Indian Institute of Welding - ANB

Refresher Course – Module 09

Gas Tungsten Arc and

Plasma Arc 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
High quality low productivity process
• GTAW Deposition rate upto 2kg/hr
Maybe mechanised for higher productivity
Very high productivity but restricted to
• SAW
Straight welds in downhand & H-V fillet
Deposition rates upto 25 kgs / hr

1
 Gas Tungsten Arc
Welding (GTAW / TIG)

+

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.

2
 TIG WELDING

Names
 TUNGSTEN INERT GAS WELDING (TIG)

 GAS TUNGSTEN ARC WELDING (GTAW)

 ARGON ARC WELDING

 HELIARC WELDING

+

TIG WELDING
 An Arc Welding Process.
 Arc between a non-consumable tungsten
electrode and the workpiece.
 An inert gas sustains the arc and protects the
molten metal from atmospheric contamination.

 Process is independent of filler addition

Filler metal can be added when required.

 Independent control on heat input and filler wire

addition.

+

3
 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

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)

4
 Disadvantages of TIG welding

– 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
• Fixing and repairing minor works
• Space and aircraft industry

5
 Joint Design

GTAW process

6
 TIG welding set-up
TIG TORCH REGULATOR/FLOWMETER
(AIR or WATER COOLED)

SHIELDING GAS
WORK PIECE

WATER COOLER
CONSTANT CURRENT POWER SUPPLY (OPTIONAL)

TIG Torch and electrodes

normal
(manual)

straight
(machine

Short head

Nozzles in different shapes & sizes

Gas lens
+

7
 Tungsten electrodes
Addition of small amount of oxides of thorium / cerium /
lanthanum / zirconium to tungsten enhance the performance
of the tungsten electrodes by increasing the electron
emissivity and current carrying capacity of the electrodes.

Types of tungsten electrodes:

 Pure Tungsten (EWP), (Green)
 Thoriated Tungsten (EWTh), (Red)
Zirconiated Tungsten (EWZr),(Brown)
 Ceriated Tungsten (EWCe), (Orange)
 Lanthanated (EWLa), (Grey)
+

TIG Torch and electrodes

Tungsten Electrodes
2% Thoriated for DC
welding of MS, SS, Cu & Ni
alloys - red tip.
Thoriated electrodes are
being replaced by Pointed tip for
DCSP TIG
Lanthanated and Ceriated
tungsten electrodes.
Pure tungsten and
Zirconiated tungsten for AC
welding of Aluminium, Balled tip for
Magnesium. AC TIG
+

8
 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.

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

9
 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

Shielding Gases in TIG welding quality

ARGON --- Most widely used
 Best shielding
 Best cleaning action
 Arc starting easier
 Best arc stability
 Available and comparatively less
costly.
HELIUM
 Increases penetration and heat
 Increases welding speed
 Arc starting difficult
 Higher flow rate (2-3 times of
Argon) required.
Control of impurities is very
important for high quality welds.
 Higher cost
Impurities:
ARGON / HELIUM MIXTURES Moisture, oxygen, nitrogen and
 Combines benefits of both gases. hydro-carbons.
 Some times small percentage of
Oxygen or Hydrogen added to Argon
to improve wetting.
+

10
 Schematic profiles during TIG-welding
of different shielding gases,
current 150 A, arc length 4 mm, weld speed 15 cm/min

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.

11
 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.

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.

12
 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

13
 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

14
 Heat distribution and penetration
in DCEN, DCSP and AC TIG welding

GTAW with AC for Aluminium

In this mode the polarity of the tungsten electrode and the workpiece
alternate between negative and positive at the frequency of the
applied welding current. This operating mode offers a good
compromise between workpiece heating and good fusion
characteristics combined with cathodic cleaning as described
above.

Diagram showing the current waveform for AC TIG operation

At normal mains frequencies (50Hz) heating and cleaning take place
during alternate half cycles, and is particularly suitable for materials
with tenacious oxide layers which would otherwise restrict or inhibit
fusion.

15
 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.

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

16
 GTA Welding Machines

For GTAW Welding we can have

• DC TIG welding Machines

• DC Pulsed welding machines
• AC TIG welding machines,
• AC/DC TIG Welding Machines
• Square wave AC 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.

17
 Pulsed welding
In pulse-TIG welding the current changes
according to the settings of frequency and pulse
ratio, between pulse and pause currents.
tc
I
ts Build-up of a bead consisting
of diverse nuggets
Is

It

t
I ave = Average current
t c = Cycle time / Frequency
PL = pool length
t s = Pulse time OL = overlapping length
I s = Pulse current DN = distance between
I t = Pause current two nuggets

+

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

18
 Pulsed TIG applications
Pulsed 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

AC waveforms
+
0 • Sine wave
- t
– Traditional AC - transformer
(50Hz)
– Low noise,half cycle ignition bad
+ • Square wave
0 – Traditional or inverter power
- t source
– High noise, good oxide cleaning
– AC frequency adjustable
+
• Formed square wave
– Available in modern power
0 sources
- t – Combined sine- and square
wave
– Optimum AC properties
– AC frequency adjustable

19
 AC - balance adjustment
70%
• Maximum positive balance
+ – Low penetration
– Good oxide cleaning
0
– A hotter electrode, tip wears round
-
30% • Maximum negative balance 2.4
3.2
– Deep penetration BALANCE
30% – Bad oxide cleaning 4.0

– A colder electrode, stays sharper

+ AC
0
- Adjustment depends on:
Material thickness
Oxide layer thickness
70%
t Base material

+ Usually in AC welding the arc ignition is

done with DC+. This function is
0
t automatic
-

Deep penetration
Bad oxide cleaning
A colder electrode, stays sharper

Low penetration
Good oxide cleaning
A hotter electrode, tip
wears round

Wave balance (EN/EP ) & AC frequency Variables In Square

Wave AC TIG Welding

20
 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

Arc Initiation in GTAW

To start the process a method of initiating the arc is
required. Initiation may be achieved by several
different methods, primarily dependent on the type
of TIG equipment being used, but influenced by the
material being welded and the application.
The most common methods in use are:
 Touch or scratch start.
 Carbon block.
 High Frequency (HF) power.
 Lift arc.

21
 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.

AC Freq.50 Hz.
EN/EP 50/50

HF impulse in Sine Wave AC TIG Welding

22
 DC Suppressor in AC

 Function of DC Suppressor
 Additional accessory to remove unwanted DC from
output - provides only AC output for welding
 Why DC Suppressor?
 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
 A DC suppressor removes the DC component and
facilitates AC output free from unwanted DC

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.

23
 Recommended Current Ranges for Tungsten Electrodes

Based upon European Standard, EN 26848, 1991.

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

24
 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

Defects in TIG WELDING

Bead oxidised

Tungsten inclusion

Lack fusion /
penetration

excess penetration
Crack in weld
Crater crack

+

25
 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.

Hot Wire TIG

In this variation, instead of the welder manually feeding

a cold, length of filler rod into the molten weld pool,
filler wire from a small spool is electrically pre-heated
and continuously fed via a contact tube into the back of
the pool. The resistance heating of the wire prior to
adding to the pool means that deposition rates can be
substantially improved compared to conventional cold
wire TIG.
There can also be improvements in productivity, as the
welder does not have to stop to pick up filler rods.

26
 Mechanised wire feeding in TIG
to increase productivity

Orbital TIG
Orbital TIG is an automatic process used primarily of the
welding together of pipes. The welding head comprises
of a method to hold in place both of the pipes to be
welded. It also contains a compact welding torch and a
drive mechanism allowing it to move completely around
the pipe. There will also be an integral wire feed system
on models for use with pipe that cannot be welded
autogenously.
Welding heads are produce in different diameters
suiting only a limited range of pipe diameters.

27
Process variations - Pipe welding

Schematic view of
mechanised butt welding
of tubes using a pipe welding
clamp

- Orbital welding -

Tube to tube- sheet welding

Typical boiler tube plate welding head

Specialist 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.

28
 Narrow-Gap TIG
In this variation, the components to be welded are
brought together in either as a square edge joint with a
small gap and a backing bar or 'U' preparation. These
combinations mean that distance between the two sides
of the joint are much smaller, hence the term 'narrow
gap'. The TIG torch, perhaps with some modification,
can be lowered into the gap and withdrawn slowly as
the weld progresses. Hot-wire filler addition may be
used together with pulsed current and other techniques
to assist the process.
Using a small gap between the component faces allows
thicker plates to be welded with fewer weld passes,
saving consumable costs, but, more importantly, labour
costs.

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.

29
 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

Conventional-vis-à-vis A -Tig

30
 Plasma Arc Process

Plasma Arc Welding

• Developed in in 1964 to provide
improved levels of control, accuracy
and consistency for precision
applications to that obtained by TIG
• In Plasma welding the gas plasma is
constricted by a fine bore copper
nozzle ( generally water-cooled ) so
that very high velocities and
temperatures upto 20,000 C are
achieved.
• Since the tungsten electrode is
positioned well inside the copper
nozzle the plasma arc can be
separated from the shielding gas
envelope. This also reduces
contamination and wear of the
electrode.

31
 The Plasma Arc Process
• Generally operated on DC with a
drooping characteristic power
source. A plasma control console
can be added to a TIG power
source
• A pilot arc is first struck between
the electrode and copper nozzle
and then main arc struck with the
work-piece when welding.
• A HF unit is required only at the
start to strike the pilot arc.
• The plasma gas is generally Argon
or sometimes Argon-Helium and
the shielding gas Argon + 2-5% H2.
• The electrode is Tungsten + 2% Th

Features of the plasma process

• Needle like stiff arc reduces arc wander and distortion.
• Currents a low as 0.05 amps can be used and arc transfer is more
gentle and consistent allowing thin wires to be welded.
• Arc energy density 3 X that of TIG. Gives higher welding speeds
with less distortion. Also gives much higher penetration to enable
key-hole technique to be used.
• HF only needed to start pilot arc. Thus can be used with NC controls
and for hermetically sealed electronic components.
• Extremely short weld times can be achieved down to 0.005 secs.
Thus fine wire mesh can be spot welded.
• Weld bead size can be predicted by nozzle bore size, which controls
the plasma column diameter.
• Precise control on penetration facilitates plasma overlaying to
control depth of surfacing layer.

32
 Application of the plasma process
Three operating modes possible by varying current bore
diameter and gas flow rate
• Micro plasma: 0.05 to 15 amps – used for welding thin sheet down
to 0.1mm eg SS bellows and wire mesh, welding of surgical
instruments, repair of gas turbine engine blades, electronic
components and micro-switches etc.
• Medium current: 15 to 200 amps – used as alternative to
conventional TIG for improved penetration and greater tolerance to
surface contamination. Generally mechanised due to bulkiness of
torch.
• Keyhole Plasma: over 100 amps – By increasing current and
plasma gas flow a very powerful beam is possible which can achieve
full penetration in 10 mm stainless steel.During welding the hole
progressively cuts through the metal with the molten weld pool
flowing behind to form the weld bead.

Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge the contributions of

the following faculty members for developing
this module

• Mr.R.Banerjee
• Mr.R.Srinivasan
• Mr.T.K.Mitra

33
THANK YOU

34