Professional Documents
Culture Documents
TWI
V[Ot
/
| \ / '/: ,
l l
S EC T IO N1 O
T\vI
wot
THE V/Et
iNG INSTm_]-I-E
, P R OC ES S(C O N ST A N T
A ',DRO O pt NGA' RC
C U R RE N T)
TUNGSTEN ,ruERTGAS (rrc)
T u n g s t e na r c g a ss h i e l d e d A
; rgonarc;
G a s t u n g s t e na r c w e l d i n g ;G T A W ( U S A )
dt19 9.t
Typicaldefectsassociated
with this
' Tungsteninclusions.
Lackof fusion.
Incompletepenetration.
Undercut.
'Porosity.
Type of Operation
U s u a l l ym a n u a l b
, u t c a nb e m e c h a n i s e d .
Mode of Operation
An arc is maintainedbetweenthe end of a
tungstenelectrodeand the work.The
electrodeis not consumedand the current
is controlledby the power sourceseting.
I n e o p e r a t o rm u s t c o n t r o tl h e a r cl e n g t h
and aiso add filler metal if neededto
obtainthe correctweld: consequently,
a
high degreeof skill is neededfor best
results.
Burnthrough.
Excesspenetration.
Oxide inclusions.
U n e q u alle g l e n g r h .
1d.1
T\VI
iu[g
10.2
WELDING TECHNOLOGY
Issue 0191
rI
TWI
w[t
2.
1n
't1.
Currentconnection
Weldingcable
Gas hose
Gas pipe
Nozzle- ceramic
Handle
Outer flexiblesleeva
Spares
Electrodes
Collets- varioussizesto clampelectrodesin torch
Electroderear cover- variouslengthsto accommodatea long electrode,
short to work wherespace is restricted.
Gas-shielding
noz.le- ceramic.
Siliconerubberringsealsjointbetweennozle andtorchbody.
WELDINGTECHNOLOGY
lssue O191
.!0.3
:
TWI
TI{E WELDINGD\-STmJTE
DC TIG
The TIG torcharrowsthe erectrode
to extendbeyondthe shierding
gas nozzre,
as shown.
Tu T" is ignitedto highvottage,highfrequenry(HF)putses,or by short
circuitingthe erectrodeto the workpieceano witrorawingat a presentrow
current.In.DCwerding,the arc is in the form of a cone,the sizeof which
is
determinedby current,the eiectrodediameterand the venexanole.
10.4
WELDINGTECHNOLOGY
lssue 0191
:
.I
T\)t/I
700t
Electrode
Selectionof electrodecompositionand size is not completelyindependentand
must be consideredin relationto the operatingmode and the currentlevel.
Efectrcdesfor DC weldingare pure tungstenor tungstenwith 1 or 2/o thoria,
the thoria being added to improveelectronemissionwhich facilitatesarc
ignition. In AC welding,where the electrodemust operateat a higher
temperature,a pure tungstenor tungsten-zirconiaelectrodeis prefened,as
the rate of tungsten loss is somewhat less than with thoriated electrodes and
the zirconiaaids retentionof the 'balled'tio.
T a b l e1 .
Recommended
electrodediameterand vertexanglefor TIG
weldingat variouscurrentlevels
DC electrodenegative
Welding
current
ElectroderVertex
diameter angle,
mm
degrees
<20
1.0
ov
20 to 100
'1.6
30 - 60
1 . 6- 2 . 4
100to 200
2.4
tr-90
2.4 - 4.0
200 - 300:
s.2
90 - 120
4.0 - 4.8
300 to 4O0-
3.2
120
4.8 - 6.4
Electroder>
diameter,
mm
Thoriatedtungsten
10.5
TWI
7t[s
S h i e l d i n gg a s
The shieldinggas composiiion
is selectedaccordingto tne materjalbeina
welded,and the normalrangeof commercially
avaiiablegases ts g,u"n ,i tn"
Table below. In setectinga shielcinggas it shouldbe noted thar:
1. The most comrnonshieldinggas is argon. This can be used
for weJdinga
wrde range of materialrncludingmild steel, stainlesssteel, and
the react"ive
aluminium,tjtaniumand magnesium..
2. Argon-hydrogenminures, typicallygo and Slo Hz, can
be used for
-a]toys.
werdingausteniticsta.rnress
steerand some nicker
Tne.ouun,rg.,
of adding hydrogenare that the shieldinggas is slighily
reducing t"rri;;S
creanerwerds,and the arc itserfis more-dnstricted,
tfrus enabtiirg'n,gnei
speeds to be achievedand/or producingan improved
weld bead
penetratronprofiie,i.e. greaterdepth to width
ratio. lt should be noted that
-'
the use of a hydrogenadditioniniroducesthe risk of
hydrogen._"Xl"g'
(carbonand alroysteers)and werd metar porosity(ferriiic
st-eers,arrn-'r,iirm
ano copper), padicularlyin multipasswelds.
3. Helium, and helium-argonmixtures,typically
Z5l2S helium/argon,have
particularadvanlageswith regardto higher
ireat input; the greater heat
input is caused by the higherionisationpotentialof helium, which is
approxtmately
25eV comparedwith 16eV for argon.
4. As nitrogents a diatomicgas, on re_association
at tne workpiecesurface, it
is capable of transferringmore energy
than monatomtcargon or helium.
Hence ils addjtionto argon can be plrticularly
beneficialwhen welding
materialssuch as copper,.which have high
thermalconOuctivity;
the
adyantaogsof nitrogenadditionscannotie
u*proit"o when welding ferritic
and statnlesssteels becausenltrogenpick_up
in the weld pool could cause
a significantreductjonin toughnessand corrosion
resrstance.
A.@dh.^d.d
rA..ldt^a
5hr.rd,.9
rCo^
M.ld !1..1
C.'oo^ !r..r
Lo-.rloy rr..r
9r.
.H.
a..d
tq
nC
r.lo
nr
m,riu,..
H.r;u6
..to^
fr!!r09..
a.!o+
tur.o?.n
5r.,n'(.! l..r
a
o
a
Co o e . r
o
a'r^,um.^d
a 6otr .or^.^
10.6
o
e..
WELDINGTECHNOLOGY
lssue0191
T\vI
7g,qt
The effectivenes-s
of a gas shieldis determinedat least in part by the gas
density. As the densityof heliumis approximatelyone tenth that of argon,
difflcultiescan be experiencedin protectingthe weld pool, particularlywhen
weldingunderdraughtyconditionsor at highcurrentswhich may induce
turbulencein the gas shieldingstream.
However, effectiveshieldingcan be maintainedby increasingthe gas flow,
typicallyby a factor of two. Shieldingof the weld pool area can also be
improved by use of a gas lens, which is insertedinto the torch nozzleto
ensure laminar flow. Adoptionof this techniqueis stronglyrecommended
when welding in positionsother than the flat and for weldingcurvedsurfaces.
AC TIG
TIG welding is also practisedwith AC, the electrodepolarityoscillatingat SoHz.
The techniqueis used in weldingaiuminiumand magnesiumalloys,where the
periods of electrodepositiveensure efficientcathodiccleaningof the tenacious
oxide film on the surfaceof the material. Comparedwith DC welding,the
disadvantagesof the techniquelie in the low penetiationcapacityof the arc
and, as the arc extinguishesat each current reversal, in the necessity for a
high open circuitvoltage,typically100V and above, or continuouslyapplied
HF, to st:hilise the arc. Low penetrationresultsin particularfrom the blunt or
'balled"
electrodewhich is caused by the high degree of electrodeheating
during the positivehalf-cycle. Where deep psnetrationis required,use of DC
with helium as the shieldinggas, which does not suffer from these
disadvantagesand is somewhattolerantto surfaceoxide, may be an
alternative. Use of helium,however,is not particularlyattractivebecauseof its
high cost and, in the absenceof the cleaningaction of the arc, the weld
pool/parentmetal boundariescan be somewhatindistinct,thus makingit
difficultto monitor and controlthe behaviourof the weld oool.
WELDING TECHNOLOGY
tssue 0191
10.7
T\MI
70[t
AUESTIONS:
TUNGSTENINERTGAS
01.
Q2.
Q3.
For directcurrent
For alternating
current
Q4.
Name the two inert gases mainly used in TIG and give an
advantage for each gas.
05.
osld