acidic Cellulose Rutile Rutile thick coating Rutile Cellulose Rutile Acidic Rutile Basic Basic

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Fume Declaration of Electrodes

Declaration of fume produced by coated electrodes for welding is meant as an information to the welder about the health hazard posed by the electrodes in form of the amount of fume depending on dimension, deposition rate and chemical composition. As from 1 January 1981 the law Fume Declaration of Welding Electrodes took effect in Denmark. According to this law the following information must be printed on the electrode packing: 1. Emission of Fume g/H Emission of fume in grams per hour is the amount of fumes that is developed by welding with 100% duty cycle and the maximum current intensity of the electrodes. TLV mg/m3 The threshold limit value is calculated on the basis of the amount of the analysed elements and their TLVs. NHL m3/h (maybe OEL = occupational exposure limits corresponds to the Danish NHL??) The Nominal Hygienic Required Air (this is more or less a direct translation of this Danish term, I have not been able to find the exact same expression in any dictionary nor has Kaj Lind in his material) indicates the theoretical amount of air which would provide such a dilution of the fume that the TLV would not be exceeded. Fume Analysis in % The composition of the welding fume indicated in percentage by weight. Fume Class The fume class is determined on basis of the NHL value (??). Fume class 1 indicates the lowest value and fume class 7 the highest.

electrode is more hazardous with regard to fume than is a class 1 electrode. The classification of the health hazards of the electrodes is based on the assumption that the entire fume is inhaled, which is of course not the case. Exhaust systems improve the working situation, so under normal conditions welding is not hazardous to the health, but of course implies that there is exhaust equipment available and that it is used correctly. Primer, paint and similar substances on the workpiece may aggravate the situation. The immediate health hazard can only be determined by taking an air sample from the welders breathing zone and carrying out the relevant tests. Fume Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 NL < 3 000 > 3 000 7 500 > 7 500 15 000 > 15 000 35 000 > 35 000 60 000 > 60 000 100 000 > 100 000

2.

3.

How to Choose the Suitable Coated Electrode

Strength When selecting a coated electrode for welding it is important to ensure that it provides adequate weld metal of the required strength, both tensile strength, elongation and impact resistance. Concerning electrodes for welding of non-alloyed steels the strength properties will appear from the marking, e.g. according to EN 499: E 35 3 RR 11 - indicates that: Tensile strength min. 355 N/mm2 Elongation min. 24% Impact resistance min. 47 J at -30oC When choosing an electrode for hardenable steels it may important to make sure that the electrode does not deposit weld metal and hydrogen to the HAZ which could cause crack formation (see EN 1011).

4.

5.

Fume Classification The fume classification provides the user with an index of the health hazard posed by the electrodes. In other words the fume class number indicated the potential hazard of the electrode. A class 7

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Welding Properties The welding properties are connected with the types of coating. The two last figures of the electrode marking provides information of the welding suitability in different positions and type of current. Rutile coated electrodes are usually easily weldable and are therefore frequently used. Rutile and acidic electrodes give a rather high content of hydrogen in the weld. Basic electrodes are regarded the most difficult to weld. They require a very short arc during welding. they are not particularly easy to ignite, but provide weld metal with excellent mechanical properties. Alloying When welding in other types of steel than nonalloyed, the chemical properties of the weld metal are often determining for the choice of electrode. Normally the weld metal must have the same composition as the parent material. When joining materials of different alloys, the alloy of the electrode will normally be of the more inferior material. However, an exception is the joining of non-alloyed and stainless steels where a highalloyed filler material would be preferable in order to avoid the weld metal, which is a mixture of the two materials, could be hardenable. Economy An important factor when choosing the type of electrode is the welding speed measured in deposited kg/hour. High-yield electrodes normally provide a better welding economy than other types of electrodes, but they are usually only applicable for the welding positions vertical/down and vertical welds. Assistance to evaluate the economy of a particular type of electrode is also offered from the manufacturers catalogues which indicate the deposition rates of the electrodes. Attention should also be paid to prices and offers from various suppliers, when evaluating the economy of the electrodes. Prices of electrodes are normally quoted in GBP/kg.

When welding with coated electrodes the welder should be careful about using all of the electrode, max. length of the remain ding electrode should be 50 mm. Some welder have a bad habit of discarding only half-used electrodes, which implies an unnecessary high consumption of electrodes and unnecessary welding stops. It costs time and money. Furthermore, many welding errors are seen where the welding has started or stopped

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