the direction of the current.

These
lines of force dim inish in intensity in
direct proportion to their distances
from the electrical conductor.
The lines of force rem ain circular
in a m edium large enough to con-
tain them until they dim inish to es-
sentially nothing. But if the m edium
changes, from steel plate to air, for
exam ple, the circular lines becom e
distorted and tend to concentrate in
the steel w here they encounter less
resistance. A t a boundary betw een
the edges of a steel plate and air, the
lines squeeze and deform . This re-
sults in a heavy flux concentration
behind or ahead of the w elding arc.
The arc then tends to m ove in a di-
rection to relieve
squeezing and re-
store the m agnet-
ic-field balance,
veering aw ay from
the side of flux
co n cen tratio n .
This veering is ob-
served as arc blow .
Arc-Blow Direction
and J oint Location
Fig. 2 illustrates flux squeezing
and distortion at the start and finish
of a w eld joint. At the start, flux lines
concentrate behind the electrode.
The arc tries to com pensate for this
im balance by m oving forw ard, cre-
ating forw ard arc blow . As the elec-
trode approaches the end of the
joint, the lines squeeze ahead of the
arc. Again, the arc m oves in a direc-
tion to relieve squeezing, in this case
backw ard and observed as back
blow . At the m iddle of a joint in tw o
plates of the sam e w idth, the m ag-
netic field is sym m etrical, so no arc
blow occurs. B ut, if one plate is
w ider than the other, side blow
could occur at the m idpoint of the
w eld due to flux squeezing.
Another squeezing phenom enon
results from the w elding current re-
turning back tow ard the w orkpiece
connection w ithin the w orkpiece. As
show n in Fig. 3, electrical current
passing through the w orkpiece to
the w orkpiece lead m ay create a
flux. The heavy line represents the
path of the w elding current w hile
the light lines represent the flux cre-
ated by the current. A s the current
changes direction or turns the corner
from the arc to the w ork, a flux con-
centrates at x, causing arc blow aw ay
from the w orkpiece connection.
A rc m ovem ent due to this effect
com bines w ith m ovem ent resulting
from the flux concentration previ-
ously described to give the observed
arc blow . The effect of the returning
current m ay dim inish or increase the
arc blow caused by the arc flux. In
fact, controlling the direction of re-
turning current is one w ay to control
arc blow .
In Fig. 4a, the w orkpiece cable
connects to the starting end of the
joint, and the flux created by the re-
turning w elding current in the w ork
form s behind the arc. The resulting
arc m ovem ent is forw ard. N ear the
end of the joint, how ever, forw ard
arc m ovem ent dim inishes the total
arc blow by canceling som e back
blow created by flux concentration
from the arc at the end of the w ork-
piece (Fig. 5a).
In Fig. 4b, the w ork cable con-
nects to the finish end of the seam ,
resulting in back blow , increasing in
intensity at the finish of the w eld.
Fig. 5b illustrates the com bination of
squeezed fluxes. A w orkpiece con-
nection at the finish of the w eld,
how ever, m ay be needed to reduce
excessive forw ard blow at the start
of the w eld. But w orkpiece-connec-
tion positioning is only m oderately
effective in controlling arc blow .
O ther m easures should be used to re-
duce arc blow w hen w elding.
A
rc blow , also called arc w an-
der, occurs in D C arc w eld-
ing w hen the arc stream does
not follow the shortest path betw een
the electrode and the w orkpiece and
deflects forw ard or backw ard from
the direction of travel or, less fre-
quently, to one side.
Back blow occurs w hen w elding
tow ard the w orkpiece connection,
the end of a joint or into a corner.
Forw ard blow occurs w hen w elding
aw ay from the w orkpiece connec-
tion, or at the starting end of the
joint. It is especially troublesom e
w hen shielded-m etal-arc (SM A )
w elding w ith electrodes that tend to
produce large slag coverings. In
these cases, forw ard blow drags the
slag or the crater forw ard and under
the arc, disrupting the w eld.
The direction of arc blow can be
observed during open-arc w elding,
but not during subm erged-arc w eld-
ing. In this case, direction is deter-
m ined by the type of w eld defect
produced.
Back blow is indicated by spatter;
undercut, either continuous or inter-
m ittent; a narrow , high bead, usually
w ith undercut; an increase in pene-
tration; or surface porosity at the fin-
ish end of w elds on sheetm etal.
Forw ard blow is indicated by a
w ide bead, irregular in w idth; a
w avy bead; undercut, usually inter-
m ittent; or a decrease in penetration.
Arc blow can be one of tw o types:
m agnetic or therm al.
Magnetic Arc Blow
M agnetic arc blow , responsible
for m ore w elding problem s than
therm al arc blow , results from an
unbalanced condition in the m ag-
netic field surrounding the arc. This
unbalanced condition usually occurs
because the arc is located farther
from one end of the w eld joint than
the other end and at varying dis-
tances from the w orkpiece connec-
tion. Im balance also exists due to
the change in direction of w eld cur-
rent as it flow s through the arc and
into and through the w orkpiece.
Fig. 1 show s a
D C current pass-
ing through a
conductorei-
ther the w elding
electrode or the
p lasm a stream
betw een an elec-
trode and a w eld
joint. A m agnetic
field surrounds
the conductor;
its lines of m ag-
netic force, or
flux, are repre-
sented by con-
centric circles at
right angles to
Fig. 1Current
passing through a
conductor sets up a
magnetic field, rep-
resented by planes
of concentric circles
known as flux lines.
Fig. 2Flux concentration behind the welding arc at the start
of joint forces the arc forward while flux concentration ahead
of the arc at the end of the joint forces the arc backward.
Fig. 3Here, arc blow is caused by the welding current
returning to the workpiece connection. The resulting
magnetic flux combines with the flux around the elec-
trode, causing a high-flux concentration at (x) that blows
the arc away from the workpiece connection.
Prevent Arc Blow
When Welding
Arc blow can cause a number
of welding problems including
excessive spatter, incomplete
fusion and porosity. What is
arc blow and how can it be
prevented?
42 www.metalforming.com MetalForming/M ay 2001 M ay 2001/MetalForming www.metalforming.com 43
D ire c tio n
o f flu x
D ire c tio n
o f c u rre n t
A rc
D ire c tio n
o f a rc b lo w
Wo rk
B a c k
b lo w
F o rwa rd
b lo w
E le c tro d e
T ra ve l
Problem Areas
Arc blow is especially problem at-
ic in the corners of fillet w elds and in
w eld joints that use deep w eld
preparations. H ere, the cause of arc
blow is the sam e as w hen w elding a
straight seam flux concentration
and the m ovem ent of the arc to re-
lieve it. Figs. 6 and 7 illustrate w here
arc blow , w hen using D C current, is
problem atic.
U sing low w elding current pro-
duces less arc blow than using high
current because a higher current
causes a m ore intense m agnetic
field. U sually, serious arc-blow
problem s do not occur w hen SM A-
w elding w ith D C under 250 am ps,
although joint fitup and geom etry
play a role.
The use of A C current m arkedly
reduces the likelihood of arc
blow . The rapid reversal of
the A C current induces
eddy currents in the
base m etal, and the
fields created by the
eddy currents greatly
reduce the strength of
the m agnetic fields that cause
arc blow .
Som e m aterials, such as
nine-percent nickel steels, are
easily m agnetized by external
m agnetic fields, such as those
from pow er lines. These
m aterials are difficult to
w eld due to arc blow
produced by m agnetic fields in the
m aterial. H and-held G auss m eters
easily detect and m easure these fields.
Fields higher than 20 G auss can
cause arc blow in these nickel steels.
Thermal Arc Blow
Therm al arc blow occurs because
an electric arc requires hot zones on
the electrode and w orkpiece plate to
m aintain a continuous flow of cur-
rent in the arc stream . A s the elec-
trode advances along the w ork, the
arc tends to lag behind, caused by
reluctance of the arc to m ove to the
colder plate. The ionized space be-
tw een the end of the electrode and
the hot surface of the m olten crater
creates a m ore conductive path than
from the electrode to the colder
Prevent Arc Blow When Welding
Fixtures
Contribute
to Arc Blow
B
e aware of the relationship of
arc blow to weldment fixtur-
ing. Steel fixtures may effect the
magnetic field around the arc,
and may become magnetized
over ti me. Usual l y, fi xturi ng
wont cause probl ems when
SMA-welding if weld current
does not exceed 250 amps. Fix-
tures used with higher currents
and mechanized welding should
be designed to minimize arc-
blow-promoting situations.
Here are some fixture-design
tips:
Design fixtures for welding
the longitudinal seam of cylinders
with a minimum of 1-in. clearance
between the supporting beam
and the work. Use nonmagnetic
clamping fingers or workholding
bars. Do not attach the workpiece
cable to the copper backup bar
make the work connection direct-
ly to the workpiece.
Fabricate the fixture from
l ow-carbon steel to prevent
buildup of permanent magnet-
ism in the fixture.
Weld toward the closed end
of horn-type fixtures to reduce
back blow.
Design the fixture long enough
so that end tabs can be used.
Do not use a copper strip in-
serted in a steel bar for a backing.
The steel part of the backup bar
will increase arc blow.
Provide for continuous or
close clamping of parts to be
seam welded. Wide, intermittent
clamping may cause seams to
gap between clamping points,
causing arc blow over the gaps.
Do not build into the fixture
large masses of steel on one side
of the seam only; counterbalance
with a similar mass on the oppo-
site side of the fixture.
Fig. 4Flux due to the welding current returning to the workpiece
connection is behind the arc in (a) and ahead of the arc in (b).
Fig. 5In (a), magnetic blow at the finished end of a joint is reduced
because the two flux fields tend to offset each other. In (b), the two
fields combine to cause a strong back blow.
Fig. 6Arc-
blow difficul-
ties abound
when high-amp
DC welding in
deep-groove joints.
Switching to AC current
can alleviate this.
Fig. 7Expect consid-
erable arc blow when
placing the inside
fillet using DC
current. Again,
switching to AC
current can help.
44 www.metalforming.com MetalForming/M ay 2001
T ra ve l
a ) b )
T ra ve l
a ) b )
plate. D uring m anual w elding, a
sm all am ount of therm al back blow
due to arc lag is not detrim ental, but
becom es p roblem atic at higher
w elding speeds, as occurring in au-
tom atic w elding. Therm al arc blow
som etim es m ay com bine w ith m ag-
netic back blow , leading to quality
problem s.
Arc Blow with
Multiple-Arc Welding
W elding w ith m ultiple arcs, for
high speed and increased productiv-
ity, can cause arc-blow problem s,
especially w hen tw o arcs are locat-
ed close together.
If these tw o arcs have opposite
polarities (Fig. 8a), m agnetic fields
betw een the arcs cause the arcs to
deflect aw ay from each other. If po-
larity is identical (Fig. 8b), m agnetic
fields betw een
the arcs oppose
each other, re-
sulting in a
w eaker field be-
tw een the arcs
and causing the
arcs to deflect
tow ard each
other.
W hen using
tw o arcs, one
m ay be D C, the
other A C (Fig.
8c). H ere, the
AC-arc flux field
com pletely reverses for each cycle,
w hich barely affects the D C field and
results in very little arc blow .
W hen using tw o AC arcs, a com -
m on arrangem ent, arc-blow interfer-
ence is avoided m ainly by phase-
shifting the current of one arc 80 to
90 deg. from the other arc. W ith a
phase shift, the current and m agnet-
ic fields of one arc reach a m axim um
w hen the current and m agnetic
fields of the other arc are at or near
m inim um , resulting in very little, if
any, arc blow .
How to Reduce Arc Blow
N ot all arc blow is detrim ental. In
fact, a sm all am ount helps form the
bead shape, control m olten slag and
control penetration. B ut arc blow
m ust be controlled w hen it con-
tributes to defects such as undercut,
inconsistent penetration, crooked
beads, beads of irregular w idth,
porosity, w avy beads and excessive
spatter. Possible corrective m easures
include the follow ing:
If D C current is being used w ith
the SM A W processespecially at
w elding current greater than 250
am pschange to AC current.
H old as short an arc as possible
to help arc force counteract arc
blow .
Reduce the w elding current.
T his m ay require an arc-sp eed
reduction.
A ngle the electrode w ith the
w ork opposite to the direction of arc
blow (Fig. 9).
M ake a heavy tack w eld on
both ends of the seam ; apply fre-
quent tack w elds along the seam , es-
pecially if fitup is loose.
W eld tow ard a heavy tack w eld
or tow ard a previously m ade w eld.
U se a backstep w elding tech-
nique (Fig. 10).
W eld aw ay from the w orkpiece
connection to reduce back blow ,
and w eld tow ard the w orkpiece
connection to reduce forw ard blow .
If w elding produces heavy slag,
a sm all am ount of back blow is de-
sirable, and is attained by w elding
tow ard the w orkpiece connection.
W rap the w ork cable around
the w orkpiece so that the current re-
turning to the pow er supply passes
through it in such a direction that
the m agnetic field setup neutralizes
the m agnetic field causing the arc
blow . MF
Information for this article was
supplied by The Lincoln Electric Co.,
Cleveland, OH; tel. 216/481-8100;
www.lincolnelectric.com.
Prevent Arc Blow When Welding
Fig. 9Arc blow (a) may be corrected
by angling the electrode (b).
Fig. 8Multiple-arc welding,
when the two arcs are located
close together, may cause mag-
netic arc blow. When the arcs are
of different polarity (a), the mag-
netic fields combine to blow arcs
outward. If the arcs are of the
same polarity (b), magnetic fields
oppose each other and the arcs
blow inward. With one arc pow-
ered by DC current and the other
by AC current (c), little or no arc
blow occurs.
a
b
c
Fig. 10The direction of welding and the sequence of
beads is illustrated for the back-step technique. Note the
tabs on each end of the seamthey should be of the
same thickness as the workpiece.
46 www.metalforming.com MetalForming/M ay 2001
A rc b lo w B lo w re d u c e d
B e a d se q u e n c e
D ire c tio n o f we ld in g
We ld
b o th sid e s
a ) b )