Gas Tungsten Arc Welding

Emphasis on Stainless Steel

Presented By :
Sekhar Basu Roy Chaudhuari
On 19 th. January, 2013.

With active support of

Somenath Ghosh
 Major Arc welding processes
MMAW / SMAW
Manual Metal Arc Welding / Shielded Metal Arc Welding
GMAW / FCAW *
Gas Metal Arc Welding ( MIG / MAG )
Flux Cored Arc welding
GTAW *
Gas Tungsten Arc welding
Plasma Arc welding
SAW
Submerged Arc Welding
Electro – slag

*Gas shielded processes

Welding processes – Areas of application
MMAW Most versatile process, low investment
Deposition rate upto 4 kg/hr. Offers
flexibility with higher productivity.

GMAW Deposition rate upto 6 kg/hr. for manual

Upto 20 kg/hr. for mechanised twin wire

GTAW High quality low productivity process

Deposition rate upto 2kg/hr. Maybe
mechanised for higher productivity

SAW Very high productivity but restricted to

Straight welds in downhand & H-V fillet
Deposition rates upto 25 kgs / hr.
Gas Tungsten Arc
Welding Process
 Development of GTAW process
On February 24th 1942 a patent was issued to Russell
Meredith of the Northrop Aircraft Company concerning
an invention 'relating to welding magnesium by means
of an electric arc'. After acquiring the rights to the
process the Linde Corporation renamed the process
'Heliarc'.
The process is now widely known as Tungsten Inert
Gas, or TIG, although it may sometimes be called
'Argonarc', or, less frequently now, 'Heliarc', while in
the USA it is known as Gas Tungsten Arc Welding or
GTAW.
 Gas Tungsten Arc ( TIG ) Welding
• Uses Tungsten
electrode
• Inert gas
shielded
• Manual process
but maybe
automated
• Very high quality
• Low productivity
 GTA welding advantages and
disadvantages
Advantages:
Very good control of the weld pool and penetration
Heat transfer is easily controlled
No spatter
Welding without filler material possible
Thin material welding with very low currents is possible
Can weld all types of metals and alloys
The weld seam forming is good and slag free
Weld root side is clean and slag-free (with root gas)
Disadvantages:

Slow speed in filling large grooves

Sensitive to drafts and wind
Sensitive to impurities
Gas purity is a critical factor
High need for root protection
Welder skill requirement is high
Cost of process is comparitively higher.
 Application of TIG welding
• Welding of critical pipes and pipelines, for
example pressurized pipes,
• Manufacturing heat exchanger pipes and
combinations,
• Manufacturing stainless pipe and tubes,
• Thin materials from ~ 0,1 mm and higher,
• Thin stainless steel welding,
• Aluminum welding,
• Special materials welding, eg. Titanium,
• Railway and Wagan Industry,
• Fixing and repairing minor works,
• Space and aircraft industry.
 How the TIG process works
The Tungsten Inert Gas, or TIG process, uses the heat generated by an
electric arc struck between a non-consumable tungsten electrode and
the workpiece to fuse metal in the joint area and produce a molten weld
pool. The arc area is shrouded in an inert or reducing gas shield to
protect the weld pool and the non-consumable electrode. The process
may be operated autogenously, that is, without filler, or filler may be
added by feeding a consumable wire or rod into the established weld
pool.

Schematic showing the principle of the TIG welding process

GTAW process
 TIG welding set-up
TIG TORCH REGULATOR/FLOWMETER
(AIR or WATER COOLED)

SHIELDING GAS
WORK PIECE

WATER COOLER
CONSTANT CURRENT POWER SUPPLY (OPTIONAL)
 Power Source Characteristics
Power Sources of Constant Current type having
drooping characteristics are used for
- MMAW process
- GTAW process
- Plasma processes

Power sources of constant voltage type having

flat characteristics are used for
- GMAW & FCAW processes
- SAW process
 Drooping characteristics power source
• Designed to give stable operation where the electrode moves up
and down with the welders hand eg MMAW and GTAW processes.
• Variation in arc voltage with movement of the welders hand results
in very little change in current
• Stable current gives consistent arc heat and weld pool

ISO line of the power

source is V= 20+ 0.04xI
 Effect of polarity on heat input
DCEN DCEP A
Cathode Anode C

_
1/16” 1/4” 3/32”

2/3 heat 1/3 heat 50% heat

 AC Cleaning

DCEN DCEP Electrode

Oxide Layer
Arc

(Negative Half Cycle) (Positive Half Cycle)

Melt Zone
Penetration Cleaning
 Polarity for arc processes
GTAW
Electrode DC –ve for mild steel, stainless steel, Ni
and Ni alloys, Cu and Cu alloys
AC for aluminium, magnesium & Al-Bronze.
Sometimes electrode DC +ve used for thin sheet

GMAW
Electrode DC +ve for all materials
 Development of Power sources
Some, more sophisticated, power sources allow the welding
current to start at a low level and build-up and also allow
the current to decay slowly when welding ceases. This
'slope-up' and 'slope-down' facility prevents burn through
on thin material and allows crater filling to take place.

Layout of typical TIG welding equipment

 Gas post flow
• The solenoid valve in the shielding gas flow
path opens immediately after the command
from the start switch.
• When welding is stopped the solenoid valve
shuts after a certain adjustable post flow time.
• This delay protects in cooling the weld and
especially the cooling of the electrode from
oxidation.
• When the post flow time is long enough the
electrode tip remains shiny and clear.
• Too short a post gas time oxidises the Tungsten,
and darkens its colour. The electrode wear is
even 30 % higher, causing also faults in the
weld.
• Post gas time is adjusted according to the
electrode cooling time, which is long when
welding with high currents.
• Usually the setting is 5 - 15 s.
 GTA Welding Machines
For GTAW Welding we can have

• DC TIG welding Machines

• DC Pulsed welding machines
• AC TIG welding machines,
• AC Square wave pulsing machines
• AC/DC TIG Welding Machines
 Pulsed welding Power Sources

Many welding sets now are capable of giving a pulsed

arc in which high current pulses are provided over a
lower background current. The pulse frequency,
duration, and maximum current and the background
duration and current can be varied to suit the
application. With some equipment the pulse shape
can be varied too.
Use of pulsing allows greater control over heat input
of the arc and enables consistent welds to be made in
very thin materials, in dissimilar thickness joints, and
unsupported root runs, and when welding in position.
 Pulsed welding
In pulse-TIG welding the current changes according to the settings
of frequency and pulse ratio, between pulse and pause currents.
PULSE Iave. = Average current
RATIO t c = Cycle time / Frequency
t s = Pulse time
I s = Pulse current
I t = Pause current
BACK. tc
I
ts
FREQUENCY
Is
ON /
PULSE OFF

It

t
 Pulsed TIG welding modes
Pulse welding can be divided to three different classes, according to
frequency:

“Long pulse welding”

Frequency 0.2 - 10Hz
Considerable pause time, during which the molten metal has time to
cool, so the weld is easier to control
.
“Quick pulse”
Frequency 50 - 500Hz
Frequency is so high, that pulse cycles are no longer distinguished
Usually the penetration is better and weld narrower
This feature is typical for ”ordinary inverter power sources”.

“High frequency pulse”

Frequency 1kHz- 20kHz
Only in special machines
 AC waveforms
+
0 • Sine wave
- t
– Traditional AC - transformer (50Hz)
– Low noise,half cycle ignition bad

+ • Square wave
0 – Traditional or inverter power source
- t – High noise, good oxide cleaning
– AC frequency adjustable

+ • Formed square wave

0 – Used in modern power sources
- t – Combined sine- and square wave
– Optimum AC properties
– AC frequency adjustable
 AC - balance adjustment
70%
+ • Maximum positive balance
0 – Low penetration
- – Good oxide cleaning
– A hotter electrode, tip wears round
30%
30% • Maximum negative balance 2.4
– Deep penetration 3.2
BALANCE
+ – Bad oxide cleaning
0 – A colder electrode, stays sharper 4.0
-
Adjustment depends on:
70% Material thickness
t
Oxide layer thickness AC
+ Base material
0
-
t Usually in AC welding the arc
ignition is done with DC+. This
function is automatic
 Pulsed TIG applications
Pulse TIG is a versatile welding process for all
positions and material thicknesses

Uses: Positional welding

Pipe welding
Welding without filler material
Welding of materials of different
thicknesses
Special materials eg SS & Ni alloys
Advantages:
Greater control on fusion & penetration
Welding is quicker (quick pulse)
Deeper penetration
Easier welding
Stabile arc
 TIG Welding Quality
Shielding Gases
ARGON
Best arc stability
Best shielding
Best cleaning action

HELIUM
Increases penetration and heat
Increases welding speed

ARGON / HELIUM MIXTURES

Combines benefits of both gases
 Shielding gas flow rates
• Flow rates : 6 – 10 litres per minute, depending on
application, using argon gas.
• A low flow rate can easily cause defects in the welding.
Too high a flow rate can also cause defects in the
welding due to turbulence, along with high costs in gas.
• Shield gas type : For example, when using ”light” helium
as shielding gas, the flow rate must be 1.5 - 3 times
more than with argon.
• Welding speed: In mechanized welding the weld pool
can become larger than usual. Then a larger gas nozzle
and flow rate can be used
• When needed, a gas lens can be used in the torch.
Longer gas shield distances are possible when using a
gas lense.
 Back Purging
When TIG welding certain materials, such as
stainless steel or nickel alloys, it is necessary to
prevent the reverse side of the weld area
oxidising, particularly in pipework when post-
weld cleaning of the root is impossible.This is
usually achieved by passing a stream of inert
gas through the pipe, or over the reverse side of
a plate, to exclude, or purge, oxygen from the
area.
The gases most frequently used for purging are
argon or nitrogen. Which gas is chosen will
depend on technical, practical or economic
reasons.
 TIG Torch and electrodes

Tungsten Electrodes
2% Thoriated for DC
welding of MS, SS, Cu &
Ni alloys - Red Tip
Pure tungsten for AC
welding of Aluminium,
Magnesium – Green Tip
Electrode Identification
Tungsten electrodes are identified in some countries by coloured rings or the
ends being painted according to their alloy content. These colour codes are
often country specific.
Tungsten Electrode Compositions and Colour Code as per European
Standard EN 26848, 1991

* Composite electrodes also have a pink identification ring in addition

to the above
 Application of Tungsten electrodes

Code Oxide Color Polarity

WP Pure Green AC
WT20 Thorium 2% Red DC/AC
WZ 8 Zirconium 0.80% White AC
WL10 Lanthanoid 1% Black DC/AC
WL15 Lanthanoid 1.50% Gold DC/AC
WC20 Cerium 2% Gray DC/AC
 Preparation of Tungsten Electrode
It is necessary to prepare the tip of the tungsten electrode, usually by
grinding, to aid arc initiation, stability, and control. For DCEN
operation a point is ground with an included, or vertex, angle
according to the application and the current that is to be used.
It should be noted that grinding should be carried out along the
length of the electrode not round the tungsten. Grinding round the
tungsten can cause the arc to wander up the electrode creating an
unstable or rotating arc.

For AC operation the tip of the electrode should be rounded off and
not pointed. This is because when using AC the tungsten tends to
form a ball on the end of the electrode rather than keeping a point.
 Tungsten Inclusions
Touching a tungsten electrode into a molten weld pool
will often result in some tungsten being melted off and
taken into the weld metal. Similarly, if the tip of a
tungsten electrode for AC operation is ground to a point,
this will be removed on initiation of the AC arc and end
up in the weld metal.
The resultant tungsten inclusions will be classified as a
defect and will have to be ground out and the weld
repaired.
Welders should be careful not to allow the electrodes to
come into contact with the weld pool and to ensure all
tungsten electrodes are correctly ground and prepared
for welding.
 AWS Specifications for Filler Metals
Suitable for GTAW
Specification
No.
A 5.2 Iron and Steel gas welding rods.
A 5.7 Copper and Copper alloy bare welding rods and electrodes
A 5.9 Corrosion resistant Chromium-Nickel steel bars and
composite metal cored and standard arc welding electrodes
and welding rods
A 5.10 Aluminium and Aluminium alloy welding rods and bare
electrodes
A 5.13 Surfacing welding rods and electrodes
A 5.14 Nickel and nickel alloy bare welding rods and electrodes
A 5.16 Titanium and titanium alloy bare welding rods and electrodes
A 5.18 Mild steel electrodes for Gas Metal Arc Welding
A 5.19 Magnesium alloy welding rods and bare electrodes
A 5.24 Zirconium and Zirconium alloy bare welding rods and
electrodes
Recommended Current Ranges for Tungsten Electrodes

Based upon European Standard, EN 26848, 1991.

 GTAW Welding Parameters

The current and polarity to be used will determine the

diameter of the tungsten electrode. The relationship
between current and electrode diameter for tungsten
electrodes with additions of thorium oxide, cerium
oxide, lanthanum oxide or zirconium oxide is shown in
the next table
If using pure tungsten electrodes the currents quoted
should be reduced to 75-90% of these values for DCEN
operation and to 60-75% for AC operation.
It is advised that national standards be consulted for
suitable current ranges.
 Selecting the right parameters

ELECTRODE GAS NOZZLE no. GAS FLOW CURRENT RANGE

DIAMETER l / min A

 1,6 4-5 5-7 20 - 130

 2,4 5-6 6-8 100 - 250
 3,2 6-7 7-9 150 - 350
 4,0 7-8 8 - 10 200 - 500

• Gas nozzle number is defined by the marking 1/16” ( 1,5875mm )

• Example: number 5 is 5 x 1,5875 mm = 7,9 mm
 HF - Ignition Unit
• High frequency (HF) unit ignites the arc without contact between the
electrode and workpiece.
• Usually TIG welding equipment are compact, so that the high frequency
unit is mounted inside the machine.
• Separate units are mainly used with multiprocess power sources.
• HF has been known to create difficulties and interference with computer
systems, telephones, and other electronic items, including heart
pacemakers
• For example at nuclear power plant constructions the use of HF - spark is
prohibited.
 DC Suppressor in AC

l Function of DC Suppressor
n Additional accessory to remove unwanted DC from output
- provides only AC output for welding
l Why DC Suppressor?
n In the positive half cycle, the oxide layer formed on the
surface of the job behaves as a PN junction diode in the
reverse bias and does not conduct current
n A DC suppressor removes the DC component and
facilitates AC output free from unwanted DC
 Electrode stick-out and arc length
in DC (-)ve welding

3 - 5 mm
1 - 5 mm

Electrode stick-out depends on the current and joint type used

 The Activated –Flux (A-TIG) process

• Gas Tungsten Arc Welding is widely used in nuclear,

aerospace, power, oil, shipbuilding & host of other
industries.
• Fundamental to applications requiring high quality
thru’ control of bead shape & metallurgical
characteristics.
• It is, however, a low productivity process,
• A-TIG welding process, developed by Paton Welding
Institute in the 1960’s, is a feasible alternative to
increase the process productivity
• A-TIG uses a thin layer of an active flux that is
applied to the surface before welding.
• The activated flux causes constriction in the arc-
,increasing current density at the anode root and the
arc force acting on weld pool.
 Advantages Of A-TIG Process
• A-TIG can enhance weld penetration by up to 300%

• A-TIG gives weld metal properties similar to parent

metal

• Less sensitive to cast to cast material variation

• Higher welding speed and productivity

• Cost of Welding can be reduced by as much as 50 %

Weld Penetration Profile
(Automation) Mechanised wire feeding
in TIG to increase Productivity
 Boiler Tube to Plate Welding Machine Head
Typical equipment for tube and tube-plate welding for heat
exchangers has been developed. These systems may
operate from the outside or inside depending on tube
diameter and the size of the welding head.
Special thanks to Mr. Somenath Ghosh
for his support and help.
THANK YOU ALL