Applications & fabricator benefits
The ESAB range of cored wire/flux packages comprises combinations for a great variety of applications
within different industrial segments. Here are several examples described by means of case studies,
highlighting the benefits for the fabricators involved.
Fabrication of boiler membrane panels
An important application for submerged
arc welding with cored wires is the
welding of fin to tube joints for boiler
membrane panels. The UK fabricator
Mitsui Babcock replaced 2.0mm solid
wire with the metal-cored wire OK
Tubrod 14.02S-2.4mm/OK Flux 10.71
and increased welding speeds from 1.4
to 1.8m/min. with an added im-
provement in weld quality. The above
photograph shows a typical four-head-
ed welding station at Kvaerner Pulping
in Finland.
Double-sided welding of deck plates
The basic cored wire/flux combination
OK Tubrod 15.00S/OK Flux 10.71 has
given improvements in welding produc-
tivity at several European shipyards. The
above photograph at Schicau/Seebeck
Werft in Germany shows the welding of
deck plates up 16mm in thickness with
no edge preparation. Depending on
plate thickness, improvements in weld-
ing speeds, compared to solid wires,
increased by over 20%.
ESAB Cored Wires Marketing
Hertford Road, Waltham Cross
Hertfordshire EN8 7RP
Great Britain
Tel: +44 1992 76 85 15
Fax: +44 1992 71 58 03
e-mail: shaun.studholme @ esab.co.uk
Circumferential welds
The versatily of the basic cored wire/
flux combination OK Tubrod 15.00S/
OK Flux 10.71 is further exemplified
by an application from the Dutch
company Hydrowa; specialising in the
fabrication of hydraulic cylinders.
Replacing solid wire SAW, along with
the installation of a new welding sta-
tion, they obtained up to 30% higher
travel speeds in welding a wide vari-
ety of diameters.
An additional advantage was the ability
to weld the first SAW layer directly
over the TIG-welded root pass, where-
as solid wire SAW required an extra
GMAW layer to avoid burning through.
A new development worth emphasis-
ing is the basic cored wire/fused flux
combination OK Tubrod 15.24S/OK
Flux 10.47. It is specially developed for
the welding of low-temperature steels,
without the necessity to rebake the flux
prior to use and still achieve the H5
classification for the combination.
Printed in The Netherlands
Low-temperature steels
Submerged arc welding
with cored wires
The basic cored wire/basic agglomerat-
ed flux combinations OK Tubrod 15.24S/
OK Flux 10.62 and OK Tubrod 15.25S/
OK Flux 10.62 are well proven for the
welding of low-temperature steels, for
example in offshore fabrication.
Recently, the basic cored wire/fused
flux combination OK Tubrod 15.24S/
OK Flux 10.47 was added to the range
with good CVN values down to – 40ºC
and good CTOD values at –10ºC.
The main advantage of this combination
is that the fused flux is highly resistant to
moisture pick-up and can be used with-
out rebaking prior to welding, giving weld
metal hydrogen below H5 over the full
range of applicable welding parameters.
This package was adopted by the UK
yards of Kvaerner Oil & Gas in Teesside
and Methil for the fabrication of box
structures and beams in BS7191-
450EMZ steel for the deck modules of
the Snorre B oil platform. Both yards
reported a substantial increase in weld-
ing productivity over previously used
solid wire SAW for butt and fillet welds
with a marked reduction in actual flux
consumption.
Reg. No.: XA000100720
Submerged arc welding Selection table OK Tubrod/OK Flux SAW combinations

with cored wires OK Tubrod

cored wire
Type OK Flux
(alternative)
All weld metal chemical compositions with first option flux
(weight %/ typical values)
C Si Mn Cr Ni Mo Nb V N
All weld metal mech. propeties
typical values
Rm Re A CVN
Application

(MPa) (MPa) (%) (J)

Welding with cored wires continues the drive for increased productivity with the Mild & medium tensile steels
most productive of all welding processes - submerged arc welding (SAW). 14.00S M 10.71 0.05 0.4 1.6 - - - - - - 530 450 30 110 (-20ºC) General purpose. Good CVN properties down to -20ºC with OK Flux
Compared to solid wires cored wires give increased weld metal deposition rates (10.81) 10.71.
that can be exploited as; 15.00S B 10.71 0.06 0.5 1.6 - - - - - - 540 460 30 130 (-40ºC) General purpose. In combination with OK Flux 10.71 good CVN properties
(10.62) down to -40ºC.
• a reduction in the number of passes required to complete a welded joint, or,
Low-temperature steels
• increased welding speeds for example in fillet welding applications. 15.24S B 10.62 0.08 0.3 1.7 - 0.8 - - - - 620 530 26 120 (-50ºC) 1%Ni-alloyed cored wire. Good CVN properties down to -50ºC with OK
(10.47) Flux 10.62. With fused flux OK 10.47, a low-hydrogen flux that requires no
Due to their tubular design cored wires differ from solid wires in that at any rebaking, good CVN properties down to -40ºC.
given welding current for the same diameter the melting or burn off rate is sig-
nificantly increased with a corresponding increase in the weld metal deposition 15.25S B 10.62 0.05 0.4 1.3 - 2.2 - - - - 580 500 28 120 (-60ºC) 2.5%Ni-alloyed cored wire. Good CVN properties down to -60ºC in com-
(10.47) bination with OK Flux 10.62
rate. This difference in deposition rates between solid and cored wires is more
High tensile steels
pronounced for the SAW process than with the gas shielded welding process 15.26S B 10.47 0.06 0.3 1.4 0.8 0.5 660 600 25 100 (-40ºC) For steel grades with yield strength >550MPa with CVN toughness to -40ºC.
because higher welding currents are used. 15.21S B 10.71 0.07 0.6 1.4 0.5 650 580 24 0.5%Mo-alloyed cored wire for a wide range of high tensile steels.

Essentially cored wires for SAW are similar in design to those used for MIG/MAG Creep Resistant steels
welding. Within the ESAB product range both metal cored and basic flux cored types 14.02S M 10.71 0.06 0.5 1.3 - - 0.5 - - - 600 520 28 0.5%Mo-alloyed grades.

are available in the size range 2.4-4.0mm for the welding of mild, low-temperature,
14.07S M 10.71 0.06 0.5 1.0 1.25 - 0.5 700 620 24 1.25%Cr/0.5%Mo-alloyed grades.
high strength, and creep resistant steels. OK Tubrod cored wires for SAW can also be
used for twin wire, multi-power (tandem) as well as synergic cold wire applications. 14.08S M 10.71 0.08 0.4 1.0 2.25 - 1.0 - - - 670 600 20 2.25%Cr/1%Mo-alloyed grades.
15.23S B 10.63 0.10 0.3 1.0 9.3 0.5 1.0 0.05 0.2 0.04 720 610 26 For P91 type creep resistant steels.

Submerged arc welding with cored wires offers fabricators the following benefits:
High dilution applications
• A dramatic increase in productivity compared with solid wire SAW. With the OK 14.53S M 10.71 0.04 0.6 1.5 - 2.1 0.3 - - - Developed for applications with high dilution where sub-zero impact
Tubrod metal cored types gains of 20% are achievable whilst with the basic flux properties are required.

cored types this can be up to 30%.

• The basic carbon-manganese cored wires exhibit superior mechanical prop- Deposition rate Welding parameters and CVN properties for OK Tubrod 15.24/OK Flux 10.62
erties than the standard S1 and S2 solid wires.
OK Tubrod 15.00S vs solid wire
OK Tubrod Ø4.0mm/25mm stick-out/single wire
Beads Current Volts Travel Speed
For example, the low-temperature toughness of OK Tubrod 15.00S is main-
(A) (V) (cm/min)
tained down to – 40ºC. Nickel alloyed basic types are available for service OK 15.24S/OK 10.62 1 MIG root pass
20 2 500 26 42
temperatures down to – 60ºC. 3-4 550 28 42
18 OK Tubrod-Ø 2.4mm 5-6 600 30 42
• Reduced flux consumption of approximately 15% when welding with the Ø 3.0mm 7-8 650 31 42
Ø 4.0mm 9-11 700 32 42
basic cored wires. 16
Solid wire-Ø 2.4mm 12-25 800 33 42
Deposition Rate (kg/hr)

Ø 3.0mm
• Comprehensive product range to meet the most commonly welded steels. 14
26 650 36 60
Ø 4.0mm CVN – 40ºC ( J ) weld centre: 114, 110, 98 cap: 114, 126, 130

12

Classifications & Approvals Fillet welding Fillet welding examples

10

OK Tubrod / OK Flux AWS Classification Approvals OK Tubrod 14.00S 2.4mm/OK Flux 10.71/ OK Tubrod 14.00S-4.0mm/OK Flux 10.71/e.s.o. 25mm
8
PB position/ e.s.o. 25mm
Throat Wire Current Volts Travel Speed Beads Current Volts Travel Speed
6
14.00S/10.71 A5.17-89:F7A2-EC1 ABS, LR, DNV, BV, GL, TÜV, DB (mm) Mode (A) (V) (cm/min) (A) (V) (cm/min)
14.02S/10.71 A5.23-90:F7AZ-EC-A4 2.5 Twin 800 27 180 single wire 1 500 27 70
4
3.0 Twin 800 27 170 (top photo)
14.53S/10.71 A5.23-90:F9A2-EC-G
2
4.0 Twin 850 27 120
15.00S/10.71 A5.17-89:F7A4-EC1 ABS, LR, DNV, BV, GL, TÜV, DB, Co
25mm e.s.o. OK Tubrod 14.00S 4.0mm/OK Flux 10.71/ PB posi- twin wire 1 850 27 160
15.21S/10.71 A5.23-90: F7A2-EC-A4 0 tion (bottom photo)
15.24S/10.62 A5.23-90: F8A6-EC-G 200 400 600 800 1000 Throat Wire Current Volts Travel Speed
(mm) Mode (A) (V) (cm/min)
15.24S/10.47 A5.23-90: F8A4-EC-G Current (amps) 3.0 Single 450 27 70
15.25S/10.62 A5.23-90: F7A8-EC-Ni2 4.0 Single 500 27 70
 Applications & fabricator benefits
The ESAB range of cored wire/flux packages comprises combinations for a great variety of applications
within different industrial segments. Here are several examples described by means of case studies,
highlighting the benefits for the fabricators involved.
Fabrication of boiler membrane panels
An important application for submerged
arc welding with cored wires is the
welding of fin to tube joints for boiler
membrane panels. The UK fabricator
Mitsui Babcock replaced 2.0mm solid
wire with the metal-cored wire OK
Tubrod 14.02S-2.4mm/OK Flux 10.71
and increased welding speeds from 1.4
to 1.8m/min. with an added im-
provement in weld quality. The above
photograph shows a typical four-head-
ed welding station at Kvaerner Pulping
in Finland.
Double-sided welding of deck plates
The basic cored wire/flux combination
OK Tubrod 15.00S/OK Flux 10.71 has
given improvements in welding produc-
tivity at several European shipyards. The
above photograph at Schicau/Seebeck
Werft in Germany shows the welding of
deck plates up 16mm in thickness with
no edge preparation. Depending on
plate thickness, improvements in weld-
ing speeds, compared to solid wires,
increased by over 20%.
ESAB Cored Wires Marketing
Hertford Road, Waltham Cross
Hertfordshire EN8 7RP
Great Britain
Tel: +44 1992 76 85 15
Fax: +44 1992 71 58 03
e-mail: shaun.studholme @ esab.co.uk
Circumferential welds
The versatily of the basic cored wire/
flux combination OK Tubrod 15.00S/
OK Flux 10.71 is further exemplified
by an application from the Dutch
company Hydrowa; specialising in the
fabrication of hydraulic cylinders.
Replacing solid wire SAW, along with
the installation of a new welding sta-
tion, they obtained up to 30% higher
travel speeds in welding a wide vari-
ety of diameters.
An additional advantage was the ability
to weld the first SAW layer directly
over the TIG-welded root pass, where-
as solid wire SAW required an extra
GMAW layer to avoid burning through.
A new development worth emphasis-
ing is the basic cored wire/fused flux
combination OK Tubrod 15.24S/OK
Flux 10.47. It is specially developed for
the welding of low-temperature steels,
without the necessity to rebake the flux
prior to use and still achieve the H5
classification for the combination.
Printed in The Netherlands
Low-temperature steels
Submerged arc welding
with cored wires
The basic cored wire/basic agglomerat-
ed flux combinations OK Tubrod 15.24S/
OK Flux 10.62 and OK Tubrod 15.25S/
OK Flux 10.62 are well proven for the
welding of low-temperature steels, for
example in offshore fabrication.
Recently, the basic cored wire/fused
flux combination OK Tubrod 15.24S/
OK Flux 10.47 was added to the range
with good CVN values down to – 40ºC
and good CTOD values at –10ºC.
The main advantage of this combination
is that the fused flux is highly resistant to
moisture pick-up and can be used with-
out rebaking prior to welding, giving weld
metal hydrogen below H5 over the full
range of applicable welding parameters.
This package was adopted by the UK
yards of Kvaerner Oil & Gas in Teesside
and Methil for the fabrication of box
structures and beams in BS7191-
450EMZ steel for the deck modules of
the Snorre B oil platform. Both yards
reported a substantial increase in weld-
ing productivity over previously used
solid wire SAW for butt and fillet welds
with a marked reduction in actual flux
consumption.
Reg. No.: XA000100720