Aws C5.6-89

COPYRIGHT American Welding Society, Inc.
Licensed by Information Handling Services

Keywords - Gas metal arcwelding, joint ANSllAWS C5.6-89
design, arc spot welding, safety, An American National Standard
training
Approved by
American National Standards Institute
August 16,1989
Recommended
Practices for
Gas Metal
Arc Welding
Prepared by
AWS Committee on Arc Welding and Cutting
-. .
Under the Direction of

AWS Technical Activities Committee
Approved by
AWS Board of Directors
Abstract
This standard is a recommended practice on the gas metal arc welding (GMAW) process. This document
presents the basic concepts of this process and should enablethe reader to obtain
a fundamental understand-
ing of this process and its variations, such as short circuit, spray, and pulse modes of metal transfer. It
provides the specific technical data which will act as a guide in establishing optimum operation of the
process.
American Welding Society

550 N.W. LeJeune Road, P.O. Box 351040, Miami, Florida 33135

AWS C S - 6 8 7 W 0 7 8 4 2 6 5 O002632 3
Statement on Useof AWS Standards
All standards (codes, specifications, recommended practices, methods, classifications, and guides) of the American
Welding Society are voluntary consensus standards that have been developed in accordance with the rules of the
American National Standards Institute. When AWS standards are either incorporated in,or made part of, documents
that are included in‘ federal or state laws and regulations, or the regulations of other governmental bodies, their
provisions carry the full legal authority of the statute. In such cases, any changes in those AWS standards must be
approved by the governmental body having statutory jurisdiction before they can become a part of those laws and
standards carry the full legalauthority of the contract or other document that invokes
regulations. In all cases, these
AWS standards. Where this contractual relationship exists, changes in or deviations from requirements ofan AWS
standard must be by agreement between the contracting parties.
International Standard Book Number: 0-87171-301-2
American Welding Society, 550 N.W. LeJeune Road, P.O. Box 351040, Miami, Florida 33135
@ 1989 by American Welding Society. All rights reserved

Printed in the United States of America
Note: The primary purpose of AWS is to serve and benefit its members,To this end, AWS provides a forum for the
exchange, consideration, and discussion of ideas and proposals that are relevant to the welding industry and the
consensus of which formsthe basis for these standards. By providing such a forum, AWS does not assume any to duties
which a user of these standards may be required to adhere, By publishing thisstandard, the American Welding Society
does not insure anyone using the information it contains against any liability arising from that use. Publication of a
standard by the American Welding Society does not carry with it any to make,
right use,or sell any patented items. Users
of the information in this standard shouldanmake independent investigation of the validitythat ofinformation for their
particular use and the patentstatus of any item referred to herein.
This standard is subject to revision at any time bythe AWS Arc Welding and Cutting Committee. It must be reviewed
every five years and if not revised,it must be either reapproved
or withdrawn. Comments (recommendations, additions,
or deletions) and any pertinent data thatmay beof use in improving this standard
are requested and should be addressed
to AWS Headquarters. Such comments will receive careful considerations by the AWS Arc Welding and Cutting
Committee, andthe author of the comments will be informedof the committee’s responseto the comments, Guestsare
invited to attend all meetingsof the AWS Arc Welding and Cutting Committeeto express their comments verbally.
Procedures for appeal of an adverse decision concerning all such comments are provided inthe Rules of Operation of
the Technical Activities Committee, ACOPY of these Rules can be obtained from the American Welding Society,550
N.W, LeJeune Road, P.O. Box 351040, Miami, Florida 33135.

Personnel
AWS Committee on Arc Welding and Cutting
E.R. Bohnart, Chairman Miller Electric Mfg. Company
J.R. Hannahs, 1st T/: Chairman Midmark Corporation
B.L. Shultz, 2nd I? Chairman Taylor-Winfield Corporation
K A . Dierschow, Secretavy American Welding Society
D.R. Amos Westinghouse TurbinePlant
WL. Ballis Columbia Gas Distribution Company
K.E. Banks Teledyne Mckay
R.L. Bennett Thermal Dynamics corporation
L A . Colarossi** Consultant
J.R. Condra E L DuPont de Nemours& Company
N.A. Freytag The Budd Company
R.H. Frost Colorado Scbool of Mines
R. T Hernzacek* Argonne National Laboratory
G.K. Hicken Sandia National Laboratory
JE. Hinkel Lincoln ElectricCompany
D. B.Holliday Westinghouse Electric Corporation
L C. Northard** Tennessee Valley Authority
N.E. Larson Union Carbide Corporation
E.R. Pierre Liquid Air Corporation
L.J. Privoznik Westinghouse Electric Carporation
J S , Sayre Consultant
L.R. Soisson Arcair Company
M.D. Stepath* Arcair Company
E.P. Vilkas Astro Arc Company
G.K. Willecke** Miller Electric Mfg. Company
Subcommittee onGas Metal Arc Welding

K L . Ballis, Chairman Columbia Gas Distribution Company
E.R. Bohnart Miller Electric Mfg. Company
D.A. Fink Lincoln Electric Company
N.A. Freytag The Budd Company
E.H. Gray U S Nuclear Regulatory Commission
L. Helleman Cincinnati Milacron
D.B. HoIIiday Westinghouse Electrís Corporation
G.R. Rothchild* Consultant
WG. Woolery Illinois Power Company
*Advisor
**Deceased

AWS C 5 - h 87 m 0’784265 0002634 ’7 m
Foreword
(This Foreword is not a partof ANSIIAWS 0 . 6 - 8 9 , Recommended Practicesfor Gas MetalArc Welding,
but is included for information purposes only.)
Gas metal arc welding (GMAW) was introduced as a practical fabricatingprocess approximately thirty-
eight years ago, In the past ten years, advances have been made in the development of techniques for
automatic applications.GMAW applications should continue to expand as fabricators become more familiar
with the fundamentals, techniques, and advantagesof this welding process.
GMAW welding data was gathered in the late 1970’s to yield an authoritative source of sound technical
practices for gas metal arcwelding. Accordingly, the AWS Committee onArc Welding and Cutting prepared
this recommended practicefor gas metal arcwelding and published it in 1979. The 1989 editionis the first
revision of the 1979 document.
of the
The Committeehas developed these guidelinesin the hope that they will lead to further development
gas metal arc process. Comments on this publicationwill be most welcome. They should be addressed to:
Secretary, AWS Arc Welding and Cutting Committee, AmericanWelding Society, 550 N.W. LeJeune Road,
P. O. Box 35 1040, Miami, Florida 33 135.
iv

Table-of Contents
Page No.
Personnel., ..................................................................... iii
Foreword ....................................................................... iv
List of Tables .................................................................... vii
List of Figures .................................................................... viii
1. Scope ............................................................................ 1
2. Fundamentals .................................................................. 2
2.1 Principals of Operation ....................................................... 2
2.2 Characteristics ............................................................. 2
2.3 Variations ................................................................. 4
3. Equipment .................................................................... 6
3.1 Introduction ............................................................... 6
3.2 SemiautomaticWeldingEquipment ............................................. 6
3.3 AutomaticWeldingEquipment ................................................ 16
4. Process Requirements and Application ............................................... 17

4.1 ShieldingGas ............................................................... 17
4.2 Electrodes .................................................................. 19
4.3 Selection of Process Variables. ................................................. 19
4.4 Welding Variables ........................................................... 22
5 . General Joint Design ............................................................ 25
6. SpotWelding .................................................................. 25
6.1 EquipmentOperation ........................................................ 33
6.2 Effect of Process Variables on Weld Characteristics ................................. 33
6.3 Joint Design ............................................................... 33
6.4 Tension-ShearTest .......................................................... 43
7. Inspection andWeldQuality ...................................................... 43

7.1 Introduction ............................................................... 43
7.2 PotentialProblems .......................................................... 43
7.3 Weld Discontinuities ........................................................ 44
8. Training ..................................................................... 49
8.1 Introductory Training Program on Steel .......................................... 50
8.2 WeldingNonferrousMetals ................................................... 50
8.3 GMAW Course for Steel.Pipe .................................................. 50
8.4 GMAW Equipment Maintenance and Trouble-Shooting Course ....................... 51

AWS C S - b 87 W 0 7 8 4 2 b 5 0 0 0 2 b 3 b O W
9. Qual~~~atìon................................................................................ 5
9.1
Introduction ........................................................................... 5
9.2 General ................................................................................51
9.3ProcedureQualiecation .................................................................. 52
9.4 Variables .............................................................................. 52
9.5 TypesofTests .......................................................................... 52
10. Safe Practices .................................................................................
. .
60
10.1Scope ................................................................................. 60
10.2 Discussion of PotentialHazards ........................................................... 60
10.3Gases ................................................................................. 63
10.4Ractiation ..............................................................................64
10.5 Electric Shock ............................................................ :............. 64
10.6 Noise ................................................................................. 64
10.7OtherFactors ..........................................................................64
vi

List of Tables
Table Page No.
1 - Typical Currents(Short Circuit) for Metal Transfer in theShort circuiting Mode
(Power Source-Static Characteristics)........................................................16
2 - Shielding Gases and Gas Mixturesfor GMAW .......................................... , ,. .,,20
*
3 - Selection of Gases for GMAW with SprayTransfer. ..............................................21

4 - Selection of Gases for GMAW with Short Circuiting Transfer .............................. ........22
5 - Recommended Filler Metals for GMAW ............................................... ........23
6 - How Changes in Welding Variables Affect Weld .................................................25
7 - Strength Equivalents (EffectiveThroat Depth).by Processfor Fillet Welds, ...........................26
8 - GMAW Spot Welding of Plain Carbon Steel in the Flat Position COz Shielding Gas -
3/ 16 in. (4.8 mm) Diameter Nugget .................................................. ........39
9 - GMAW Spot Welding of Plain Carbon Steel in the Flat Position CO2 Shielding Gas -
1/4 in. (6.4 mm) Diameter Nugget.. ................................................. ........40

10 -GMAW Spot and Plug Welds on Aluminum Argon Shielding Gas- I / 16 in. (1.6 mm)
Diameter Electrode ............................................................... ........41
11 - Summary of Operating Conditions forGMAW Spot Welding of Various Gauges of
AZ3IB (Magnesium) sheet with AZ61A Electrode ..................................... ........42
12 - GMAW Spot Welding of Stainless Steelto Plain Carbon Steel in the Flat Position....................43
vii

. AWS C S - 6 8 7 9 0 7 8 q 2 6 5 0002638 4 9 '
List of Figures
Figure Page No .
1. Basic GMAW Equipment .................................................................... 2
...................................................................
2 - Illustration of Pinch Effect 3
3 - Melting Rates of Gas Metal Arc Electrodes ..................................................... 4
4 - Variation in Volume and Transfer Rate of Droplets with Welding Current............................ 5
5 - Weld Metal Transfer Characteristics........................................................... 5
6 - Oscillograms and Sketchesof Short Circuiting Arc Metal Transfer.................................. 6
7 - Time/Ampere Curve for Pulsed Current. ........................................................ 6
8 - Schematic of Typical Electrogas Equipment in Weld Area ......................................... 7
9 - Semiautomatic Gas Metal Arc Welding Installation (Water Coolingof the Torch is Optional) ............ 8
10 - Machine Gas Metal Arc Welding Installation .................................................... 9
..............................................................
11 - Static Volt-Ampere Characteristics 13
12 - Automatic Regulationof Arc Length in the GMAW Process with a Conventional
PowerSupply ............................................................................ 14
....................................................
13 - Calculation of the Slopefor a Power Source 15
......................................
14 - Illustration of Pinch Effect During Short Circuiting Transfer. 15
....................................................................
15 - Effect of Changing Slope. 16
.........................................
16 - Change in Rate of Current Rise Due to Added Inductance 16
17 - Bead Cross Section and Depthof Fusion (Penetration) Patterns with Various Shielding Gases...........18
....................................
18 - Relative Effect of 02 Versus CO2 Additions to the Argon Shield 19
19 - Electrode Extension......................................................................... 23
....................................................
20 - Typical Melting Ratesfor Plain Carbon Steel 26
21 - Typical Welding Currents Versus Wire Feed Speedsfor Carbon Steel Electrodes....................... 27
22 - Typical Melting Ratesfor Aluminum Electrodes................................................. 27
23 - Welding Currents Versus Wire Feed Speed for ER4043 Aluminum Electrodes ......................... 28
24 - Welding Currents Versus Wire Feed Speed for ER5356 Aluminum Electrodes......................... 28
25 - Typical Melting Ratesfor 300 Series Stainless Steel Electrodes..................................... 29
26 - Typical Welding Currents Versus Wire Feed Speedsfor 300 Series Stainless Steel Electrodes.............
29
27 - Typical Melting Rates for ECU Copper Electrodes ................................................ 30
28 - Welding Currents Versus Wire Feed Speed for ECU Copper Electrodes ...............................
29 - Typical Melting Ratesfor ECuSi-A Copper Electrodes............................................ 31
30
30 - Welding Currents Versus Wire Feed Speed for ECuSi-A Copper Electrodes ........................... 31
31 - Typical Currents Versus Wire Feed Speed for Magnesium Electrodes ............................... $32
32 - Optimum Short Circuit Transferfor Plain Carbon Steel Electrodes .................................. 32
33 - Optimum Short Circuit Transferfor Carbon Steel Electrodes....................................... 33
34 - Typical Weld Joint Design for GMAW (Steel) ................................................... 34
35 - Fillet Weld - Effective Throats ............................................................... 38
36 - Types of Joints for GMAW Spot Welding ....................................................... 38
37 - Tension - Shear Test Specimen Dimensions .................................................... 38
38 - Undercutting at the Toe of the Weld ........................................................... 44
39 - Porosity Rue toInadequate Shielding Gas Coverage .............................................. 45
40 - Porosity Due to Excessive Voltage ............................................................. 46
41 - Incomplete Fusion Due to Narrow Groove Preparation (5083 Aluminum Plate and
ER5183 Filler Metal) ...................................................................... 46
42 - Incomplete Root Penetration Due to Inadequate Welding Current .................................. 46
43 - Weld Metal Cracking Due to Excessive Depth-to-Width Ratio ..................................... 47
viii

44 . at End of Weld...................................................
Weld Metal Cracking in Crater 47
45Due
- Incomplete
Fusion Speed
toTravel
Excessive ................................................ 48
ead 46 - Weld ........................................................................ 49
47 - Sagging of Weld Bead Due to Position of Welding ............................................... 49
48 - Overlap of Weld Bead Due to Incorrect Voltage .................................................. 50
49 - Humping of Weld Metal Dueto Excessive Travel Speed ........................................... 50
50 - Example of Workmanship Samples ............................................................ 53
51 .- Example of Workmanship Sample ............................................................. 54
52 - Workmanship Specimens .................................................................... 55
53 - Penetration of Filler Weld Break Test Specimen.................................................. 56
54 - Methods for Facilitating FilletWeld Fracture .................................................... 56
55 - Longitudinal FilletWeld Shearing Specimen After Welding........................................ 56
56 - Transverse Fillet Weld Shearing Specimen ...................................................... 57
57 - Longitudinal FilletWeld Specimen After Machining.............................................. 57
58 - Fillet Weld-Soundness Test Specimen .......................................................... 57
59 - Reduced-Section Tension Specimen (Plate) ...................................................... 58
60 - Reduced-Section Tension Specimen (Pipe)...................................................... 58
61 - Face- and Root-Bend Specimen (Plate)......................................................... 59
62 - Face- and Root-Bend Specimen (Pipe)......................................................... 59
63 - Side-Bend Specimen......................................................................... 60
64 - Position of Fillet Welds ...................................................................... 61
65 - Position of Groove Welds .................................................................... 62
ix

Recommended Practices for
Gas Metal Arc Welding
Note: The U.S. customary units are primary in this formally accepted AWS term of gas metal arc weld-
publication. However, the approximate equivalent ing (GMAW) for the process.
SI values are listed in text and tables to familiarize Further developmentsto the process included the
the reader with theSI system of metric units. following: the short circuiting mode of metal trans-
fer (GMAW-S), a lowerheat energy variation of the
process that permits welding in all positions and
1. Scope also on sheet metal thicknesses; a method using
molding shoes to confine the molten weld metal for
It is intended in this publication to present the vertical welding electrogas welding (EGW); and a
basic concepts of the gas metal arc welding method of controlled pulsating current (GMAW-P)
(GMAW) process that will enable the reader toob- to provide a uniform spray droplet metal transfer
tain a fundamental understanding of the process from the electrode at loweraverage current levels.
and its variations.' This knowledge, combined with The GMAW process uses either semiautomatic,
basic information about other welding processes, machine, or automatic equipment and is princi-
should be helpful to the reader in the selection of the pally applied in high production welding. Most
best welding process for metals tobe joined. In ad- metals can be welded with this process and may be
dition, the reader will find specific technical data welded in all positions with the low energy varia-
which will be a guidein establishing optimum oper- tions of the process. GMAW is an economical pro-
ation of this process. cess that requires little or no cleaning of the weld
Historically, the GMAW process was developed metal. Warpage and metal finishing are minimal.
and madecommercially available in 1948, although Each of the variations of GMAW provides spe-
the basic concept was actually introduced in the cific advantages, and standard process equipment
1920's. In its early commercial applications, the is normally designed to permit the useof severa1of
process was used to weld aluminum with an inert these Variations. However, some equipment is de-
shielding gas, giving rise to the termMIG (metal in- signed for one specific mode only. Other variations,
ert gas) which is stilI in common usage when refer- such as pulsed current or other processes such as
ring to the process. As time went on, variationswere electrogas, require essentially special units which
added to the process, among which was the use of are uniquefor these variations.
active shielding gases, particularly CO*, for welding The Committee has prepared these recom-
certain ferrous materials. Thiseventually led to the mended practices as guidelines with the hope that
they will serve as an incentivefor industry to further
l . Gas metal arc welding is defined as an arc welding pro- develop the GMAW process, The Committeeis con-
cess that produces coalescenceof metals by heating them tinuing its activities to provide datafor additional
with an arc between a continuous filler metal electrode materials, designs, and equipment, and these rec-
and the workpieces. Shielding is obtained entirely from ommended practices will be revised as new infor-
an externally supplied gas. mation becomes available.

2
2. Fundamentals . cally providing a drooping volt-ampere curve) plus

an arcvoltage-controlled electrode feed unit. With
2.1 Principles of Operation. GMAW isan arcweld- this constant current Combination, arc voltage
ing process which incorporates the automaticfeed- changes, caused by a change in the arclength, will
ing of a continuous, consumable electrode that is initiate a response in the electrode feed unit to
shielded by an externally supplied gas. Since the either increase or decrease the electrode feed speed
equipment provides for automatic control of the to maintain the original arc length setting. In some
arc, the only manual controls required by the welder applications, a constant current power source may
for semiautomatic operation are the travel speed, be coupled with a constant speed electrode feed
and gun positioning and guidance. unit. This combination will provide only a small
Process control ahd function are achieved degree of automatic self-regulation and can be quite
through these the basic elements of equipment (see demanding in technique and Set-up for semi-
Figure 1). automatic welding.
(1) Gun However, some users think this combinationaf-
(2) Electrode Feed unit fords the range of control overthe arcenergy that is
(3) Pòwer Source considered important in coping with the high ther-
The gun guides the consumable electrode and mal conductivity of the aluminum base metal.
conducts theelectrical current and shielding gas to
the workpiece. The electrode feed unit and power 2.1.1 The following aresomeadvantagesof
source are used in a system that provides automatic GMAW when compared to SMAW:
regulation of the arclength. The basic combination (1) Can be used in all positions with -the low
used to produce this regulation consists of a con- energy modes
stant voltage power source (characteristically pro- (2) Virtually no slag to remove or trap in weld
viding an essentially flat volt-ampere curve) in (3) Less welder training time thanSMAW
conjunction with a constant speed electrode feed (4) No stub loss
unit. The arclength self-regulation produced by the ( 5 ) Adaptable to semiautomatic, machine and
constant voltage power source, constant speed automatic welding
electrode feed unit combination is described in (6) Low hydrogen process
detail in 3.2.5. Some GMAW equipment, however, (7) Faster welding speeds than that used for
uses a constant currentpower source (characteristi- SMAW
2.1.2 The-following are some limitations of

SHIELDING GAS
REGULA' R GMAW when compared to SMAW:
k (1) The related welding equipment is morecom-

plex, more costly, and less portable.
(2) The shielding gas must be protected from
strong winds and air drafts.
(3) The cooling rates of the completed weld are
higher than slag producing processes.
(4) The welding gun is larger than SMAW elec-
trodes, making it difficult to weld hard-to-reach
1-
SHIELDHJG GA
SUPPLY
joint locations.
(5) The short circuiting welding arc is smaller
than the arc produced with the SMAW process.
Therefore, the possibility of incomplete fusion ex-
ists on thicker weldmentsdue to less heat input and
because of arcoutages.
GUN
POWER SOURCE ( 6 ) The base metal must be cleaned before weld-
t P(
ing while SMAW can tolerate some contamination.
WORKPIECE
2.2 Characteristics. The characteristics of GMAW
are best described bythe three basic modes of metal
Figure 1 - Basic.GMAW Equipment transfer which may occur with the process: axial
L
a spraytransfer, globular transfer, and shortcircuiting
transfer. Axial spray and globular transfer are associ-
CURRENT (A)
ated basically with reIatively high arc energy. With

the occasional exception of the spray mode in very
* small diameterelectrodes, both axial spray and glob-
ular transfer arenormally limited to the flat and hori-
zontal welding positions with base metal thickness of
not less than 1/8 in.(3.2 mm). Pulsed spray transfer,
in which the average energy level is reduced, is an- ELECTRODE
other exception (see 2.3.1). Short circuitingtransfer P a A2
is a relatively low energyprocess generally limited to
base metal thicknesses not more than 1/8in., but is
used in all welding positions.
The physics of weld metal transfer are well under-
stood. A combination of forces is responsiblefor de-
taching the molten metal from the electrode and
propelling it across the arc to thebase metal.Two of
these forces, gravity and “pincheffect,” may becon-
-7 r
sidered in a simple description of the mechanismof

transfer and its three basic modes.
Pinch effect is the momentarynecking of the liq-
uid drop from the current carrying electrode that
occurs as a result of the electromagnetic effects of
the current (Figure 2). It is the key to axial spray
transfer (see 3.2.6.2). In any conductor, the pinch
effect force is proportional to the squareof the cur-
rent flowing through it; i.e., if the current is dou- Figure 2 - Illustration of Pinch Effect
bled, the pinch force will befour times as large. This
.pinch effect can be madelarge enough to cause the 2.2.2 Globular Transfer (Gas Shield with COz or
electrode to “neck down” and finally to separate. Helium). In this mode, metal transfer across the arc
The molten drop at the of endan electrode iseasily is in the form of irregular globules randomly di-
pinched off at normal welding currents. Globular rected across the arc in irregular fashion (see Figure
transfer is characterized by the predominant effect 5), resulting in a considerable amount of spatter.
of the force of gravity. Spatter is minimized whenusing COZshield by ad-
justing thewelding conditions so that the tipof the
2.2.1 Axial SprayTransfer (Gas Shield with a electrode is below the surface of the weld pool and
Minimum of 90 Percent Argon). In this mode, within a cavity generated by the force of the arc.The
metal transfer acrossthe arcis in theform of drop- COZarc isgenerally unstable and characterizedby a
lets of a size equal to orless than theelectrode diam- crackling sound. It results in a weld bead surface
eter. The droplets are directed axially in a straight that is rough in appearance (ripple effect) in com-
line from the electrode to theweld pool. The arcis parison to abead obtained with axial spray transfer.
very smooth and stable. Since most of the arc energy is directed downward
The axial spray transfer mode is establishedat a and below the surface of the weld pool, the weld
minimum current level for any given electrode di- bead cross section exhibits very deep fusion with
ameter (current density). This currentlevel is gener- less wetting at the weld bead extremities than that
ally termed thetransition current(see Figures 3and obtained in the axial spray transfer mode. Relative
4). A well defined transition current exists only withstability of the COZarc canbe established at higher
gas shield containinga minimumof ninety percent current levels using a buried arc;i.e., wire meltsbe-
argon. At current levels below the transition cur- low surface of base metal.
a rent, the dropsize increaseslarger than the diame-

ter of the electrode (see Figures 4 and 5).The arc
characteristics are quite unstable inthis operating
range.
When helium-rich gas mixtures are used, a
broader weId bead is produced with a depthof fu-
sion similar tothat of argon, but with a moredesir-
able cross section.

AWS C5.b B7 m 0 7 8 4 2 b 5 0 0 0 2 b 4 3 B m
ALUMINUM WIRE 0.020 in. 0.025 in,

POSITIVE ELECTRODE (0.5 mm) (0.7 mm)
t
1200 1200 30
ARGON GAS
I
0.015 in.
.- (0.4 mm)
30
F 1000 F 1000 . ARGON-2% O2 25
3
zE
3 3
800
0.020 in.
(0.5 mm) zE 800 20
5
CT
0.030 in. . v) v)
W a
I I W
V V
600 z 600 15
ri
W
W
Ei
W B
W
a 0.047 in. a a
v)
2 400 (1.2 mm)
v)
9 400 10 2
Lu
W W
U LL W
U
W W
Ix W
3 200 5 200
5:
(2.4 mm)
CURRENT
:URRENT, O
O 1 1 I 1 0 O I
I
I I 1
1O0 200 300 400 O 1O0 200 300 400

CURRENT, A CURRENT, A
(A) ALUMINUM ELECTRODEDCEP (B) STEELELECTRODEDCEP

ARGON SHIELDED GAS ARGON - 2% ARGON SHIELDING GAS
Figure 3 - Melting Rates of Gas Metal Arc Electrodes

2.2.3 Short Circuiting Transfer (GMAW-S). In droplets from the electrode which are then trans-
the short circuiting, low energy mode, all metal ferred across the arc. This pulsed high output (peak)
transfer occurswhen the electrode is incontact with is done atregular intervals, the frequency of which
the weld pool, In this mode of metal transfer, the is determined by the particular power sourcedesign
power source characteristics control the relation- being used. The net result is to produce a spray arc
ship between the intermittent establishment of an with average current levels much below the transi-
arc and the shortcircuiting of the electrode to the tion current required for a particular diameter and
work (see Figure 6 ) . Since the heat input is low, the type of electrode (see Figure 7). This brings about
depth of fusion is very shallow, thus, care must be increased depth of fusion similar to axial spray
exercised in selecting a procedure and a technique transfer, yet improved weld pool control similar to
to assure complete fusionwhen welding thick base that of short circuit transfer.
metal. However, these characteristics permit weld- GMAW-P is advantageous on thin base metal as
ing in all positions. Short circuiting transferis par- well as thick plateand on such base metals as alumi-
ticularly adaptable to welding sheet metal. num, stainless steel, carbon steels, nickel steels, and
copper alloys. -
2.3 Variations On thin base metals, itsmain advantages are reduc-
tion of weld spatter and use of larger diameter elec-
2.3.1 Pulsed Current Transfer (GMAW-P). This trodes. On thicker weldments that cannot be welded
is a GMAW process variation capable of having with axial spray transfer because of its very fluid weld
good weldpool control ata higher energy level than pool, GMAW-P provides the weld puddle control re-
with short circuit transfer. In this variation, the quired. Good welding techniques are very important
power source provides two output levels: a steady in order to prevent incomplete fusion defects in the
background level, too low in magnitude to produce thicker weldments, but it is not as critical as when us-
any transfer, but able to maintain an arc; and a ing the short circuiting mode of metal transfer.
pulsed high output level which causes melting-of Another use of the GMAW-P mode of transfer is

5
IMËTAL STEEL ELECTRODE, DCRP

ARGON- 1% OXYGEN
SHIELDING GAS
CURRENT 1/4 in. (6.4 mm) ARC LENGTH
IOU
I
I
I
t
r 9
O
O 1O0 200 300 400 500 61
CURRENT, A
Figure 4 - Variation in Volume and Transfer Rate

of Droplets with WeIding Current (Steel Electrode)
with copper electrodes alloyed with such deoxidiz- Precise control of these variablesis essentia1for re-
ing elements as silicon and manganese. When used producible results in welding thinner base mefals.
on carbon steel which has a higher melting point
than the coppererectrodes, the miscible properties 2.3.3 Electrogas Welding (EGW).This process is
of the molten filler metal wire produces a weld an automatic or machine high deposition rate
(bond) betweenthe base metal anà filler metal. Ob- method for welding butt, corner, and T-joints in the
viously, fhestrength ofthejointWí11 not be the same vertical position. Electrogas welding combines the
as afusion weld, but itis veryadvantageous on base mechanical features of electroslag welding (ESW)
metals where distortionis a problem. This applica- with the GMAW process (see Figure 8). Water-
tion is referred to as gas metal arc braze welding. cooled copper, or, in aluminum applications,
graphite shoes-span the opening befween the joint
members andforms a cavity for the molten metaI. A
2.3.2 Arc Spot Welding. Adding an arc timerto
carriage is mounted on a vertical column to provide
standard GMAW equipment and special nozzles to both verticaf and horizontal movement. Welding
the gun is virtually all that is required to provide
spot welding capability. The major functional dif-
ference between arc spot welding and resistance
spot welding is that in arc spot welding the weld be-
gins to form from the outside of one of the joint
members rather than at the interface between the
two members. This presents both advantages and
disadvantages when the processes are compared.
Also, GMAW spot welding is not normalIy consid-
ered an all-position welding process. The weId di-
ameter a€ the faying surface is primariIy contrdled
by the wire feed speed (current), arc time, and the
combination of thicknesses being joined. However,
the voItage electrode diameter, type of gas shield- AXIAL SPRAY
TRANSFER
GLOBULAR
TRANSFER
ing, electrode extension, and part fit-up are aIso
very important factors that mustbe considered to Figure 5 - Weld Meta€Transfer
achieve optimum results for a given application. Charaeteristics

AWS C5.b 83 0784265 0 0 0 2 b 4 5 L i
TIME-
u
ZERO
z
t
z
- ARCING PERIOD - -
Figure 6 - Oscillograms and Sketches of Short CircuitingArc

Metal Transfer
heat controls and electrode spools are mounted on (2) Electrode feed motor and associated gears or
the carriage. drive rolls
The carriage and the shoes move vertically up- (3) Welding control
ward as welding progresses. The welding head may (4) Welding power source
also beoscillated to provide uniform distribution of ( 5 ) Regulated supply of shielding gas
heat and weld metal. (6) Source of electrode
This method is capable of welding metal thick- (7) Interconnecting cables and hose
nesses of from 1/2 in. (13 mm) to more than 2 in. Typical semiautomatic and machine welding
(50 mm) in thickness in a single pass. Steel deposi- components are illustrated in Figures 9 and 10.
tion rates of 35 to 45 lb (1 6 to 20 kg) per hour per
electrode can be achieved. 3.2 Semiaufomatic WeldingEquipment
3. Equipment 3.2.1 Welding Gun and Accessories. The welding

gun is used to introduce the electrode and shielding
3.1 Introduction. The GMAW process can be used gas into the weld zone and to transmit electrical
either semiautomatically, machine welding, or au- power to the electrode. Different types of welding
tomatically. The basic equipment for any GMAW guns havebeen designed to provide maximum effi-
installation consists of the following: ciency regardless of the application, ranging from
(1) Welding gun heavy duty guns for high current, high production
work to light-weight guns for lowcurrent or all posi-
t METAL
TRANSFER
METAL
TRANSFER
TRANSITION
tion welding.
Water or air cooling and curved or straight guns
are available for both heavy and lightweight guns.
AVERAGE
Air cooling permits operation up to 600 amperes at
CURRENT a reduced duty cycle. The same currentcapacity is
WELDING available for continuous operation with a water-
BACKGROUND CURRENT - CURRENT cooled gun.
The following are basic accessories of these arc
TIME (SECONDS) welding guns:
(1) Contact tube (or tip)
Figure 7 - Time/Ampere Curve for (2) Shielding nozzle
Pulsed Current (3) Electrode conduit and liner

WIRE
STRAIGHTENER
i
l
\
I
c-.c
OSCILLATOR
J I
WELDING -W
TER
GUN \ - ~
4 GAS
SHOE
Figure 8 - Schematic of Typical Electrogas Equipment

in Weld Area

SHIELDING GAS
REGULATOR
ELECTRODE
SUPPLY I
WELDING GUN
a SHIELDING
GAS SUPPLY
. . 1 WORKPIECE 1 POWERSOURCE
I - . . ' @ . .
@ WORKPlECE LEAD @ SHIELDtNG GAS. FROM CYLINDER

@ WATER TO G U N @COOLING WATER - I N
@) SHIELDING. GAS.TO GUN @ COOLING. WATER- OUT

GUN. SWITCH CIRCUIT @.WELDING CONTACTOR CONTRGL
m. WATER FROM-GUN @ POWER CABLE

@.ELECTRODE IN CONDUIT @ PRIMARY
INPUT
POWER
Figure 9 - Semiautomatic Gas Metal Arc Welding Installation

(Water Cooling of the Torch is Optional-)
l.

9
ELECTRODE
CARRIAGE E S U P P L Y
SHIELDING GAS SUPPLY

AND REGULATOR
T POWER
@ PRIMARYINPUTPOWER
@ WORK LEAD
@ POWER CABLE
@
@
@
COOLINGWATEROUT
SHIELDING GAS INPUT TO WELDING CONTROL
COOLING WATER INPUT TO WELDING CONTROL
@ SHIELDING GAS INPUT @ 115 V AC INPUT TO WELDING CONTROL
@ COOLINGWATERINPUT @ 1 1 5 V AC INPUT TO CARRIAGE CONTROL
@ ELECTRODEFEED UNIT-INPUT @ INPUTTOCARRIAGEDRIVE MOTOR
Figure 10 - Machine Gas Metal Arc Welding Installation

10
(4) Gas hose welding or for some easily-oxidized metals such as

(5) Water hose titanium.
( 6 ) Power cable The basic gun uses an electrodefeeder to push the
(7) Control switch electrode from a remote location through the con-
The contact tube, usually made of copper or a duit, a distance of approximately 12 ft (3.7 m). Sev-
copper alloy, is used to transmit welding power to eral other designs are also available, including a
the electrode and direct
to the electrode towards the unit with a small electrode feed mechanism built
workpiece, The contact tube is connected electri- into the gun. This system will pull the electrode
cally to the welding power source by the-power ca- from a more distant source where an additional
ble. The inner surface of the contact tube is very drive mayalso be used to push the electrode into the
important since the.electrode must feed easily longer conduit needed. Another variation is the
through this tube and also make good electrical con- spool-on-gun type in which the electrode feed mech-
tact. The instruction booklet supplied with every anism and the electrodesource are self-contained.
gun will list the correct size contact tube for each
electrode size and material. The contact tube must 3.2.2 Electrode Feed Motor. The .electrode feed
be held firmly by the collet nut (or holding device) motor is usually a direct currenttype and provides
and must be centered in the shielding nozzle. the meansfor driving the electrode through the gun
The nozzle directs an even-flowing column of and to theworkpiece. It will have a control circuit
shielding gas into thewelding zone. This even flow which will normally provide for setting the motor
is very important in providing adequate protection speed over a broad range.
of the molten weld metal from atmospheric con- The constant speed electrode feed unit is de-
tamination. Different size nozzles are available and signed to maintain a constantwire feed speed dur-
should be chosenaccording to the application;i.e., ing operation (see 3.2.5). These electrode feed
larger nozzles for high current work where the weld motors are usually shunt-wound or permanent-
pool is large, and smaller nozzles for low current magnet type. This unit is designed basically for use
and short circuitingwelding. The electrode conduit in conjunction with aconstant-voltage (CV) power
and liner are connected tobracket a adjacent to the source.
feed rolls on theelectrode feed motor. The conduit When a constant current power source is used, a
and liner support, protect and direct the electrode control is provided for variable electrodefeed rates
from the feed rolls to thegun and contacttube. Un- during operation. For this application, the electrode
interrupted electrode travel is necessary to insure feed motor can bea series-wound, shunt-wound, or
good arc stability. Buckling or kinking of the elec- permanent-magnet type. In this case, the feed mo-
trode must be prevented, The electrode will tend to tor speed controlcircuit will respond to arcvoltage
jam anywhere between the drive rolls and the con- fluctuations to increase or decrease the wire feed
tact tube if not properly supported. The liner may speed to maintain a constant arclength.
be an integral part of the conduit or supplied sepa-
rately, In either case, the liner material and inner 3.2.3 Welding Control. The welding control and
diameter are important. A steel liner is recom- the electrodefeed motor for semiaufomatic opera-
mended when using hard electrode materials such tion are available in one integrated package (Figure
as steel and copper, while nylon liners should be 9). The welding control’s main function is to regu-
used for soft electrode materials such as aluminum late the speed of the electrode feed motor, usually
and magnesium. Care must be taken not to crimp or through the use ofan electronic governor in con- the
excessively bend the conduit, even though its outer trol, The speed of the motor is manually adjustable
surface is usually steel-supported. The instruction to provide variable wire feed speed, which, with a
manual supplied with each gun will generally list constant-voltage (CV) power source, will result in
the recommended conduits and liners for each elec- different weldingcurrents. The control regulates the
trode size and ,material. starting and stopping of the electrodefeed through a
The remaining accessories bring the shielding signal received from the gun switch. Also available
gas, cooling water, and welding power to the gun. are electrode feed control features that permit the
These hoses and cables may be connected directly use of a touch start (the electrode feed is initiated
to the source of thesefacilities or to the
welding con- when the electrode touches the workpiece), or a
trol. Trailing-gas shields are available and may be slow run-in (the initial
feed rate is slowuntil the arc
required to protect the weld pool during high speed is initiated and then increases to that required for

welding). These two features are employed primar- Either type of power source can be used to pro-
ily in conjunction with constant current type power vide power in the conventional constant current
supplies and areparticularly useful for gas metal arc mode or the constantvoltage mode. Constant cur-
welding of aluminum. rent (drooping characteristics) machines were origi-
Shielding gas, water, and welding power are usu- nally preferred for GMAW because they could also
ally delivered to thegun through thecontrol, requir- be used for shielded metal arc welding. Constant
ing direct connection of the control to these current machines will maintain a relatively fixed
facilities and thepower source. Gas andwater flow current level during welding, regardless of varia-
are regulated to coincide with the weld start and tions in arc length. These machines are character-
stop by use of solenoids. The control can also se- ized by high open circuit voltages and limited short
quence the starting and stopping of gas flow and en- circuit current levels. Since they supply a virtually
ergize thepower source contactor. The control may constant current output, the arc will maintain a
allow some gas to flow before welding starts, aswell fixed length only if the contact tube-to-workpiece
as apost-flow to protect the weld pool. The control distance remains absolutely constant, with a con-
is usually powered by 115 V AG from the power stant electrode feed rate. In practice, sincethe con-
source, but may be powered from an external 115 V tact tube-to-workpiece distance will vary, the arc
source. will then tend to either burn back to the contact
tube or “stub” into the workpiece. This can be
3.2.4 Shielding Gas Regulators. A system is re- avoided by using a voltage-controlled electrode feed
quired to provide constant shielding gas pressure system withan electrode feed motor whose speed is
and flow rate duringwelding, The regulator reduces regulated through a control circuit by an arc-voltage
the source gas pressure to a constant working pres- signal. When the voltage (arc-length) increases or
sure regardless of variations atthe source. Regula- decreases, the motor speeds up or slows down to
tors may be single or dual stage and may have a hold the arclength constant. The electrode feed rate
built-in flowmeter. Dual stage regulators provide a is changed automatically by the control system.
more constant delivery pressure than single stage This type of power source isgenerally used only for
regulators. spray transfer arc welding, since the limited dura-
The shielding gas source can be a high pressure tion of the arc in short circuiting transfer makes it
cylinder, a liquid-filled cylinder, or a bulk liquid impractical to control by voltage regulation (see
system. Gas mixtures are available ina single Figure 6).
cylinder, As GMAW applications increased, it was found
Mixing devicesmay beused for obtaining the cor- that a constant voltage (CV) machine provided im-
rect proportions when two or more gas or liquid proved operation, particularly with steels. The CV
sources are used. The size and type of the gas stor- power source, used in conjunction with a constant
age source is usually determined by economic con- wire feed speed, maintains a constant voltage dur-
siderations based on theusage rate. ing the welding operation. The major reason for se-
lecting CV power is the self-correcting arc length
3.2.5 Power Source. The welding power source inherent in this system. The CV system compen-
delivers electricalpower to theelectrode and work- sates for variations in the contact tip-to-workpiece
piece to produce the arc. For the vast majority of distance, which readily occur during welding, by au-
GMAW applications, direct current electrode posi- tomatically supplying increasedor decreased weld-
tive (dcep)is used; therefore,the positive lead must ing current to maintain thedesired arc length. The
go to thegun and thenegative to theworkpiece. The desired arc length is selectedby adjusting theoutput
major types of direct current power sources are the voltage of the power source; and, normally, no other
engine-generator (rotating) and the transformer- changes during weldingare required. The wire feed
rectifier (static-) type.
The transformer-rectifier type speed, which also becomes the current control, is
is usually preferred for in-shop fabrication where a preset by the welder or welding operator prior to
source of either220 V or 440 V is available; since it welding and can be changed over a considerable
has a much faster response time then the engine range before stubbing to the workpiece or burning-
or motor generator type when the arc condition back into the contact tube occurs. Both adjustments
changes. The engine-generator isused when there is require little welder orwelding operator skill,
no other available source of electrical energy, such Figure 11 shows the typical static output, volt-
as in the field. ampere characteristicsof both constant current and

12
CV power sources. This figure shows that the con- the welding system. The arc voltage varies in the
stant current-power source possesses a drooping same direction as the arc length; therefore, increas-
volt-ampere curve while the CV source has a rela- ing or decreasing the output voltage of the power
tively flat curve, With either of the two power source will increase or decrease the arclength.
sources, a small change in the contact tube-to-work-
piece distance will cause a change in welding volf- 3.2.6.2 Slope. The lower illustration of Figure
age (V) and a resultant change in welding current 11 shows the static volt-ampere slope for a GMAW
(A). For the given V shown, a CV power source will constant voltage power source. The slant ofthe curve
produce a large A. This sameV causes a smaller A in is referred to as the “slope” of the power source.
the constant currentpower source. The magnitude Slope has the dimensions of resistance since:
of A is very importsant because it determines Slope = change in voltage/change in current =
the change in the electrode melting rate and is (volts/amperes) = ohms. This equation states that
the primary mechanism responsible for arc self- slope is equivalent to a resistance. However, the
correction. slope of a power source is customarily defined as the
Figure 12 schematically illustrates the self-correc- voltage drop per 100 amperes of current rise, in-
tíon mechanism. As the contact tube-to-workpiece stead of ohms. For example, a 0.03 ohm slope can
distance increases, the welding voltage and arc be restated as a 3 volts per 100 amperes slope.
length increase and the welding current decreases, The open circuit voltage of the power source, as
as thevolt-ampere characteristic predicts.This also specified by the manufacturer, is measured at its
decreases the electrode melting rate. Because the output terminals and is not the totalslope of the arc
electrode is now feeding faster than it is being system. Anything which adds resistance to theweld-
melted off, the arcwill return to approximately the ing circuit increases slope, and thus, increases the
same as thepresent diameter length. The converse voltage drop at a given welding current. Power
would occur for a decrease in the contact tube-to- cables, poor connections, loose terminals, dirty
workpiece distance. contacts, .etc., add to theslope. Therefore, slope is
The large change incurrent and melt rate associ- best measured as close to the arc as possible in a
ated with CV power can be advantageous, particu- welding circuit. Only two operating points are
larly with steel electrodes. Constant current sources needed to calculate the slope of a constant-voltage
are very slow to accomplish this type of correction type welding circuit: open circuit voltage and one
as the A for any V is too small. If a constant wire actual welding point (see Figure 13). The open cir-
feed speed is used with the constant current type cuit voltage is the output of the power source found
power source, the low-conductivity electrode mate- very simply by energizing the weld contactor (turn-
rials have a tendency to stub into theworkpiece or ing on the gun switch) and not allowing any elec-
burn back into the contact tube. trode feed. The selected welding point may be any
stable welding condition.
3.2.6 Power SourceVariables, The self-cor- As an example, if the open circuit voltage is 48
recting arc property of the CV power source is im- volts and thewelding condition is 28 volts and 200
portant in producing stablewelding conditions, but amperes, the slope is calculated by determining V
there are additional adjustmentsnecessary to pro- and A, as illustrated by Figure 13. In this case, V is
duce thebest possible condition. Theseare particu- 10 volts and A is 100 amperes; the slope is 10 volts
larly important for short circuiting welding. per 100 amperes.
The adjustment of the outputvoltage is critical. Slope in a GMAW system hasa major function in
Some degree of slope control of the volt-ampere short circuiting transfer, The slope controls the
characteristic may also be desirable, as well as some magnitude of the short circuit current (zero volt-
control of thein’ductance of the power source. The age). This is the current available from the power
welder or welding operator should understand the source on short circuit between the consumable
effect óf these variables of the welding arc and its electrode and theworkpiece. In GMAW, the separa-
stability. tion of molten drops of metal from the electrode is
controlled by an electrical phenomenon called the
3.2.6.1 Voltage, Arc voltage is the electrical “pinch effect” (see 2.2). Figure 14 illustrates how
potential between the electrode and theworkpiece. the pinch effect acts upon an electrode during short
This voltage cannot be directly read at the power circuiting welding.
source becauseother voltage drops exist throughout The short circuit current (with its pinch effect

13
CONSTANT CURRENT POWER SOURCE
CURRENT, A
(A)
CONSTANT VOLTAGE POWER SOURCE

I
>“ “ 7
---------
- OPERATING
POINT -
3 t”--”--”-
u
a
5
f I I
I
AV II 1
O
> I I
t
¡+AA
I t 4
c I
f
CURRENT, A
(81-
Figure 11; - Static Volt-Ampere €haracferistics

AWS C 5 - 6 87 m 0 7 8 4 2 6 5 0002653 O m
14
-7
in. (19 mm)
-7
in. (25 mm)
(A) STABLECONDITION (B)INSTANTANEOUS

CHANGE IN
GUN POSITION
NozZLE -4
(c) RE-ESTABLISHED
STABLE
CONDITION
LENGTH
ARC 1/4 inc. (6.4 mm) 1 /2 in. (1 2.7 mm) >1/4 in. (6.4 mm)
VOLTAGE
ARC 24 VOLTS 29 VOLTS >24 VOLTS
ARCCURRENT 250 AMPS 220 AMPS <250 AMPS
ELECTRODE
WIRE
FEED 250 IPM (106 mm/s) 250 IPM (106 mm/s) 250 IPM (106 mm/s)
INSTANTANEOUSMELTINGRATE: 250 IPM (106 mm/s) 220 IPM (93 mm/s) 250 IPM (106 mm/s)
Figure 12 - Automatic Regulation of Arc Length in the GMAW Process with

a Conventional Power Supply

15
force) is a function of the slope of the volt-ampere required for metal transferwith the best arc stability
characteristics of the power source, as shown in Fig- are shown in Table 1.
ure 15. Although thewelding voltage and amperage Many CV power sources are equipped for chang-
of these two power sourcesare identical, the short ing the slope of the volt-ampere curve. They may be
circuit current of curve A is less than that of curve stepped or continuously adjustable to provide the
B. Curve A has the steeper slopeor a greater voltage correct short circuit current for the application in-
drop per 100 amperes as compared to curve B; i.e., volved. Some have fixeda slope which has been pre-
the steeper the slope, the lower the shortcircuit cur- determined for a given condition of welding.
rent and pincheffect; the flatter the slope, the higher
the short circuit current and pinch effect. 3.2.6.3 Inductance. When the load changes on
In short circuiting welding, the amount of short a power source, the current takes a definite time to
circuit current is important since its resultant attain its new level. The circuit characteristic pri-
pinch effect determines theway a molten dropde- marily responsible for this time lag is the induc-
taches from the electrode. This in turnaffects the tance. This power source variable is usually
arc stability. When little or no slope is present in measured in henrys. The effect of inductance is
the power source circuit, the short circuit current illustrated by the curves plotted in Figure 16. Curve
will rise to a very high level.At high currents, the A shows a typical current-time curve, As the current
pinch effect is alsovery high, and aviolent parting rises from zero to a final value, some inductance is
of the molten drop takes place, acting as a fuse. added. This curve is said to have an exponential
The excessive pinch effect will violently squeeze rate of current rise (commonly called “time rateof
the metal aside and break the short circuit, pro- response”). Curve B shows the path the current
ducing spatter. would have takenif there were no inductancein the
When the short circuit current available from the circuit.
power source is limited to low values by a steep The maximum amount of pinch effect is deter-
slope, the electrode can carry the full current and mined by the short circuit currentlevel. As noted
the short circuit will not be broken. Under these earlier, this current levelis determined by the
conditions the electrode will either pile up on the slope of the power source. The rate of increase of
workpiece or freeze to the weld pool. When the the pincheffect is controlled by the rate of iwrease
short circuit current at is thecorrect value,the partof current rise. The rate of current rise is deter-
ing of the molten dropfrom the electrode issmooth mined by the inductance of the power source. If
with very little spatter.Typical short circuit currents
CURRENT (A)
OPEN CIRCUIT
1
VOLTAGE = 48 V
AV
ELECTRODE
PaA2
~~
I
CURRENT, A
4A8VV - 2 8 V = 20 v
- = - 10 v
SLOPE = -
AA
=
200 A 200 A 100 A
Figure 13 - Calculation of the Slope Figure 14 - llustration of Pinch Effect

for a Power Source During Short Circuiting Transfer

AWS C 5 - b 87 W 0 7 8 4 2 6 50 0 0 2 b 5 5 '4 W
16
CURVE B - NO INDUCTANCE
CURVE A - INDUCTANCE ADDED
TIME, S
CURRENT, A
Figure 16 - Change in Rate
of Current Rise Due to
Figure 15 - Effect of Changing Slope Added Inductance
the pincheffect is applied rapidly, the molten drop 3.3 AutomaticWeldingEquipment. This type of
will be violently squeezed off the electrode and welding equipment installation is effectively used
cause spatter. Greater inductance will decrease the when the work can be more easily brought to the
number of shortcircuit metal transfers per second welding station or when a great deal of welding
and increase the arc-on time, This increased arc- must be done. Weld travel speed and weld quality
on time results in a flatter, smoother weld bead. can be greatly increased because arc travel is auto-
The opposite is true when the inductance is de- matic and precisely controlled.
creased. Basically, all of the equipmentis identical to that
In spray transfer welding, the addition of some needed in a semiautomatic station except for the
inductance to the power source will produce a following changes (see Figure 10):
softer, more usable start without reducing the final (1) The welding gun is mounted directly under
amount of currentavailable. Too much inductance the electrode feed motor. The electrode conduit,
will result in electrode stubbing on the start. gun handle, and gun switch are not used.
Spatter is held to a minimumwhen adequate cur- (2) The welding control is mounted separately
rent and correct rate of current rise exist, The power from the electrode feed motor. The welding control
source adjustments required for minimum spatter may have additional controls, such as preweld and
conditions vary with the electrode material and postweld gas and water flow, starting speed, crater
size. As a general rule, both the amount of short cir- fill, and burnback.
cuit current and the amountof inductance needed Also, equipment such as the following is needed
for the ideal pinch effect are increased as the elec- to provide automatic arc or workpiece travel:
trode diameter is increased. (1) Side beam carriage with motor control
Power sources are available with fixed, stepped, (2) Positioner or manipulator
or continuously adjustable inductance levels, (3) Robotic systems
Table 1
Typical Currents (Short Circuit) for
Metal Transfer in the Short Circuiting Mode
-
(Power Source Static Characteristics)
Short Circuit
Electrode Diameter Current,
Electrode Material in. mm amperes (dcep)
Carbon steel 0.030 0.8 300
Carbon steel 0.035 0.9 320
Aluminum 0.030 0.8 175
Aluminum 0.035 0.9 195

17
The side beam carriage is mounted on a side percent oxygen, these reaction products are easily
beam which must beparallel to theweld joint. The formed. The primary function of shielding
the gas is
electrode feed motor, electrodespool, welding con- to exclude the surrounding atmosphere from con-
trol, and travel speed governor usually
are mounted tact with the molten weld metal.
on the side beam carriage. The carriage motor sup- The shielding gas will also have a pronounced
plies movement of the carriage. The speed of travel effect upon thefollowing aspects of welding andthe
is adjusted through connections to thegovernor. resultant weld:
Other types of equipment can beused for auto- (1) Arc characteristics
matic travel. These include beams, carriages (2) Mode of metal transfer
mounted on tracks, and specially built positioners (3) Depth of fusion and weld bead profile
and fixtures. The weldingcontrolregulates travel to (4)Speed of welding
coincide with the weld start and stop. Automatic ( 5 ) Undercutting tendency
welding canalso be accomplished by movement of (6) Cleaning action
the work under a fixed welding head; for example,
by attaching to, and moving the work in a weld 4.1.2 The Inert ShieldingGases-Argon and
positioner. Helium. Argon and helium are inert gases. These
Robotic systems are being used more frequentIy gases and mixturesof the two are necessarily used in
today in high volume production applications. A the welding of nonferrous metals and also widely
robotic workcell is a basic subdivisionof a flexible used to weld stainless steel and low alloy steels. The
manufacturing system and consists of a robot mani- following are basic differences between argon and
pulator, a controller, a part positioner, a part fixture
helium:
and awelding process equipment assembly. The ro- (1) Density
bot system is programmed to weld automatically (2) Thermal conductivity
along the paths of a joint which may have com- (3) Arc characteristics
pound curvatures associated with it (Le., it must The density of argon is approximately 1.4 times
operate in three dimensional space.) Recent devel- that of air (heavier)whiIe the density of heliumis
opments with various sensors have indicated that approximately O. 14 times that of air (lighter). The
adaptive controls to compensate for normal part or heavier the gas, the moreeffective it is at anygiven
processing variations will be commonplace in the flow rate for shielding the arc and blanketing the
future. weld area in flat position (downhand) welding,
Therefore, helium shielding requires approximately
4. Process Requirements two or three times higher flow rates than argon
and Applications shielding, in order to provide the same effective
protection.
In GMAW, by definition, coalescence of metals is Helium possesses a higher thermal conductivity
produced by heating them with an arc established than argon and also produces an arc plasma in
between a continuous filler metal electrode and the which the arc energy is more uniformly dispersed.
work. The shielding gas and the consumable elec- The argon arc plasma is characterized by a very high
trode aretwo essential requirements for this process. energy inner core and an outer mantle-of lesser heat
energy. This difference strongly affects the weld
4.1 Shielding Gas bead cross section. The helium arc produces adeep,
broad, parabolicweld bead. The argon arc produces
4.1.1 General. Most metals exhibit a strong ten- a bead cross section most often characterizedby a
dency to combine with oxygen (to form oxides) and papillary (nipple) type penetration pattern(see Fig-
to a lesser extent with nitrogen (to form metal ni- ure 17).
trides). Oxygen will also react with carbon toform At any given wire feed speed, the voltage of the
carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide gas. These re- argon arcwill be noticeably less than thatof the he-
action products areall a source of weld deficiencies lium arc.As a result, there will be less change inthe
in the form of: fusion defects due tooxides; loss of voltage with respect to change in arc length for the
strength due to porosity, oxides, and nitrides; and argon arc, and the arc will tend to be more stable
weld metal embrittlement due to dissolved oxides than the heliumarc. The argon arc (including mix-
and nitrides. Since the atmosphere is composed of tures with aslow as ninetypercent argon) will pro-
approximately eighty percent nitrogen and twenty duce an axial spray transfer at current levels above
~~
~~

AWS C5.6 87 W 0 7 8 4 2 6 5 0 0 0 2 6 5 7 B W
18
the transition current. Thehelium-shielded arc pro- However, theseshielding gases in the pureform do
duces a metal transfer of large droplets in the nor- not produce the most satisfactory operational char-
mal operatingrange. Therefore, the helium arc will acteristics in weldingferrous metals. The arc tends
produce ahigher spatter level and poorer weld face to be erratic, accompanied by spatter with helium
appearance compared to the argon arc. shielding, and shows a marked tendency to produce
The more readily ionized argon gas also facili- undercutting with pure argon shielding. Additions
tates arc starting andwill provide superior surface to argon of from one to five percent oxygen or from
cleaning action when used with electrode positive. three to ten percent C02 (and up to twenty fiveper-
cent C02) produce very
a noticeable improvement.
4.1.3 Mixtures of Argon and Helium. Pure argon The optimum amount of oxygen or C02 to be
shielding is used in many applications for welding added to the inert gas is a function of the surface
nonferrous metals. Theuse ofpure heliumis gener- condition (mill scale) of the base metal, the joint
ally restricted to more specialized areas because of geometry, welding position or technique, and the
its limited arc stability. However, the desirable base metal composition. Generally, three percent
weld bead cross section (deep, broad, and para- oxygen or nine percent C02 is considered a good
bolic) obtained with the helium arc are quite often compromise to cover a broad range of these vari-
the objectivein using an argon-helium shielding gas ables.
mixture. Theresult is an improved weld bead cross Carbon dioxide additions to argon also tend to
section plus the desirableaxial spray metal transfer enhance theweld bead by producing a morereadily
characteristics of argon (see Figure 17). defined pear-shaped cross section (see Figure 18).
In short circuiting transfer, argon helium mix-
tures of from sixty to ninety percent helium are used 4.1.5 Carbon Dioxide. Carbon dioxide (COZ)is a
to obtain higher heat input into the base metal for reactive gas widely used in its pure form for the gas
better fusion characteristics. For some metals, such metal arc weldingof carbon and low alloy steels. It
as stainless and low alloy steels, helium additions is the only reactive gas suitable for use alone as a
are chosen to obtain higher heat input, instead of shield in the GMAW process. Higher weldingspeed,
C02 additions, because helium will not produce greaterjoint penetration, andlower cost are general
weld metal reactions thatcould adversely affect the characteristics which have encouraged extensive
mechanical properties of the deposit, use of C02 welding gas.
With a C02 shield, metaltransfer is either of the
4.1.4 Oxygen and COZAdditions to Argon and He- short circuitingor globular mode. Axial spray trans-
lium. Pure argon and, tosome extent, helium pro- fer is a characteristic of the argon
shield and cannot
duce excellent results in welding nonferrous metals. be achieved with a C02 shield. The globular type
UM ARGON c02
Figure 17 - Bead Cross Section and Depth of Fusion (Penetration)

Patterns with Various Shielding Gases

19
transfer arc is harshand produces a rather high level 4.2.2 Composition. The basic filler metal compo-
of spatter. This requires thatthe welding conditions sition isdesigned to be compatible with one or more
be set with relativelylow voltage to provide a very of the following base metal characteristics:
short buried arc (thetip of the electrode is actually (1) Chemistry
below the surface of the work), in order to minimize (2) Strength
spatter. (3) Ductility
In overall comparison to theargon-rich shielded (4) Toughness
arc, the Coz-shielded arc produces aweld bead of - Alternate or additional consideration may be
excellent penetration with a rougher surface profile given to other properties such as corrosion, heat
and muchless wetting actionat theextremity of the treatment response, wear resistance, color match,
weld bead due to the buried arc. Very sound weld etc. All of these considerations, however, are sec-
deposits are achieved, but mechanical properties ondary to the metallurgical compatability of the
may be adverselyaffected due to theoxidizing na- base metal to the filler metal,
ture of the arc. American Welding Society specifications have
been established for filler metalsin commonusage.
4.1.6 Shielding Gas Selection. A summary of Table 5 provides abasic guide to sometypical base-
typical usage for the various shielding gases based metal to filler-metal combinations along with the
upon themetal being welded is shown in Tables 2,3, applicable AWS filler metal specification. Other
and 4. filler metal compositions for special applications,
such as for high-strength steels, are available.
4.2 Electrodes
4.2.3 Formulation. The electrode must also meet
4.2.1 General. In the engineering of weldments, certain demands of the process regarding arc stabil-
filler metals are selected to produce aweld deposit ity, metal transfer behavior,and solidification char-
with these basic objectives: acteristics. Deoxidizers or other scavenging agents
(1) A deposit closely matching the mechanical are always added to compensate for base metalreac-
properties and physical characteristics of the base tions withoxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen from the
metal surrounding atmosphere or the base metal.The de-
(2) A sound weld deposit, free of discontinuities oxidizers most frequently used in steel are silicon
Note thefirst objective.A weld deposit, evenone and manganese. Somesteel electrodes may alsouse
of composition identical to the base metal, will pos- aluminum for additional deoxidation, as well as ti-
sess unique metallurgical characteristics. There- tanium and zirconiumfor denitriding. Nickel alloy
fore, the first objectiveof the weldmentdesign is to electrodes generally use titanium and zirconium for
produce aweld deposit composition having desired deoxidation, and copper alloys will use titanium
properties equal to or better thanthose of the base and silicon or phosphorus for the same purpose.
metal. The second objective is generally achieved
through use of a filler metal electrode thatwas for- 4.3 Selection of Process Variables. Many process
mulated to produce arelatively defect-free deposit. variables must be consideredfor complete applica-
n n n
ARGON-02
Figure 18 - Relative Effect of 0 2 Versus COz

Additions to the Argon Shield

AWS C596 87 W
20
tion of GMAW. These variables are found in the fol- the time of selection, versatility is very important.
lowing three principal areas: Other equipment already in use at the facility
(1) Equipment selection should be considered. Standardizing certain com-
(2) Mode of metal transfer and shielding gas ponents and complementing existing equipment
(3) Electrode selection will minimize inventory requirements and provide
These three areas arevery much interrelated. maximum efficiency of overall operation.
4.3.1 Equipment Selection. A variety of options 4.3.2 Mode of Metal Transfer andShielding Gas.
and basic equipment designs is available for equip- The characteristicsof the modeof metal transfer are
ment selection, Equipment should be selected that very important in analysis of the process applica-
will fit the product application and the weldment tion. Characteristics such as weld bead cross sec-
design, since the equipmentmust possess the capac- tion, reinforcement shape, spatter,etc., are relevant
ity to do the job.Range of power output, range of to the weldment design. The following major con-
open circuit voltage, static and dynamic character- siderations reflect the importance of these charac-
istics, wire feed speed range, etc., must correspond teristics.
to the weldment design (in particular, weld size)
and the electrode size selected. Also to be consid- 4.3.2.1 Designand Service Performance.Product
ered are the accessories required for the selected design, as well as specific weld joint design, requires
mode of metal transfer and any other special re- consideration of root penetration and reinforcement
quirements. cross sections. Both static and dynamicservice perfor-
When new equipment is to be purchased, some mance requirements may dictate the need for addi-
consideration should be given to the versatility of tional strength (in the form ofpenetration) or minimal
the equipment and to standardization. Selection of stress concentration (good wetting characteristics).
equipment for single-purpose or high volume pro- The shielding gas selection is very important in deter-
duction can generally be based upon the require- mining these basic characteristics.
ments of that particularapplication only. However,
if a multitude ofjobs is to be performed (as in a job 4.3.2.2 Process Control. Metal thickness may
shop operation),many of whichmay be unknown at require using the pulse current or low energy short
Table 2
Shielding Gases and Gas Mixturesfor GMAW
Chemical
Shielding Gas Application
Typical
Behavior
Argon Virtually
Inert all metals
except
steels.
Aluminum, magnesium, and copper alloys for greater heat input and
Helium Inert porosity.
minimizeto
Aluminum, magnesium, and copper alloys for greater heat input and
+
Ar 20-80%He Inert minimize
to porosity
(better
action
arcthan 100% helium).
ut heat Greater
Nitrogen
Greater heat input on copper (Europe); better arc action than
100
+
A 25-3OY0 N> nitrogen.
percent
+
Ar 1-29'0 O? Slightly oxidizingStainless
and
alloy
steels;
some
deoxidized
copperalloys.
+
Ar 3 4 % O? Oxidizing
Carbon some
and low-alloy steels.
CO2 Carbon
Oxidizing some and low-alloy steels.
Ar -I-20-50% CO? Oxidizing
Various
steels,
chiefly
short
circuting
mode.
+
Ar 10% COZ +
5% O? Oxidizing Various steels (Europe).
+
coz 20% o2 Oxidizing Various steels (Japan).
+
90%He 7.5%
+
Ar 2.5% COZ Slightly oxidizingStainlesssteels for goodcorrosionresistance,shortcircuitingmode.
+
60 to 70% He 25 to .
+
35% Ar 4 to 5% COZ Oxidizing Low-alloy steels for toughness, shortcircuitingmode.

21
O Table 3
Selection of Gases for GMAW with Spray Transfer
Metal Shielding Gas Advantages
Aluminum Argon O to 1 in. (O to 25 mm) thick; best metal transfer and arc stability;least spatter.
35% argon 1 to 3 in. (25 to 76 mm) thick;higher heat input than straightargon; improved
+65% helium fusion characteristics with SXXX series Al-Mg alloys.
25% argon Over 3 in. (76 mm) thick; highest heat input: minimizes porosity.
Magnesium Argon Excellent cleaning action.
Carbon steel Argon Improves arc stability; produces a more fluid andcontrollabIe weld puddle;
+3-5% oxygen good coalescence and bead contour; minimizes undercutting; permitshigher
speeds than pureargon.
Argon +S- 10% Less oxidation of weld than Argon-01 mixtures; better penetration pattern and
Carbon dioxide bead wetting comparable toArgon +3-5% O?.
Low-alloy steelArgon + 2% Minimizes undercutting; providesgood toughness.
oxygen
Argon +2-8% Less oxidation of weld than Argon-O? mixtures; befter penetration pattern and
Carbon dioxide bead wetting comparable to Argon +3-5% O;.
Stainless steel Argon +1% Improves arc stability; producesa more fluid and controllable weld puddle,
oxygen good coalescence and bead contour; minimizes undercuttingon heavier
stainless steels.
Argon +2% Provides better arc stability, coalescence, and welding speed than 1 percent
oxygen oxygen mixture for thinner stainless steelmaterials.
Copper, nickel, Argon Provides good wetting: decreases fluidity ofweld metal for thickness up to and
and their alloys their alIoys 1/8 in. (3.2 mm).
Argon Higher inputs of 50 & 75 percent mixtures offset high heat dissipation of
O Titanium
+helium
Argon
heavier gages.
Good arc stability; minimum weld contamination; inert gas backing is required
to prevent air contamination onback of weld area.
circuit transfer mode rather than eitherspray the or 4.3.3 Electrode Selection. The selection of the
globular transfer mode with their inherently higher welding electrodeshould be basedprincipally upon
energy input. Joint tolerances (gap) and weld size matching the mechanical properties and the physi-
and length may also be a major influence in selec- cal characteristics of the base metal (see 4.2 and Ta-
tion of the process mode to beused. ble 5). Secondary consideration should begiven to
The desired weld bead cross section (including re- items such as the equipment to be used, the weld
inforcement, fusion pattern, and penetration) can size (deposition rates to be utilized), existing elec-
be controlledby the shielding gas selection. Proper trode inventory, and materials handlingsystems.
shielding gas selection can be an important factor to
assure, for instance, good fusion characteristics 4.3.3.1 Equipment. The electrode package size
when welders may be extended to maintain their should be compatible with the available handling
gun in an optimum position. equipment. The package size should be determined
by a cost evaluation that considers product volume,
4.3.2.3 Appearance. The appearance of the change time versus the consideration of available
weldment is not of technical concern, but may be space, inventory cost, and the materials handling
important. Smooth and spatter free weld beads on a system.
product in an area highlighted in the purchaser's
view are cited as a sales factor in many instances. 4.3.3.2 Weld Size. The electrode diameter
The spray arc and the short circuiting modes of should be chosento best fit the requirementsof the
metal transferwill produce the smoothest and neat- weld size and the deposition rate to beused.
est-appearing welds. Smooth and spatter-free areas
O adjacent to GMAW welds may also be required to

assure proper fits in subsequent final assembly
operations.
4.3.3.3 Standardization and Inventory. Evalua-
tion of each welding job on its own individual merit
would require anincreasingly larger inventory with
.~

AWS C 5 - b 87 0 7 8 4 2 b 5 0002bbL T W
22
Table 4
Selection of Gases for GMAW with Short Circuiting Transfer
Gas ShieldingMetal
Carbon 75% argon Less than 1/8 in. (3.2 mm) thick;high welding speeds without burn-thru;
+25% Co? minimum distortion and spatter.
75% argon More than 1/8 in. (3.2 mm) thick; minimum spatter; cleanweld
+25% CO? appearance; good puddle control in vertical and overhead positions.
coz Deeper penetration; faster welding speeds.
Stainless
steel 90% helium +7.5% No effect on corrosion resistance; small heat affected zone; no
argon+2.5% CO? undercutting; minimum distortion.
Low-alloy
steel 60-70%helium Minimum reactivity; excellent toughness; excellent arc stability; wetting
+25-35% argon characteristics, and bead contour; little spatter.
+4-5% CO?
75% argon +25% Fair toughness; excellent arc stability, wetting characteristics, and bead
coz contour; little spatter.
Aluminum, copper Argon & argon Argon satisfactory on sheet metal; argon-helium preferred on thicker
magnesium,nickel + helium sheet material (over 1/8 in. [3.2 mm]).
and their alloys
an increasing number of jobs. Minimizing inven- (7) Shielding gas

tory requires a review of overall welding require- (8) Gun angle
ments in the plant,with standardization of thé
basic
electrode composition andsizes as well as theelec- 4.4.1 Deposition Rate. The deposition rate is de-
trode packages as theobjective. This can be accom- fined as the actual amount of usable metal depos-
plished readily with minimum compromise since ited per unit of time [generally in terms of pounds
quite broad and overlappingchoices are available. (kilograms) per hour]. Deposition rate is propor-
tional to wire feedspeed. See Figures 20,22,25,27,
4.3.3.4 Materials Handling Systems. The elec- 29, and 32. It is necessary to balance the deposition
trode package size shouldalso take into account the rate against the travel speed, since proper balance
requirements for handling. Generally speaking, one achieves an optimum rate of metal deposition for
individual can be expected to change an electrode the weld joint design. This is particularly important
package weighing up to60 lb (27 kg) without assist- in semiautomatic welding where weld quality de-
ance. However, some systems are designed so that pends upon the physical movement capability of
an individual can handle the larger spools up to the welder to retain control of the weld puddle as
1000 lb (454 kg) without additional assistance. The travel speed is increased. The maximum travel
larger packages necessitate a handling system (lift speedlimitationisabout 25 ipmmaximum
truck or similar) capable of moving the electrode ( 1 lmm/s), although in some reported instances,the
package from storage to the welding station when travel speed may reach as high as 150 ipm (64 mm/
required for changing, or additional spaceis needed S). In general, these higher rates of travel speed are
to accommodate at least two packages in order to attainable when the weld size is verysmall, the weld
avoid delays. length is veryshort, theweld is along a straight line,
or when optimum weld quality is not a factor.
4.4 Welding Variables. Table 6 shows the relation-
ship between current and wire feed speed, travel 4.4.2 WeldingCurrent-WireFeed Speed. After
speed, voltage and wire diameter. Some ofthe pro- determining the optimum deposition rate for the
cess variables to beconsidered are thefollowing: application, the next step is to determine theweld-
(1) Deposition rate-travel speed ing current and the related wire feed speed to
(2) Wire feed speed (welding current) achieve that deposition rate. In a practical applica-
(3) Welding Voltage tion, the deposition rate is more accurately set,
(4) Electrode extension maintained, and reproduced by measurement of
( 5 ) Travel Speed the wire feed speed rather than thewelding current
(6) Electrode Diameter value,

23
4.4.3 Welding Voltage. The welding voltage (re-

lated to the proper arc length) is established to
maintain arc stability at the chosen electrode feed
speed or welding current level and to minimize
spatter.
4.4.4 Electrode Extension. The basic control set- CONTACT TUBE

tings for low conductivity electrode metalsare very
much dependent upon the electrode extension.
Variation in electrode extension results ain change
in the electricalcharacteristics of the balanced sys- N
tem, as determined by the resistivity of the elec-
trode length between the contact tube and the arc
(see Figure 19).
In essence, as the contacttube-to-work distance
is increased, the 12R heating effect is increased,
thus decreasing the welding current(I) required to
melt the electrode. Conversely, as the contact
tube-to-work distance isdecreased, the 12Reffect Figure 19 - ElectrodeExtension
Table 5
Recommended Filler Metals for GMAW
Current
Range
Metal
Filler
Base Recommended Electrode Specification Electrode
Material Metal Electrode (Use Latest Diameter
Type Type Classification Amperesmm
.Edition) in.
ER1 1100 Aluminum 0.030
100 or ER4043 0.8 50-175
ER1 3003,3004 and 90-250 1.2 3/64
100 or ER5356
6 A5.10
ER5554,ER5356
5052,5454
aluminum
or alloys
5083,5086,5456
ER5556 or ER5356 350-475 3.2
1/8
1,6063
ER4043
606 or ER5356
~ ~~
Magnesium AZlOA ERAZ61A,ERAZ92A

alloys AZ3LB,AZ61A 0.040 1.0 150-300*
160-320* 1.2
AZ80A 3/64
ERAZ61A,ERAZ92A
10-400* 2ZE 1OA 1.6 1A,ERAZ92A
1/16 ERAZ6
ZK2 1 A 10*320-5 2.4lA,ERAZ92A
ERAZ6
3/32
A5.19
AZ63A,AZ81A 400-600*3.2 118
AZ9 1C ERAZ92A
AZ92A,AMfOOA ERAZ92A
HK3IA,HM21A,
HM3 1A EREZ33A
LA141A EREZ33A
Deoxidized
Copper
er and 150-300 0.035 0.9
Cu-Ni copper
Manganese alloys
1-A2 ECUA bronze
Aluminum
bronze
EcuA
1 -B
ECuSn-Abronze TW
~ ~~ ~ ~~~
*Spray Transfer Mode

(continued)

AWS C 5 - b 8 7 W 07BL12b5 0 0 0 2 b b 3 3 m
24
Table 5 (Continued)
. . . . . .... . . . . . - ........
Recommended Filler Metals
....................
-. __
for- GMAW
- ... ..... .. .... -~ . . . . . . . . . . .
AWS
Filler Metal Current . . Range
. . . . . . . .
Recornmended
Electrode
Base _. .
~ ..
"
Specification Electrode
Latest(Use
Electrode
Ma&ìä1
Metal Diameter
~. . .
~
?LPe Type . . ~~ Classification

Edition)
. . . . . . . ..~ . .
in, mm Amperes
.......
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ." . . . . ......... - .
Nickel 0,020 03
ckel
y and 400 0.030 ERNiCu-7 0,8 e
CrFe-5
Inconel**Alloy
690 alloys 0,035 0.9 100-169
0.045150-260 1.2
100-4001,6 1/16
Titanium Commercially 0.030 Use a filler 0,8
one andmetal pure ar two 0,035 0.9 -
c
es titanium 0.043 1.2 -

alloys ERTi-0,2Pd
Tì-O,l$ Pd
ERTi-SA1.2.5Sn
Ti-5A1-2SSn
QP comm, pure
. . . . . . . . .. ~ . .~. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
pe Austenitic 0.020 0.5 .e
stainless 301,302, 0.025 0,6 -

04 steels ER308 & 398 75-10.030 0.8 50
Type 304L ER308L 0,035 0.9 100-160
Type 310 ER3 ! O 0.045 1.2 140-310
Type 316 ER3 16 A59 1/16 1,6 280-450
Type 321
Type
3/32347
ER32 1
ER347
5/64 2,0
2.4
-
7/64 2.8 M
. . . . . . . ~
.. .
118
. . . . .
3,2
.... "~
-
. . . .-
Carbon Hst rolled or ER70S-1

ER70S-3,or 0,020 0.5 I
n steels 0.6 -
carbon plain ER70S-S,ER70S-6 0.030 0.8 40-220
steels 0.035 0.9 60-280
0.045
AS. 18 1.2 125.380
150-450
1.3 0.052
275-475
1.61116
5/64 2.0 -
3/32 2.4 c
118 3.2
**Trademark.International Nickel C o ,
is decreased, thus increasing the welding current partant variable in gas meta! arç welding. If a
requirements for a given wirefeed speed. Longex- welder lets the welding arcplay on the weld pool
tension may result in lack of fusion when welding instead of on the base meta!, incomplets fusion or
thick material, Thisis why it is important tomain. cold lap defect will result. A liquid weld pool acts
tain proper contact tube-to-work distance, Same as an insulator between the high temperature
typical values are 114 in, to V 2 in, for short circuit welding arc and the base material. Therefore, to
transfer and 112 in. to 1 in. ( I 3 to 25 mm) for other consistently obtain fused metal, the welding arc
types of meta! transfer associated with GMAW must be continually positioned at leading
the edge
(globular and axial spray), Table 6 illustrates the af the weld pool,
relationship between welding variables and the
weld, 4.4.6 Guidelines for OperatingConditions.
Figures 20 through 33 illustrate the basic conceptof
4,4,5 Tkauel Speed, Travel speed is a very im- and provide basic information for establishing de-

25
position-rate to wire-feed-speed relationships. The angles and depths, since penetration characteristics
distinction should be made between the melting will tend to diminish due to greater absorption of
rate (rateof melting of the electrode) and the depo- arc energy by the side walls as the groovenarrows.
sition rate (rateof actual metal deposited). The two This is incomparison to a square-groove weld joint
are not the same, due to arc and spatter loss, but are for which most of the arcenergy is transmitted di-
related by the arc€ransfer efficiency. Also note that rectly into the interface.
the relationship between electrode feed speed and The penetration can bereadily predicted in fillet
welding current can be alteredby the electrode ex- welding (see Figure 3 3 , where the side walls are
tension (not shown in these figures). generally at a 90' angle. Table 7 shows fillet size re-
duction possible with greater throat depth. Since
5. General Joint Design the heat input is quite low with a short circuiting
welding arc, the possibility of incomplete fusion de-
Typical weldjoint designs and dimensionsfor the fects is increased on heavier weldments.
GMAW process, as used in the welding of steel, are
shown in Figure 34(A) through (D). The dimensions
indicated are those that have generally been found
6. Arc Spot Welding
necessary to obtain complete joint penetration and
acceptable reinforcement and weld bead cross sec- Arc spot welding with GMAW requires the same
tions with suitable welding procedures. equipment as previously described plus a special
The deep penetration characteristics of the high arc timer to control the arc on time, and a special
energy modes of GMAW (ie., not including short gun nozzle. The gun nozzle provides containment
circuit or pulsed current transfer) present a poten- with vents, for shielding gas, maintains a constant
tial reduction inthe quantityof required weld metal contact tube height when placed on topof the joint
and, consequently, welding costs. However, care to be welded, and helps shield the welder's eyes
must be exercised in the reduction of groove weld from the arc.
Table 6 .
How Changes in Welding Variables Affect Weld
WELDING
DESIRED CHANGES
.
BEAD SIZE BEAD
DEPOSITION
PENËTRATION
VARIABLES WIDTH
TO RATE
CHANGE
INCREASEI DECREASE INCREASE I DECREASE INCREASE I DECREASE INCREASE I- DECREASE
CURRENT
AND
WIRE
SPEED
FEED o
NO EFFECT
0LlllLE EFFECT
* INCREASE
* IF CURRENT
MAINTAINED
LEVELS
ADJUSTMENT
AREBY
WIRE FEED SPEED
$.DECREASE
OF

AWS C5.b 87 M 0784265 0 0 0 2 b 6 5 7 W
26
Table 7
Strength Equivalents (Effective Throat Depth) by Process for Fillet Welds
Equivalent. Fillet Size(By Process)
Effective
GMAW,Electrode
E70S-X
Argon-Rich
SMAW E70XX COZ Throat,
Design Size Electrode Shielding Shielding Min
in. mm in. mm in. mm in. mm in. mm
118 3.2 118 3.2 1/8* 3.2 1/8* 3.2 0.086 2.08
5/32 4.0 5/32 4.0 1/8* 1/8* 3.2 3.2 0.111 2.82
3/16 4.8 3116 4.8 1/8* 5/32* 4.0 3:35 0.135 3.35
114 6.4 114 6.4 5/32* 3/16 4.8 4.0 0.177 4.50
5/16 8.0 5/16 8.0 3/16 -114 6.4 4.8 0.221 5.61
318 9.5 318 9.5 5/16 8.0 114 6.4 0.266 6.76
7/16 11.1 7/16 11.1 5/16 318 9.5 8.0 0.310 7.87
112 12.7 112 12.7 7/16 11.18.97 0.353
318 9.5
9/16 14.3 14.3 9/16 112 12.7 7/16 11.1 10.06 0.396
518 ' 15.9
.~ .
518 15.9 9/16 14.3 112 12.7 11.20 0.441
-
"Automatic welds only size too small to produce a quality weldment with semiautomatic welding in the high energy
mode.
NOTE:
I . Fillet welds made with low energy GMAW modes (i.e., short circuit and pulsed current transfer) exhibit the same
"effective" throat depth as fillets made with theSMAW process.
first pass only. Applicableto bothflat and horizon-
2. In multiple-pass welding,effective penetration is a function of the
tal singel pass welds.
3. Inspection of fillet weld cross section should be made to assure adequate welding procedurefor minimum effective
throat.
WIRE FEED SPEED, INCHES PER MINUTE

O 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900
I . I . I I 1 I 1 1 I I
I I I I 1 I I
I
"
7
-- 6
"
5
-- 4 5
2
W'
F
"3 3
Q
z
"2 2
z
-- 1
O 1
I
I .
I
1
I
I
1 ! o
O 5 10 15 20
WIRE FEED SPFED, METERS PER MINUTE
Figure 20 - Typical Melting Rates for Plain Carbon Steel

27

1 0 0 200300 400 500 600 700 800
O I ' I i I - 1 I ' . I I I
50-
100-
6 150-
u
o
200-
F-
Z
W
m
5 250-
u
c3
9 300-
2 350-
400-
450-
I I I 1 1 1 1 1 11
I I 1 1 1 1 1 I I
O 5 10 15 20
WIRE FEED SPEED, METERS PER MINUTE
Figure 21 - Typical Welding Currents Versus Wire Feed

Speeds for Carbon Steel Electrodes
O 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900
I I I I 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
l I ' 1 1 1 1
I I I ''
5 10 15 20
. WIRE FEED SPEED, METERS PER MINUTE
Figure 22 - Typical Melting Rates for Aluminum Electrodes

AWS C5.b 87 W 0 7 8 4 2 6 5 0 0 0 2 b b 7 O
28
WIRE FEED. SPEED, INCHEZ PER MINUTE

4 N W P t n u w
0 0
O 0
0 00 8 8 8 8 8 ~
o - ' -! .~ I . . I
Fl"
I I
I
I 1
I
l
I
4 A N
O VI O cn O
Figure 23.- Welding Currents Versus Wire Feed- Speed for ER4043 AIuminum Electrodes
WIRE FEEIJSPEED. I N G H I S PER MINUTE o3
" W P . m u
0 1.
8 I
~ 0
I
0 0 00
I I
0
0
I
-
0
I
0
00 0
1
O 1 I. I I
Ln"
O
P W
9 8
P
o
0-
-- 3
I I . 1 I
1 -
~~
I
A .A N
O (II O VI O
-
Figure 24 Welding Currents Versus Wire Feed Speed for
ERS356 Aluminum Electrodes

p loo 2
p ~~
390 4qo m 6qo 790 Np yó,
I I I I ,
16" "7
-
14"
"6
12"
c " "5 f
\P 1(1" P
W'
W'
3 8--
"
"4 3
x5 6"-- "3 P-
5
P 4" "
3
"2
"
2" "1
"
~. .. .. . r I
04. I
~
I I I ! O
o 5 19 15 20
Figure 25 - Typical Melting Rates for 300 Series

Stainless SteelElectrodes
a
m O ut
A
8
Figure 26 - Typical Welding Currents Versus Wire Feed Speeds

for 300 Series StainlessSteel.Electrodes

AWS C 5 . b
30

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900
I I 1 I I I I I 1 I
o
O O
~~ 5 WIRE 10 FEED
METERS 15
PER MINUTE
SPEED,
Figure 27 - Typical Melting Rates for ECU Copper

Electrodes

- . ? d l A e m m - I C a
8
O
8
m 4
O
-.
m
Figure 28 - Welding Currents Versus Wire Feed Speed for

ECUCopper Electrodes

31

O 200100 300 400 500 600 700 800 9001
1 I 1 I 1 I I I I I
16 -- 7
- "
14 -- __ 6
.S
J=
\
12" 3
O
f
2 'O"
" O' --5
" 4
P
ed
p 8" o
3 6;:
"3 z
3
4 "
+ I
2 t t'
o, II I II 1
I ., o
O 15 5 10 20
Figure 29 - Typical Melting Rates for ECuSi-A

Copper Electrodes
\ \, "03.4
P 3,
I I 1 I I
I I I I
&
O VI & N
O VI O
Figure 30 - Welding Currents Versus Wire Feed Speed

for ECuSi-A Copper Electrodes

~~
AWS C 5 - b 87 9 0 7 8 4 2 6 5 0 0 0 2 6 7 1 2
32

O 200 400 600 800 1000 12001400
1600
1800
2000
I 1
800 I 1 I 1 I I I
ARGON SHIELDING GAS

700
c 600
W
V
P
u 500
2g 400
3
V
2 300
3
W
3 200
1O0
O
O 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
Figure 31 - IIlypical Currents Versus Wire Feed Speed

for Magnesium Electrodes

250 O 200 50150 100 I
300 350
6 ' I I I 1 I I I
r.
O ! I I
I I Il I I I
I I I
o 1 2 3 4 5 6 J 8 0
Figure 32 - Optimum Short Circuit Transfer for PIain

Carbon Steel Electrodes

33

N P cn (4) Postflow time potentiometer - adjusts the
$O
!
4
O O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O time duration thatshielding gas will flow
after weld-
O I I I I
I
ing arc stops(adjustable from O to 2 seconds).
6.2 Effect of Process Variables on Weld Characteris-

tics. Weld diameter at theinterface and reinforce-
ment are two characteristics of GMAW spot weld
which determine whether the weld will satisfy the
intended service. Each of the three major process
variables of weld current, voltage, and weld time af-
fect one or both of these factors. Arc voltage and
welding current are relatively high for spot welding
in comparison to typical GMAW values, but the
time cycle for making spotwelds ranges from only
0.3 seconds to 5 seconds. Guidelinesfor these vari-
ables are presented in Tables 8 through 12.
6.2.1 Current. Current has the greatest effect on

penetration. Penetration is increased by using
higher currents with corresponding increase in the
L
wire feed speed. Increased penetration will gener-
cn a
O ally result in a larger weld diameter at the inter-
WIRE FEED SPEED, METERS PER MINUTE face.
Figure 33 - Optimum Short Circuit 6.2.2 Arc Voltage. The arcvoltage has the great-
Transfer for Carbon Steel Electrodes spot weld shape. In general, with
est effect on the arc
current being held constant, an increase in the arc
6.1 Equipment Operafion. The welding gun is voItage willincrease the diameter theof fusion zone
placed in position against the workpiece and the and the diameter of the weld nugget. However, it
gun’s trigger is depressed to start the functions of also causes a slight decrease in the reinforcement.
thearctimerand theinitiationofthearc.Thearcis Arc voltages that are toohigh create heavy spatter
maintained by the continuously-fed consumable conditions.
electrode and melts throughthe topsheet and fuses
into the bottom sheet without relative travel. The 6.2.3 Weld Time. WeIding conditions should be
time cycle is set to maintain the arcuntil the melt- selected that produce a suitable weld within a time
through and fusing sequence is complete; i.e., the of 20 to 100 cycles of a 60 Hz current (0.3 to 1.7
spot weld has been completed. The electrode will seconds) to joinbase metal up to O. 125 in. (3.2 mm)
continue tofeed during the arccycle and will pro- thick. Time up 300 to cycles (5 seconds) may be nec-
duce a slight convex reinforcement on the upper essary on thicker materiais to achieve adequate
surface of the topsheet. strength. The penetration, weld diameter, and rein-
The controls on the arctimer andtheir functions forcement height generally increase with increased
are as follows: weld time.
(1) Arc time potentiometer- regulates time that
welding arc is sustained 6.2.4 Polarity. Most applications ofgas metal arc
(2) Preflow time potentimeter -sets time at spot welding employ direct current, electrode posi-
which gas. valve opens prior to welding arc initia- tive. Electrode negative can be used under special
tion (adjustable from O to 2 seconds) conditions when low Penetration isrequired.
(3) Burnback time potentiometer - controls the
delay of the welding contactor drop-out after the 6.3 Joint Design. Gas metal arc spotwelding may
electrode feed motor stops and the distance that the be used to weld lap joints in plain carbon steel, alu-
electrode mefts back from the weld surface (adjusta- minum, magnesium, stain€ess steeI, and copper-
ble form O to 0.5 seconds) bearing alloys. Metalsof the same different
or thick-.
~~ ~~~ ~
~~

AWS C5.6 8 9 m 07842b5 0002673 6 W
34
nu
R MAX = T, T = 1/16 MAX
FLARE V-GROOVE
SQUARE GROOVE JOINTS WELDED WELDS WELDED
FROM ONE SIDE FROM ONE SIDE 3/16 M I N 4
R = 118 MIN JOINT RECOMMENDED FOR
HORIZONTAL POSITION
SINGLE V-GROOVE JOINTS WELDED FROM
ONE SIDE WITH BACKING
"lb- 1/16 MAX
SQUARE GROOVE JOINTS WELDED FROM BOTH SIDES MAX
T-f. +l"R 1/16 TO 1/8
T
- R MIN = T, T = 3/16 MAX JOINT RECOMMENDED FOR
HORIZONTAL POSITION
SQUARE GROOVE JOINTS WELDED FROM
ONE SIDE WITH BACKING DOUBE V-GROOVE JOINTS WELDED FROM BOTH SIDES
3/16 MIN I+ JOINT RECOMMENDED FOR

R = 1/8 MAX. f = 1/16 MAX .' 1/8 MIN 4
R = 1/16 MAX HORIZONTAL
POSITION
SINGLE V-GROOVE JOINTS WELDED FROM SINGLE BEVEL-GROOVE JOINTS WELDED
ONE OR BOTH SIDES FROM ONE OR BOTH SIDES
ALL DIMENSIONS IN INCHES EXCEPT ANGLES

SI EQUIVALENTS
in. mm
1/16
1 18 3.2
3/16 4.8
1 14 6.4
Figure 34 - Typical Weld Joint Design for GMAW (Steel)

35
ANGLE a ,. -I .... ...

"
TO 5
POSITIONS f = 1/16TO 3/16 JOINT RECOMMENDED FOR
45O MIN 1/4 MIN HORIZONTAL POSITION
r = 1/4
35O MIN 3/8 MIN ALL
I ALL SINGLE U-GROOVE JOINTS WELDED FROM
ONE OR BOTH SIDES
I
ANGLE a R POSITIONS
3/16 MIN "
45O min 1/8 MIN ALL

35O MIN 1/4 MIN ALL 5 O TO loo
R = 3/32 MAX JOINT RECOMMENDED FOR
SINGLE BEVEL-GROOVE JOINTS WELDED FROM f = 1/16 TO 3/16 HORIZONTAL POSITION
ONE SIDE WITH BACKING r = 1/4
-4k-f DOUBLE U-GROOVE JOINTS WELDED FROM
BOTH SIDES
4 5 p 3
I f = 1/16 MAX, R = 118 MAX
DOUBLE BEVEL-GROOVE JOINTS WELDED FROM

f = 1/16TO 3/16
r = 1/2
SINGLE J-GROOVEJOINTS WELDED FROM
BOTH SIDES ONE OR BOTH SIDES
Figure 34 (Continued) - Typical Weld Joint Design for

GMAW (Steel)

c AWS c.5. b 87 W 0 7 8 4 2 6 50 0 0 2 6 7 5 T W
36
I - GROOVED CORNER JOINT

WELDED FROM BOTH SIDES I 111 - MODIFIED SQUARE GROOVE
l y 4 5 O MIN ../ iFR
&ACK GOUGE BEFORE

DEPOSITING SECOND WELD
R MAX = 1/8
TMAX = 1
IV - MODIFIED SINGLE-V GROOVE
R = 1/16MAX
= 1/16 MAX
II -FOR V-GROOVE WELD
DEPOSITING SECOND
WELD
V - SINGLE-V GROOVE FOR
REDUCED METAL DEPOSIT
u = 45O MIN
f 3/32 MAX
R = 3/32 MAX
r = 1/4
P 60" MIN c 3 2 MAX 4 3/32
MAX
t
Figure 34 (Continued) - Typical Weld Joint

Design for GMAW (Steel)

37
FOR
FILLET
WELDS
DOUBLE-FILLET
WELDED
CORNER JOINT
+R f = 1/16 TO 3/16
r = 1/2
R = 3/32 MAX
DOUBLE J-GROOVE JOINTS WELDED FROM BOTH SIDES =
PLUS R
b 4 5 O W THREE-PIECE JOINTS
I THREE-PIECE JOINTS
4 +3/8 MIN
T DlAM
UNDER 118
V8 TO 112
OVER 1/2
1/4 MIN
2 T MIN
T + 112
U N ~ E R114
1/4ANDOVER
2 TN
I;
1-112 T MIN
4 3/8 TO 112 I
JOINT FOR PLUG
WELD JOINT
FOR
SLOTWELD
I
Figure 34 (Continued) - Typical Weld Joint

Design for GMAW (Steel)

38
EFFECTIVE THROAT
OF SMAW PROCESS
EFFECTIVE THROAT
A(l// OF DEEP-PEN.ETRATING
G M A W PROCESS
Figure 35 - Fillet Weld-Effective Throats
PLUG WELD (WITH OR WITHOUT PILOT HOLE)
n
LAP JOINT
T-JOINT
L W T
THICKNESS OF SPECIMEN RECOMMENDED
THINNER SHEET WIDTH LENGTH
in. mm mm in. in. mm
Up to 0.030 Up to 0.8 5183 16 76

0.031 to 0.050 0.8 to 1.3 314 19 3 76
0.051 to 0.100 1.3 to 2.5 1 4 25 102
0.101 t00.130 2.5 to 3.3 1-1145 32 127
0.131 to0.190 3.3 t04.8 1-1125 38 127
0,191 and over 4.8 and over 2 6 51 152
~~
Figure 36 - Types of Joints for

GMAW Spot Welding -
Figure 37 Tension-Shear Test
Specimen Dimensions

39
Table 8
GMAW Spot Welding of Plain Carbon Steel in theFlat Position
-
CO2 Shielding Gas 3/16 in. (4.8 mm) Diameter Nugget
Electrode
Electrode Thickness Consumed
Arc Spot StrengthShearCurrent
Time Size Per Spot PerA Voltage Spot
in. mm Gauge in. mm S in. mm (dcep) V lb. force kN
24 0.022 0.56 0.4 3-114 2.26 83 507
160 25
0.030 0.8 22 0.032 0.81 0.6 8-114 210 190 27 1130 5.03
20 0.037 0.94 0.8 12 305 190 27 1215 5.40
22 0.032 0.81 0.7 4-314 120 160 27 910 4.05

20 0.037 0.94 0.8 5- 118 I30 160 27 1120 4.98
0.035 0.9 18 0.039 0.99 0.9 9 229 200 28 1530 6.8 1
16 0.059 1.50 1.o 14-112 368 240 30 2320 10.32
14 0.072 1.83 1.5 20-314 527 240 30 3 160 14.06
18 0.039 0.99 O. 5 2-318 60 250 29 936 4.16

16 0.059 1.50 1.o 5-314 146 250 29 2420 10.76
0.045 1.2 14 0.072 1.83 0.8 6-518 168 300 30 2740 12.19
3/64 12 O. 1 10 2.79 0.8 10-114 260 350 32 3450 15.35
11 0.124 3.2 1.o 13-112 343 350 32 4016 17.86
16 0.059 1.50 O. 5 2- 114 57 400 32 1673 7.44

14 0.072 1.83 O. 8 4 102 400 32 3308 14.7 1
12 0.110 2.79 0.9 5-3r4 146 350 34 4340 19.3 1
0.063 1.6 11 118 3.2 1.1 6- 112 165 450 34 4960 22.06
1/16 5/32 4.0 1.o 8 203 500 34 5286 23.51
3/16 4.8 0.9 10-112 267 600 37 5573 24.79
6.4114 1.4 18-1/4 464 650 38 5986 26.63

AWS C5.b 89 0781.1265 0002b7’7 7 m
40
Table 9
GMAW Spot Welding of Plain Carbon Steel in the Flat Position
CO2 Shielding Gas - 114 in. (6.4 mm) Diameter Nugget
Electrode
ArcThickness
Electrode
Size A Spot
Time Per
Spot Per Voltage
in.Gaugemm in. mm S in,V (dcep)mm lb. force kN
24 0.022 0.56 1 4-518 1 17 90 24 625 2.78
0.030
0.8 22 0.032 0.81 1.2 5 127 120 27 730 3.25
20 0.037 10-1/8 1,2
0.94 257 120 27 1337 5.95
22 0.032 0.81 1 6 152 I40 26 800 3.56

20 0.037 0.94 1 6 152 140 26 1147 5,IO
0.035
0.9 18 0.039 0.99 1 8-1/2 216 190 27 1507 6.70
16 0.059 17-1/4
1.50 2 438 190 28 1434 6.38
14 0.072 1.83 5 12 140- 1029 190 28 2600 11.57
18 0.039 0.99 0.7 4 102 200 27 1414 6.29
16 0.059 1.50 1 6 152 260 29 2070 9.2 1
1.2
0.045 14 0.072 1.83 1.5 12-314 324 300 30 3224 14.34
3/54 12 0.1 10 28-112 3.5
2.79 724 300 30 4300 19.13
Il 0.124 34
3.15 4.2 864 300 30 41 14 18.30
16 0.059 1.50 1 2-3/4 70 250 29 1654 7.36
14 0.072 1.83 1 5-112 140 360 31 3340 14.86
12 0.1 10 2.79 1 7-1/4 184 440 32 5000 22.24
1.6
0.063 11 1/8 3.15 1 8-1/2 216 490 32 5634 25.06
1/16 5/32 4.0 9 1.5 229 490 32 5447 24,23
3/16 16-314
4.8 2 425 490 32 6834 30.40
114 6.428-1/8 3.5 714 490 34 8667 38.55

41
Table 10
GMAW Spot and Plug Welds on Aluminum
-
Argon Shielding Gas 1/16 in. (1.6 mm) Diameter Electrode
MIL-W-6860
d CurrentThickness Plate
A Bottom Top
Preparation
mm
(dcep)
in. mm in. forcelb. kN
V S forcelb. kN
0.040 0.040
1.0 1.o
Copper back 320 23-1/2 0.8 600 2.67 415 1.85
0.040 1.0 0.090 2.3Copper back 330 23-112 1.o 660 2.94 415 1.85
0.050 1.3 0.050 1.3Copper back 335 23-1/2 1.o 710 3.16 570 2.54
0.050 0.090
1.3 2.3Copper back 350 23-112 1.2 900 4.00 570 2.54
0.050 0.125
1.3 3.2None 240 23 2.0 1140 5.07 570 2.54
0.062 0.062
1.6 1.6Copper back 340 23-112 1.2 1O05 4.43 792 3.52
0.062 0.125
1.6 3.2Copper back 350 23-112 1.S 1080 4.80 792 3.52
0.080 0.080
2.0 2.0Copper back 375 24 1.4 1020 4.54 1137 5.06
0.080 0.125
2.0 3.2Copper back 375 25 1.6 1180 5.25 1137 5.06
0.092 0.092
2.3 2.3Refrasil*back 300 22 2.0 1135 5.05 1355 6.03
0.092 0.092
2.3 2.3Plug 9.5 mm 170 26 2.5 990 4.40 1355 6.03
(318 in.) diam
0.092 0.250
2.3 6.4 None 350 24 2.0 1640 7.29 1355 6.03
0.125 0.125
3.2 3.2 Refrasil*back 300 23 2.2 1600 7.12 2168 9.64
0.125 0.125
3.2 3.2 Plug 10.3 mm 260 25 2.3 1340 5.96 2168 9.54
(13/32 in) diam
0.125 0.188
3.2 4.8 Comer back 400 24 2.3 1750 7.789.64 2168
0.250 6.4 0.500 12.7 Plig11.1 mm 400 24 2.0 2120 9.43 Not Specified
(71 16in.) diam
0.250 6.4 0.500 12.7Plug12.7mm 370 25 2.5 3275 14.57 Not Specified
(112 in.) diam
O. 156 4.0 0.156 4.0
Copperback 400 24-112 2.2 1720 7.65 Not Specified
pIug 19mm(3/4 in.)
0.188 4.8 0.188 Copper 4.8
410
back 25-112 2.6 1850 8.23 Not Specified
plug 10.3mm(l3/32 in.)
o. 188 4.8 0.125 Copper3.2
back
400 24- 112 2.6 1610 7.16 Not Specified
plug
~- 9.5mm(3/8 in.)
*Trade name, H.I. Thompson Co.

42
Table 11
Summary of Operating Conditions for GMAW Spot Weldingof Various Gauges
of AZ31B (Magnesium) Sheet with AZ61A Electrode
Range of
Gauge Sheet
Bottom Top Spot Per Time
in. mmin, in. mm Hz lb. force kN
V A
0.040 1.o 0.090 2.3 0.040 1.o 175 22-26 30-70 40-1085 O . 18-4.83
200 24-26 25-50 760-1 190 3.38-5.29
O . 125 3.2 0.040 I .o 175 22-26 40- 1 O0 310-1370 1.38-6.09
200 22-28 20-90 460-1710 2.05-7.61
o. 190 4.8 0.040 1.o 175 22-26 40- O01 50-1265 0.22-5.63
200 22-28 20-1O0 360-1725 1.60-7.63
0.063 1.6 0.063 1.6 0.040 1.o 200 26 50-60 348-889 1.55-3.95
0.090 2.3 0.040 1.o 200 22-26 20-80 250-710 1.11-3.16
225 24-26 25-45 360-880 1.60-3.91
O. 125 3.2 0,040 1.o 200 22-26 30-1O0 515-1165 2.29-5.18
225 22-28 20- O01 230-1340 1.02-5.96
0.250 6.4 0.040 1.o 200 22-26 30- O01 250-880 1.11-3.91
225 22-28 20-1O0 320-2000 1.42-8.90
0.090 2.3 0.090 2.3 0.040 1.o 250 24-28 50-100 513-1129 2.28-5.02
0.063 1.6 275 25-28 40-90 314-1078 1.40-4.80
O. 125 3.2 0.063 1.6 275 22-26 30- O0 1 520- 1060 2.31-4.72
300 24-28 25-80 230-960 1.02-4.27
o. 190 4.8 0.063 1.6 275 22-26 30- O01 290-1 145 1.29-5.09
300 22-28 20-200 200- 1700 0.89-7.56
0.125 3.2 0.125 3.2 0.094 2.4 325 24-27 40- O01 583-1675 2.59-7.45
350 24-25 40- O0 1 680-1337 3.02-5.95
O. 156 4.0 0.094 2.4 350 22-26 30-1O0 530-1875 2.36-8.34
375 24-26 30-80 640- 1600 2.85-7.12
o. 190 4.8 0.094 2.4 350 22-24 30-1O0 190- 1900 0.85-8.45
375 24-28 30-1O0 270- 1640 1.20-7.29
O . 156 4.0 O. 156 4.0 0.094 2.4 375 24-26 80-150 517-1437 2.30-6.39
0.190 4.8 o. 190 4.8 0.094 2.4 375 24-26 80-150 782-1323 3.48-5.88
400 24-26 60-1 10 853-1 194 3.79-5.31 *
~~
Table 12
GMAW Spot Welding of Stainless Steel to Plain Carbon Steel in theFlat Position
Sheet Bottom Sheet Top
Electrode
~~ ~~~ ~ ~
ness
Thickness Size Voltage
Per Time
A Spot
mmMaterial
in.
mmMaterial
Gauge
mm
in. in. S V(dcep)
mmin.
1/16 1.6 304 11 0.124 3.1 5 A36 2 50.8 2.0 1 1.2Sa 286a 400 33
1/16 1.6 304 11 0.124 3.15 A120 0.2 5.1 1.6 9.25a 2358 400 33
1/16 1.6 304 0.12411 3.1 5 A36 2 50.8 2.0 1 1.2Sb 286b 450 31
1/16 1.6 304 0.12411 3.15 A120 0.2 5.1 2.0 11,25b 286b 450. 31
1/16 1.6 304 0.12411 3,15 A36 0.25 6.4 1.6 1oc 254' 400 28
~ ~~
a. 25cfh (11.8 liters per min)of COZ, ER-308L HiSil filler metal.
+
b. 25cfh (11.8 liters per min) argon 1% oxygen; ER-308L HiSil filler metal.
+
c. 30cfh (14.1 liters per min)of argon 5% oxygen; ER-309 filler metal.

43
ness may be welded together. The thinner sheet 7.2 Potential Problems
should always be the top member when metals of
different thickness are welded. Gas metal arc spot 7.2,l Hydrogen. Certain areas require particular
welding is normally restricted to the flat position. attention to maintainprocess control. For example,
By modifying thenozzle design, gas metal arc spot an awarenessof the potential problemsof hydrogen
welding is adaptable tolap-filIet joints (in the hori- embrittlement is important even though it is less
zontal position),and corner joints(see Figure 36). A likely to occur withGMAW since a hygroscopic flux
hole may be prepared in the top member on mate- or coating is not used. However, other hydrogen
rial too thick for burn-through welding. The weld is sources must be considered. The shielding gas must
termed a plug weld in this case. be sufficientlylow in moisturecontent. This isnor-
mally well controlled by the gas supplier, but may
6.4 Tension-Shear Test. A test specimen obtained have to be checked. Oil, grease, drawing com-
by lapping two strips of metal and joining them by a pounds, etc., on theelectrode or thebase metalmay
single spot weld is loaded in tension in a standard also become potential sources for hydrogen pick-up
testing machine until the specimen ruptures. The in the weld metal.
dimensions on the test specimens are shown in Electrode manufacturers are aware of the need
Figure 37. for cleanliness and take special care to provide a
The ultimate tension-shear strengthof the speci- clean electrode.Contaminants are more likely to be
men and the manner of failure should be recorded; introduced during handling in the user facility. The
Le., whether failure was by shear of the weld metal user who is aware of such possibilities may avoid
or by tear ofthe base metal, and whether a ductile or serious problems, particularly in welding harden-
brittle fracfure was obtained. able steels. The same awareness is necessary in
Because shear strength is proportional to the welding aluminum, except that the potential prob-
cross-sectional area of the weld deposit at theinter- lem is porosity causedby the relatively low solubil-
face between the two sheets, the shear strength of a ity of hydrogen in solidifiedaluminum, rather than
GMAW spot weld that joinssheets of a given thick- hydrogen embrittlement.
ness can be varied considerably by changing the
controlled variables of current, arc volts, and arc 7.2.2 Oxygen and Nitrogen.Oxygen and nitrogen
time. are potentially greater problems than hydrogen in
The strength of GMAW spot welds are in the the GMAW process. If the shielding gas is not
same general range as resistance spot welds for the completely inert or adequately protective, these
same thickness of material. elements may be readily absorbedfrom the atmos-
phere. The compositionof welding electrodes is ad-
7. Inspection and Weld Quality justed to provide adequate deoxidization elements
to offset this tendency and avoid porosity to ensure
7.1Introduction. Weld Quality control inspection sound deposits.
procedures for GMAW joints are quite similar to Even so, weld metal deposits made with GMAW
those used forSMAW. Depending upon theapplica- in high-strength steels [150ksi (758MPa) yield
ble specifications, these procedures should provide strength] do not have as much ductility as those
for examination of the finalweld product, determi- made with the gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW)
nation of adequate welder or welding operator per- process. Studies have also indicated that a gas
formance, and a satisfactory welding procedure. shielding mixture of ninety eightpercene argon and
Weld inspection on the assembled productlim- is two percent oxygen or eighty percent argon and
ited to the useof various nondestructive examina- twenty percentC02 results inGMAW weld proper-
tion methods such as visual, liquid penetrant, ties similar to those of the SMAW process. If the
magnetic particle, radiographic, and ultrasonic in- active component of the gas is increased (as in a
spection. Destructive festing (tensile, shear,
fatigue, fifty percent argonand fifty percent COZmixture or
impact, bend, fracture,peel, cross section,or hard- one hundred percent COZ)the impact strength of
ness tests) is usually confinedto engineering devel- the resultant weld will be lower.
opment, welding procedure qualification, and
welder and welding operator performance qualifi- 7.2.3 Cleanliness. Cleanliness in the use of bare
cations tests. (Ref. ANSIIAWS B4.0, Mechanical electrodes in GMAW is more critical than with
Testing of Welds, latest edition) $MAW or submerged arc welding (SAW). The fluxing

44
compounds present in the§MAW and SAW shielding (from fans, open

slag, scavengeand cleanse the molten weld deposit of doors, etc.) blowing
oxides and gas-forming compounds. These fluxing into thewelding arc.
slags are not normally present in GMAW, and thus, Eliminate frozen
there may be a greater chance for porosity to form. (clogged) regulator in
COZwelding by
7.2.4 Incomplete Fusion. The reducedheat input manifolding several
common to the short circuiting modeof GMAW re- cylinders or through
sults in little melting of the base metal and a rela- the use of heaters.
tively cold weld. This is desirable on sheet metal Use slower travel
and for out-of-position welding. However, an im- speed. Reduce
proper welding technique may cause incomplete fu- nozzle-to-work
sion, in root areas or along groovefaces. distance. Hold gun at
end of weld until
7.3 Welding Discontinuities. Some of the more molten metal
common weld discontinuities that may occur with solidifies.
the GMAW process are listed in the following (2) Gas contamination Use welding grade
paragraphs. shieIding gas
(3) Electrode Use only cleanand
43.1 Undercutting (See Figure 38). The follow- contamination dry electrode
ing are possible causes of undercutting and their (4) Workpiece Remove all grease,
corrective actions: contamination oil, moisture, rust,
Possible Causes Corrective Actions paint, and dirt from
(1) Travel Speed too high Use slower travel work surface before
speed welding. Use more
(2) Welding voltagetoo Lower voltage highly deoxidizing
high electrode.
(3) Excessive welding Reduce wire feed ( 5 ) Arc voltage too high Reduce voltage.
d currents (see Figure 40)
(4) Insufficient dwell Increase dwell at edge (6) Excess contact tube- Reduce stick-out
of molten weld to-work distance
puddle
( 5 ) Gun Angle Direct
arc via gun
angle so arc force can 7.3.3 Incomplete Fusion. The following are possi-
aid in metal ble causes of incomplete fusionand their corrective
placement. actions:
Possible Causes Corrective Actions
7.3.2 Porosity. The following are possible causes (1) Weld zone surfaces Clean all groove faces
of porosity and their correcive actions: not free of film or and weld zone
Possible Causes Corrective Actions excessive oxides surfaces of any mill
Optimize thegas scale impurities prior
(1) Inadequate shielding
to welding.
gas coverage (see flow. Increase gas
Figure 39) flow to displace all
air from theweld
zone; Decrease
excessive gas flow to
avoid turbulence and
the entrapmentof air
in the weld zone.
Remove spatter from
nozzle. Eliminate any
leaks in the gas line.
Eliminate drafts

45
the groove andside-

walls with proper
electrode extension
and arc
characteristics, or
use a “J” or “U”
groove.
(6) Excessive travel
Reduce
travel speed
speed (see Figure 45)
13.3.4 Incomplete Joint Penetration. The follow-

ing are possible causes of incomplete joint penetra-
tion and their corrective actions:
(1) Improper
joint
Joint preparation and
preparation design must be
adequate to Provide
proper access to the
bottom of the groove
while maintaining
proper electrode
extension and arc
characteristics.
Reduce excessively
large root face.
Provide or increase
the root gap in butt
joints and increase
(2) Insufficient heat Increase the wire feed depth of back gouge.
input speed and the arc (2) Improper weld Maintain electrode
voltage. Reduce technique angle normal to work
electrode extension surface to achieve
(3) Too large a weld Minimize excessive maximum
puddle weaving to produce a penetration. Keep arc
more controllable on leading edge of
weld puddle. Increase the puddle.
the travel speed. (3) Inadequate heat Increase the wire feed
(4) Improper weld When using a
input (see Figure 42) speed (welding
technique weaving technique current).
dwell momentarily Maintain proper
on the sidewalls of electrode extension.
the groove, Provide
improved access at
root of joints. Keep 7.3.5 Excessive Mdt-Throagh. The following are
electrode directed at possible causes of excessive melt-though and their
the leading edge of corrective actions:
the puddle. Provide Possible Causes Corrective Actions
proper transverse (1) Excessive heatinputReduceboth wire
angulation. feed speed (welding
(5) Improper joint design Provide included current) and
(see Figure 4 1) angle of groovejoint accordingly the
large enough to zallolw voltage. Increase the
access to bottomof travel speed.

Figure 42 - Incomplete Root
Penetration Due to Inadequate
Welding Current
(2) Improper
joint
Reduce excessive
opening.root
penetration
Increase root face
dimension.
7.3.6 Cracks. The following are possible causes

of cracks and their corective actions:
4.3.6.11 Weld Meta%Cracks

(1) Improper joint design Maintain proper
groove dimensions to
allow deposition of
adequate filler metal
or weld cross section
in order toover-
come restraint
conditions.
(2) Too high a weld Either increase arc
depth-to-width ratio voltage or decrease
(see Figure 43) the current or bothto
widen theweld bead
Figure 48 - Incomplete Fusion Due to or decrease the
Narrow Groove Preparation penetration. Adjust
(5083 Aluminum Plate the grooveangle
and ER5183 Filler Metal) (joint preparation)

) Rapid cooling in the Use a tapered power
crater at the cooling control to reduce the
rate (see Figure 44) end of a weld.
Fill craters
adequately.
'7.3.6.2 H ~ t - A f f ~ t eZone
d Cracks (almost
always associated with hardenable steels)
(1) Hardening in
the
Preheatto
retard
heat-affected zone cooling rate.
(2) Residualstresses too Use stress relief heat
high treatment.
(3) Hydrogen
Use clean electrode
embrittlement shielding.dry
Use
shielding gas.
Remove
contaminants from
I' f the base
Holdmetal.
weld at elevated
(3) Too small a weld Decrease travelspeed temperatures for
bead (particularly to increase cross several hours before
fillet and root beads) section of deposit. cooling (temperature
(4) Heat input too high- Reduce either current and time required to
causing excessive or voltage, or both. diffuse hydrogen are
shrinkage and Increase travel speed. dependent on base
distortion. metal type).
( 5 ) Hot-shortness Use ferrous electrode
with sufficient
manganese (use
shorter arc length to
minimize loss of
manganese across the
arc). Adjust the grove
angle (joint
preparation) to allow
adequate percentage
of filler metal
addition. Adjust pass
deposition sequence
to reduce restraint on
weld during cooling.
Change to another
filler metal providing
desired
characteristics.
(6) High restraint of the Use preheat to
joint members reduce magnitude of
residual stresses.
Adjust welding
sequence to reduce
restraint conditions.

48
4.3.6.3 General Cracks '3.3.7.1 Non-Metallic Inclusion

Possible Causes Corrective Actions Possible Causes Corrective Actions
(1) Presence of notches Avoid undercutting. (1) Multipass, short Remove glassy slag
or pointsof high Limit reinforcements. circuit arc welding islandsfrom weld
stress concentrations Maintain maximum deposits before
reentrant angle of making subsequent
reinforcement at toe passes
of weld.
Provide adequate '3.3.4.2 Film Type Inclusion
root penetration. Possible Causes Corrective Actions
(1) High Travel SpeedsReducetravelspeed.
7.3.9 Inclusions. The following are possible Use more highly
causes of inclusionsand their corrective actions: deoxidized electrode.
Increase arc
voltage.

49
7.3.8 IrregularWeld LFhape. The following are Possible Causes Corrective Actions
possible causes of irregular weld shape and their ( i ) Improper weld Reduce
the travel
corrective actions: speed. technique
Use weaving motion.
7.3.$.1 Waviness of the Weld Bead (see Figure Increase stick-out
46) distance.
Possible Causes Corrective Actions Decrease wirefeed
(1) Excessive electrode
Reduce
electrode speed.
extension. extension
(2) Ward electrode Use straightening 8. Training
small
cast
with rolls.
(small radius of Maximum benefits from GMAW may be derived
curvature). by introducing the process through a well-planned
and extensive training program that should include
‘7.3.8.2 Overlap or Stagging not onlythe welders and welding operators, butalso
Possible Causes Corrective Actions key supporting personnel such as top management
(1) Welding out-offlat Weld inthe flat and those responsible for supervision, engineering
position in spray type position, especially and maintenance, and inspection.
transfer (see Figure with high currents. A suggested program format follows.
47) Increase travel speed.
Adjust gun angle.
(2) Weld toonarrow for Increasethearc
amount
the of voltage
reinforcement (see
Figure 48)
7.3.8.3 Humping (see Figure 49)

(1) Excessive travel Reduce travel speed.
speed
’9.3.8.4 Spatter
(1) Shorting of the Raise the arc voltage.
electrode and droplet Limit the rate of
Figure 46 - Weld Bead waviness
to the work current rise by
increasing inductive
reactance in the
welding circuit (short
circuiting transfer).
(2) Excessive spatter Decrease arc voltage,
when using C02 gas or increase electrode
shielding feed speed to “bury”
the arc and thus
contain thespatter.
(3) Welding in globular Increase current to an
transfer range (argon axial spray transfer
shield) range
7.3.9 Unmelted Electrode on Root Side (“Whisk-
ers”). The following is a possible cause of un-
melted electrode on root side and its corrective
actions:
~ ~~

50
(4) Making FilletWelds on Sheet Metal-A11 Posi-

tion
( 5 ) Welding with Various §ettings-Readjusting-
Practice
(6) Welding of Misaligned Materials-Practice-
Tests
This program could probablybe reduced for rou-
tine jobsof a repetitive nature. On-the-job training
can supplement this program and substitute for
some of the practice periods.
However, someone who has had adequate train-
ing with this equipment and process should super-
vise to correct techniques and other operational
errors during the learning period.
8.2 Welding Nonferrous Metals. This training pro-

gram should be undertaken after the completion of
the Introductory Training Program toallow famil-
iarization with the process and process equipment
for making welds on steel. A specific program
should be initiated for each nonferrous metal in-
volved. The program should present and explain:
(1) The specific properties and peculiarities of
the metal involved
(2) The types, alloys, composition,and specifica-
tion system for the particular metal involved
(3) The selection of filler metaland shielding gas
to match the base metal
(4) Additional precautions such as special clean-
ing, special shielding, special postweld treat-
ment, etc.
( 5 ) Any special equipment variations
The program should proceed as follows:
(1) Make fillet welds on sheet metal-all positions,
demonstration and practice
(2) Welding with various settings on various
metal thicknesses-readjusting-practice
(3) Testing-qualification if required
8.3 GMAW Course for Steel Pipe. Pipe welding usu-

ally involves fixed position welding; i.e., welding
without rotating thepipe. The following is anexam-
8.1 Introductory Training Program on Steel. A ple of a pipewelding training program for steel
pipe.
training program has been adopted for many situta- (1) GMAW Process-Discussion and Demon-
tions in which GMAW is used to produce industrial, stration
automotive, and agricultural equipment and sim- (2) GMAW Equipment-Discussion and Demon-
ilar metal articles. An outline of this training pro- stration
gram is as follows: (3) Fillet Welds on Sheet Metal-All Position-
(1) The GMAW Process-Discussion-and Dem- Demonstration and Practice
onstration (4) Butt Welds-Square Groove-All Position-
(2) The GMAW Equipment-Discussion and Demonstration and Practice
Demonstration ( 5 ) Welding with Various Equipment Settings-
(3) Demonstration and Practice Readjustments-Practice

"
51
(6) Pipe Welding-Root Pass-SG Horizontal the essential text material for this part of the
Fixed Position (Weld in Flat, Vertical, and course.
Overhead Positions) and the 6G inclined
Fixed Position 9. Qualification
(7) Making Complete Welds-SG Horizontal
Fixed Position (Weld in Flat, Vertical, and 9.1 Introduction. General methods for procedure,
Overhead Positions) welder, and welding operator qualifications are
(8) Making Root Pass in 2G Vertical Position detailed in the latest edition of ANSI/AWS B2.1,
(Weld Horizontal) Welding Procedure and Performance Qualification.
(9) Welding Pipe in 2G Vertical Position (Weld The following include a number of specifications
Horizontal) that now incorporate considerationfor the GMAW
(10) Practice and Simulated Qualification Tests process.
Welder training is very important! Welding defects ANSI/AWS D l . 1, Structural Welding Code-Steel
have been traced to improper welding procedures ANSI/AWS D l .3,Structural Welding Code-Sheet
and welding techniques. Proper training and super- Steel
vised practice by a qualifiedwelding instructor will ANSUAWS D5.2,Standard for Welded Steel Ele-
improve welding quality. vated Tanks, Standpipes, and Reservoirs for Water
Storage
8.4 GMAW Equipment Maintenance and 'Ikouble- ANSi/AWS D10.9,Standard for Qualification of
Shooting Course. Semi-automatic and automatic Welding Procedures and Welders for Piping and
welding equipment are morecomplex than thesin- Tubing
gle operator welding machine used in the past.The ANSVAWS D 14.1, Specification for Welding in-
growing need for personnel trained in the mainte- dustrial and Mill Cranes
nance and trouble-shooting of all types of welding ANSVAWS D14.2, Specification for Metal Cut-
equipment is greatest for those trained for newer, ting MachineTool Weldments
more complextypes. The course outlined here is de- ANSIIAWS D14.3,Specification for Welding
signed to train repair personnel for the maintenance Earthmoving and Construction Equipment
and trouble-shooting of GMAW equipment. It ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Section
would apply to all types of semiautomatic gas- IX, Welding and Brazing Qualifications
shielded welding equipment, Personnel selectedfor American Petroleum Institute, Standard 1104
this course should have good mechanical back- Marine Engineering Regulations and Material
ground, a knowledge of basic electricity, and a Specifications (CG 1 15)
knowledge of welding, preferably with welding ex- ANSI B96.1, Specification for Welded Alumi-
perience. The maintaince course should cover the num Alloy Field-Erected Storage Tanks
following: Some generalized criteriafor guidance in qualifi-
(1) Review of Basic Electricity cation basics for the GMAW process are presented
(2) Test instruments and Readingof Schematics in the following paragraphs.
(3) GMAW Equipment and Operations
(4) Typical Welding Problems and Causes 9.2 General. In considering qualification, the
( S ) Principals of Trouble-shooting broad versatilityrange of GMAW (defined basically
(6) Electrode Feeders-Maintenanceand Trouble- by the variables of mode of weld metal transferand
shooting type of shielding gas) must be taken into account,
(7) Gun and Cable Assemblies-Maintenance and it is assumed thatwelding conditions will be se-
Trouble-shooting lected for operating within the optimum range of
(8) Rotating Power Sources-Maintenance and the process and thatfiller metalswill be judiciously
Trouble-shooting selected. Guidelines for both welding procedures
(9) Static Type Power Sources-Maintenance and and the selection of filler materials and shielding
Trouble-shooting gases are presented within section 4 of this docu-
(1 O) Complete GMAW Package-Trouble- ment; section 5 provides a basic guide forjoint de-
shooting sign. The filler metal specifications referenced
Operating manual covering each piece of equip- specify minimum mechanical properties based
ment involved in the GMAW process (available upon undiluted weld metal andchemistry basedon
from the equipment manufacturer) could provide electrode composition.

AWS C 5 - b 8 7 m 0 7 8 4 2 6 5 0002673 B W
52
Depending on the welding process used, the final fer and the shielding gas. With respect to qualifi-
properties of the weld metal will be influenced by cation, these two variables are responsible for
dilution and some loss in elements in transferring resultant weld physical characteristics such as:
across the arc, plusa potential change in chemistry (1) Shape and appearanceof weld reinforcement
due tometallurgical reactions withinthe weld Pud- (2) Fusion characteristics (andweld bead profile)
dle (deoxidation and oxidation), and shielding gas - Example of Workmanship Samples
reactions. The extent of the interactions which oc- (3) Penetration
cur across the arc and within theweld puddle isde- (4) Spatter level
pendent upon the mode of arc transfer, the base These characteristics are very important consid-
metal chemistry,joint design, energy input, and the erations in the process choice and for subsequent
shielding gas. successful qualification.
These interactions provide a basic approach to
the selectionof filler metalbest suited for an appli- 9.5 Types of Tests. Qualification of a welding pro-
cation. However, practicality dictates that engi-
the cess or welder or welding operator for a specific area
neer must rely on welding test data and past of application may be judgedby a producedphysi-
experience to qualify a welding procedure for a cal example. Basic specimens which might beCho-
given application. sen as part of the qualification requirements are
listed in the following paragraphs as typical exam-
9.3 Procedure Qualification. Procedure qualifica- ples. These basic tests are illustrated in Figures 50
tion assures the proper matchingof the weld metal through 63. Test procedures and methods of deter-
to thebase metal propertiesin conjunction with ad- mining the mechanical properties are detailed in
equate heat-affected zone properties. It also estab- the latest edition of ANSIIAWS B4.0, Standard
lishes the versatility or conformanceof the welding Methods for Mechanical Testing of Welds. Addi-
process (i.e., adaptability of the process to perfor- tional informationon qualification may be found in
mance under fabrication conditions such as envi- the latest editionof ANSIIAWS B2.1, Welding Pro-
ronment and positioning). Welder and welding cedure and Peformance Qualijìcation.
operator qualifications confirm the skill of the Note that welds encounterd in actual construc-
welder or welding operator and their ability to fol- tion must be classified as being flat, horizontal,
low the directionsof the writtenwelding procedure. vertical, or overhead, in accordance with the defini-
In general, procedure qualification is based on tions given in Figures 64 and 65. Also note that all
the following basic criteria in matching the weld mechanical specimens are generally applicable to
metal to thebase metal properties: process qualifications, butonly those tests applying
(1) Chemistry to soundness or workmanship are used to judge
(2) Strength (ultimate tensile or yield strength or welder or welding operator qualification. Welding
both) symbols in these figures are in accordance with
(a) Groove weld - will require a close match- ANSIIAWS A2.4-86,Symbols for Welding, Brazing,
ing of these properties order
in toachieve and Nondestructive Examination.
100 percentjoint efficiency
(b) Fillet Weld - a close matching of these 9.5.1 The following are tests for fillet welds:
properties may not be necessary, as it (1) Workmanship Samples (for quality or man-
may be possible to deposit a larger cross ner of work) designed to provide an example
section (a largerfillet than required by de- of the actual production application,
sign) to compensate for lower strength. (2) Fillet Weld Break Test (for porosity and lack
(3) Ductility of fusion)
(4) Toughness (3) Longitudinal or Tranverse Shear Test (for
Qualification of the proceduremay require addi- shear strength)
tional consideration to cover areas such as sub- (4) Fillet Weld Soundness Test-Free Bend Speci-
sequent heat treatment operations, corrosion men (for ductility)
resistance, wear resistance, color match, etc. ( 5 ) Fillet Weld Soundness Test-Guided Root
Bend Specimen (for soundness).
9.4 Variables. The two most important variables
responsible for unique physical variations in the 9.5.2 The following are tests for groove welds:
weld deposit inGMAW are the mode of metal trans- (1) Workmanship Samples (for quality or man-

53
MACRO SPECIMEN
Figure 50.- Example of Workmanship Samples

AWS C5.b 87 m 07842b5 0002633 I m
54
0.50 0.62
in.
THK, ASTMA283lA285
SI EQUIVALENTS 5.0 (A) in. x 8.0 in.
in. mm (B) 2.5 in. x 8.0 in.
(C) 2.5 in. x 8.0 in.
0.25 6.4 (D) 5.0 in. x 8.0 in.
9.5 0.38 (E) 3.5 in. x 0.625 in.
0.44 11
0.50 12.7 BEVEL 45O ON ONE SIDE
0.62 16
0.625 16
2.5 64
3.5 90
5. O 127
200 8.0
Figure 51 - Example of Workmanship Sample

55
r-5
@) 0.50
OQQ ETC - SEQUENCEOF ASSEMBLY

MATERIALS SI EQUIVALENTS
@ 2.0 STANDARD BLACK PIPE 4.0 LONG in. mm
0.06 1.5
@ 2.0 STANDARD BLACK PIPE 6.0 LONG
0.12 3.2
@ 1.5 STANDARD BLACK PIPE 4.0 LONG 0.16 4
0.25 6.4
@ 0.38 x 5.0 x 6.0 LONG A283fA285 0.38 9.5
@ 0.38 x 5.0 x 6.0LONG (45OBEVEL) A242 0.50 12.7
0.75 19
@ 0.75 x 6.0 x 6.0 LONG A516 1.o 25
@ 0.25 x 1.O x 6.0 LONG A36 1.5 38
2.0 51
NOTE: ALL DIMENSIONS ARE IN INCHES 4.0 102
5.0 127
6.0 153
Figure 52 - Workmanship Specimens

AWS C5.b 8 7 m 0784265 0002695 5 m
56
1 in. (25 mm) APPROX.

7 1
CUTHERE FOR
MACROSECTION
FRACTURING
FRACTURING
X I M U M DEPTH
NOTCH = 112
3 in.
(A)
REINFORCING WELDS (B)NOTCHING
Figure 54 - Methods for Facilitating

Fillet Weld Fracture
WIDTH OF FLANGE
L FLANGE TO BË STRAIGHT AND IN INTIMATE CONTACT
WITH SQUARE MACHINE EDGE OF WEB MEMBER
ALONG ENTIRE LENGTH TO INSURE MAXIMUM
RESTRAINT
-
Figure 53 Preparation of Filler Weld
Break Test Specimen
SI EQUIVALENTS
. .
in. . mm
P2 in. 1I8 3.2
114 6.4
318 9.5
1I2 12.7
314 19
1 25
1-114 32
k4-112 In.4 FILLET WELDS, SIZF F 2 51
2-114 i n . l " 1 2 - 1 / 4 in. L 1 / 2-114 57
3 76
3-112 89
4-1/2 114
~~
203
.~ DIMENSIONS ..
i?. in. . . in.

.. in.
SIZE WELD
OF F 1/8 114 318 1I2
THICKNESS t 318 1r2 3r4 1
THICKNESS
314T 318 1 1-114
WIDTH W 3 3 3
NOTE: ALL DIMENSIONS ARE IN INCHES
Figure 5 5 - Longitudinal Fillet Weld

Shearing SpecimenAfter Welding

57
MACHINE CUT
I ALONG LINES
THESE 7 REJECT1
SI EQUIVALENTS
in. mm
1I 8 3.2
1I 2 12.7
1 25
2 51
2-114 57
T = SPECIFIEDSIZE 4-112 114
OF FILLET WELD 9 229
PLUS AT LEAST 4 STANDARD 45O
1/8 in. FILLET WELDS L NOTE ALL DIMENSIONS ARE IN INCHES
DIMENSIONS SHOULD BE ALTERED TO ALLOW FOR
PENETRATION CAPABILITIES OF THE PROCESS FOR
BOTHTHE LONGITUDINAL AND THE TRANSVERSE
T = SPECIFIED 2 in. FILLET WELD SHEAR SPECIMEN (SEE SECTION 5).
SIZE OF FILLET 4-112 in.
WELD PLUS AT
LEAST 1 /8 in.
Figure 56 - Transverse Fillet Weld Shearing Specimen
THESE EDGES MAY BE

FLAME CUT AND MAY OR RADIUS 1/16 MAX
MAY NOT BE MACHINED.\ \
I- 11 APPROX. I
1-1/2 in. (38 mm) 1-1/2 in. (38 mm)
\ ? I + 1
THE WELD REINFORCEMENTAND
"IMUM'IZE THE
BACKING SHALL BE REMOVED
SINGLE PASS FLUSH WITH THE BASE METAL.
F'LLET WELD 3/8 in- FLAME CUTTING MAY BE USED
Figure 57 - Longitudinal Fillet Weld FOR THE REMOVAL OF THE MAJOR
Specimen After Machining PART OF THE BACKING STRIP,
PROVIDED AT LEAST 1/8 in. OF ITS
THICKNESS IS LEFT TO BE
REMOVED BY MACHINING OR
GRINDING.
Figure 58 - Fillet Weld-Soundness Test

Specimens

AWS C 5 - b 8 7 m 07842b50002b77 7 W '
58
WELD REINFORCEMENT SHALL

THESE EDGES MAY BE MACHINED FLUSH WITH BASE M E T A L 7
BE FLAME CUT-
SI EQUIVALENTS
in. mm
0.01 0.2
1/16 1.6
1/a 3.2
1I4 6.4
318 9.5
314 19
1 25
L 114 1-112 38
2 51
10 254
W = 1 1/2-0.01 in. IF
11 279
f DOES NOT EXCEED 1 in.
W = 1 0.01 in. IF t
EXCEEDS 1 in.
NOTE: ALL DIMENSIONS ARE IN INCHES.
Figure 59 - Reduced-Section Tension Specimen(Plate)
MACHINE THE MINIMUM AMOUNT

NEEDED TO OBTAIN PLANE PARALLEL
FACES OVER THE 3/4 in. WIDE
REDUCED SECTION
2 R.
/1 THESE EDGES MAY BE
FLAME CUT
bTHIS SECTION MACHINED, 1 FACE OF WELD

PREFERABLY BY MILLING
Figure 60 - Reduced-Section Tension Specimen(Pipe)

59
THESE EDGES MAY BE FLAME CUT AND MAY

K- OR MAY NOT BE MACHINED
c318
t
NOTE: WELD REINFORCEMENTAND BACKING STRIP, IF ANY

SHALL BE REMOVED FLUSH WITH THE SURFACE OF
THE SPECIMEN. IF A RECESSED STRIP IS USED THIS
SURFACE OF THE SPECIMEN MAY BE MACHINED TO
A DEPTH NOT EXCEEDING THE DEPTH OF THE
RECESS TO REMOVE THE STRIP, EXCEPT THAT IN
SUCH CASES THE THICKNESS OF THE FINISHED
SPECIMEN SHALL BE THAT SPECIFIED ABOVE.
Figure 61 - Face- and Root-Bend Specimen (Plate)
NOTE: WELD REINFORCEMENT AND BACKING STRIP, IF ANY

SHALL BE REMOVED FLUSH WITH THE SURFACE OF
THE SPECIMEN. IF A RECESSED RING IS USED, THIS
SURFACE OF THE SPECIMEN MAY BE MACHINED TO
A DEPTH NOT EXCEEDING THE DEPTH OF THE
RECESS TO REMOVE THE RING, EXCEPT THAT IN
SUCH CASES THE FINISHED SPECIMEN SHALL BE
THAT SPECIFIED ABOVE.
SI EQUIVALENTS THESE EDGES MAY BE FLAME CUT ANDr R. = 1116MAX

In. mm ' K M A Y o R MAY NOT BE MACHINED
1/16 1.6
118 3.2
318 9.5
1-112 38
2-314
6
69
152 vI
Figure 62 - Face- and Root-Bend Specimen (Pipe)

60
r1/8 MIN
ofFederal Regulations, Title 29 CFR191O (General
Industry) available from the Superintendent of
Documents, U. S . Printing Office, Washington,
I D. C. 20402.
IF FLAME CUT, NOT LESS THAN
17- SHALL.BE MACHINED
T
MLI1N/ 8
R: 1/16 MAX
Other standards may also apply suchas 29 CFR
FROM EDGES
1915 for use in shipyard fabrication.
10.1.2 This document addresses potential hazards

associated with the gas metal arc welding processes.
CUT ALONG THIS LINE WHEN T EXCEEDS 1 -1/2 in., No attempt has been made to include all hazards re-
EDGE MAY BE FLAME CUT AND MAY OR MAY sulting from misapplication of the process.
NOT BE MACHINED.
10.1.3 The following potential hazards are con-
t, in. W, in. t,mm W,mm sidered to beof sufficient magnitudeto be included
314 . 1-112
. to . t 19 to 38 t
1-112 >1-112 38 38 within the scope of this document.
(1) Fumes and gases
NOTE: ALL DIMENSIONS ARE IN INCHES. (2) Radiation (non-ionizing)
(3) Electric shock
Figure 63 - Side-Bend Specimen (4)Noise
( 5 ) Other factors
ner ofwork) designed to provide an example of the
actual production application, 10.2 Discussion of Potential Hazards
(2) Reduced Section Tension Test (for tensile
strength) 10.2.1 Metal Fumes areextremely small (sub-mi-
(3) Free Bend Test (for ductility) cron) particles produced by the vaporization and
(4) Root Bend Test (for soundness) subsequent recondensation of metals. Health
( 5 ) Face Bend Test (for soundness) hazards associated with these dependon the toxic-
(6) Side Bend Test (for soundness) ity of the specific metal(s) and their concentration
and form in the fume.
9.5.3 Test forAll Welds. Prototype structuresbuilt
to welding procedures based upon previous produc- 10.2.1.1 The compositionof weIding fumes is
tion experience are advantageous in some applica- dependent on the electrode being used,alloy thebe-
tions. These structures are then field tested under ing welded, welding process utilized, and the coat-
actual service conditions or under accelerated labora- ings on the base metal. The relationship of the
tory testing to provide correlation
a between the weld- welder's head with respect to the fume,and the ef-
ing procedure and theactual service requirements. fectiveness of control measures, such as ventilation
and personal protective equipment,are critical fac-
10. Recommended Safe Practices tors in influencing the welders exposure.
10.1 Scope. These recommended safe practices are 10.2.1.2 Gas metal arc welding is usedto weld all
for use with the gas metal arc welding processes of the steels and many alloymetals with bases of chro-
only. They are designed to protect personnel from mium, nickel, aluminum, and copper. The fumes as-
injury and illness and to guard against property sociated with the gas metal-arc welding generallyare
damage. muchlessdense than those produced by either
shielded metal arc welding or flux cored arc welding
10.1.1 For detailed safety information, refer to because shielding does not depend on thedecomposi-
the manufacturer's instructions and the latest edition of a flux coating. Nonetheless, excessive fume
tion of ANSIIASC 249. l , Safety in Welding and concentration can be encountered if adequate ventila-
Cutting (published by American Welding Society). tion is not provided. The ventilation and protection
For mandatory Federal safety regulations estab- requirements listed in ANSIIASC 249.1 should be fol-
lished by the U. S . Labor Department's Occupa- lowed. These fumes will contain ironoxide when steel
tional Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), is being welded and significant levels ofthe othermet-
of OSHA standards Code
refer to the latest edition als when alloys are welded.

TABULATION OF POSITIONS OF FILLET WELDS
POSlTlON DIAGRAM INCLINATION ROTATION
REFERENCE
OF AXIS OF FACE
FLAT A O" to 15"
150" to 210"
125" to 150"
HORIZONTAL
B
O" to 15" 210" to 235"
' to 125"
0
OVERHEAD C O" to 80" 235" to 360"
D 15" to-80" 125" to 235"
VERTICAL E 80" to 90" O" to 360"
NOTES:
1. THE HORIZONTAL REFERENCE PLANE IS ALWAYS TAKEN TOLIE BELOW THE WELD UNDER
CONSIDERATION.
2. THE INCLINATION OF AXIS IS MEASURED FROMTHE HORIZONTAL REFERENCE PLANE TOWARD THE
VERTICAL REFERENCE PLANE.
3. THE ANGLEOF ROTATION OF THE FACEIS DETERMINED BY A LINE PERPENDICULAR TO THE THEORET-
ICAL FACE OF THE WELD WHICH PASSES THROUGHTHE AXIS OF THE WELD. THE REFERENCE POSI-
TION (Oo) OF ROTATION OF THE FACE INVARIABLY POINTS IN THE DIRECTION OPPOSITE TO THAT IN
WHICH THE AXIS ANGLEINCREASES. WHEN LOOKING ATPOINT P, THE ANGLEOF ROTATION OF THE
FACE OF THEWELD IS MEASURED IN A CLOCKWISE DIRECTIONFROM THE REFERENCE POSITION(Oo).
Figure 64 - Position of Fillet Welds

AWS C 5 - 6 87 0 7 8 q 2 6 5 000270L 7
62
TABÚLATION OF POSITIONS OF GROOVE WELDS

POS~T~ONDIAGRAM INCLINATION ROTATION
REFERENCE
OF AXIS OF
FACE
A
FLAT
. - .. O" to 15"
150" to 210"
HORIZONTAL B
80" to 150"
O" to 15" 210" to280"
OVERHEAD
C
O" to 80"
O" to 80" 280" to 360"
D 15" to 80" 80" to 280"
VERTICAL E
80" to 90" o" to 360"
FOR GROOVE WELDS IN PIPE THE FOLLOWING DEFINITIONS SHALL APPLY

HORIZONTAL FIXED POSITION: WHEN THE AXIS OF THE PIPE DOES NOT DEVIATE BY MORE THAN 30° FROM THE
HORIZONTAL PLANE AND THE PIPE IS NOT ROTATED DURING WELDING.
HORIZONTAL ROLLED POSITION: WHEN THE AXIS OF THE PIPE DOES NOT DEVIATE BY MORE THAN 30° FROM THE
HORIZONTAL PLANE,THEPIPE IS ROTATED DURING WELDING, AND THE WELD METAL IS DEPOSITED WITHIN AN ARC NOT
TOEXCEED 1 5 O ON EITHER SIDE OF A VERTICAL PLANE PASSING THROUGHTHE AXIS OFTHEPIPE.
VERTICAL POSITION: WHEN THE AXIS OF THE PIPE DOES NOT DEVIATE BY MORE THAN 10' FROM THE VERTICAL POSITION.
(THE PIPE MAY OR MAY NOT BE ROTATED DURING WELDING.).
*POSITIONS IN WHICH THE AXIS OF THE PIPE DEVIATES BYMORE THAN looAND LESS THAN 60° FROM THE VERTICAL SHALL
BE CONSIDERED INTERMEDIATE.
Figure 65 - Position of Groove Welds

63
Most low carbon electrodes are copper coated. ventilation mayalso be necessary. If welding is per-
The amount of copper fume generated is directly formed in confined spaces, the ventilation andper-
proportional to the overall copper content of the sonal protection requirementsset forth in the latest
electrode and basemetal. edition of ANSIIASC 249.1 will provide adequate
protection, if followed.
10.2.1.3 The physiological effects of the fumes
produced will vary with the metal involved. Expo- 10.3.2 Oxides of Nitrogen
sure must be evaluated on individual fume expo-
sure basis. 10.3.2.1 Oxides of nitrogen may be injurious
to the lungs, upper respiratory system, and eyes.
10.3. Gases
10.3.2.2 Nitrogen dioxide is the endresult of a
10.3.1 Ozone reaction between atmosphericnitrogen and oxygen
and the electric arc. The intermediate, nitricoxide
10,3.1.1 Ozone is a gas with a very pungent converts to nitrogen dioxide at a rate slow enough
distinctive odor. It may be injurious to the lungs, for both substances to be present, While bothsub-
upper respiratory system, and eyes. stances have similar modes of action, nitrogen diox-
ide is the more toxic of the two and has a corre-
10.3.1.2 The ultraviolet light emitted by the spondingly lower exposure limit.
GMAW arc acts on the oxygen in the surrounding
atmosphere to produce ozone, the amountof which 10.3.2.3 Certain welding operations may gen-
will depend upon the intensity and the wave length erate significant amounts of oxides of nitrogen.
of the ultraviolet energy, the humidity, the amount These processes should be evaluated. If problems
of screening afforded by any welding fumes, and are detected, the provisions set forth in the latest
other factors. The ozone concentration wilI gener- edition of ANSIIASC 249.1 for ventilation will pro-
ally be increased with an increase in welding cur- vide adequate protection.
rent, with the use of argon asthe shielding gas, and
when welding highly reflective metals. If the ozone 10.3.3 Carbon Monoxide
cannot be reduced to a safe level by ventilation or
process variations, it will be necessary to supply 10.3.3.1 Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless,
fresh air to the welder either with an air supplied tasteless, and odorless gas. It combines with hemo-
respirator or by other means. globin in red blood cells to form carboxyhemo-
globin which interferes with the oxygen carrying
10.3.1.3 Ozone exposures during typical weld- capacity of the blood. Thus, chemical asphyxiation
ing operations are generally below accepted guide- may result.
lines.Certainconditions,suchasweldingin
confined spaces or on highly reflective surfaces us- 10.3.3.2 Significant carbon monoxide concen-
ing argon-rich gases, may result in exposures ex- trations may be generated from C02 gas metal arc
ceeding published limits. welding. Concentrations of CO are higher in the
welding plume. Where concentrations are exces-
10.3.1.4 The lack of a pilot source for ozone sive, provide adequate ventilation in accordance
generation makes it important to measure expo- with ANSIIASC 249. l .
sures in both the welder’s and helper’s breathing
zones. Exposure standards are presented as eight- 10.3.4 Chlorinated Hydrocarbon
hour averages, making it difficult to evaluateexpo-
sures using grab sample techniques. 10.3.4.1 Decomposition products of chlori-
nated hydrocarbon can include toxic gases such as
10.3.1.5 Since ozone is produced by ultravio: phosgene, hydrogen chloride, and chlorine. These
let radiation, generation of ozone away from the arc products may be injurious to lungs,
the upper respi-
is possible. This can be aggravated by surfaces ratory system, eyes, and skin.
reflective to ultraviolet radiation. For this reason,
local exhaust ventilation at the arc may not suffi- 10.3.4.2 Experimental evidence has shown
ciently control exposures to ozone, use of dilution that chlorinated hydrocarbon vapors in the viiinity

AWS C5.b 47 m 0 7 4 4 2 b 5 0002703 O m
64
of an arc(even though not in direct contact withthe icant effects on the amountof radiant energy emit-
arc) decompose rapidly. The decomposition is ted from the arc.
caused by ultraviolet radiation from the arc rather Since visiblelight is also increased
with gas metal
than by the high temperature of the arc. Although arc welding, it is recommended that welders use the
the concentration of chlorinated hydrocarbon va- darkest shade of filter shade thatpermits adequate
pors may be toolow to be detectable by the sense of visibility of the welding operation.
smell, welding in areas containing chlorinated hy- Adequate eye protection is provided by the filter
drocarbon vapors can produce excessive concentra- shade recommended in ANSI/ASC249.1.
tions of noxious gases including phosgene. Far Leather, wool and aluminum-coated cloth are re-
greater decomposition is produced by argon thanby ported to withstand the action of radiation energy
helium because of the greater radiation intensity reasonably well. However, aluminum coated cloth
when using argon. may present reflection and conductivity hazards.
10.3.4.3 Typical sources of.chlorinated hydro- 10.5 Electric Shock

carbons are cleaninglwiping operations, degreasers,
and paint stripping.Degreasers and othersources of 10.5.1 Open Circuit Voltage. Electric shock can
these vapors should be located so that no vaporwill result from open-circuitvoltage. Open-circuit volt-
be exposed to radiation form the arc. ages can be additive andincrease the severity of the
shock hazard when multiple machines areused.
10.3.5 Oxygen Deficiency
10.5.2 Ground of Equipment and Workpiece. All
10.3.5.1 Shielding gases can displaceoxygen in electrical equipment and the workpiece must be
enclosed and confined spaces. This can result in connected to an approved electrical ground to pre-
simple asphyxiation without warning. yent electrical shock.
10.3.5.2 Argon, helium, carbon dioxide and ni- 10.5.3 Moisture. The area, equipment, and
trogen are commonlyused shielding gases inelectric clothing must be kept as dry as practical to prevent
welding process. These inert, colorless, odorless and electrical shock.
tasteless gases cannot be detected by the human
senses at concentrationsnormally present in welding 10.5.4 Cable Size and Connections, Underrated
operations. An atmosphere with less than eighteen cable or poor electrical connections, or both, may
percent oxygen can cause dizziness; breathing less ox- cause failure, and thus, represent both a shock and
ygen may result in unconsciousness, or even death. fire hazard. Welding cables must be of a size ade-
quate for current and duty cycles to be reasonably
10.3.5.3 Tanks and confined spaces should be expected.
checked for oxygen content prior to entry. The ven-
tilation requirements set forth in the latest edition 10.6 Noise. Exposure to excessive noise levels for
of ANSI/ASC 249.1 should be followed. extended periods of time may result in hearing
impairment. Associated activities may produceex-
10.4 Radiation (Non-ionizing) cessive noise levels. Exposed workers should wear
properly fitted ear protection,
10.4.1 Radiant energy, particularly in the ultra-
violet short range, is much more intense duringgas 10.7 Other Factors
metal arc welding than during shielded metal arc
welding. It may injure bare skin and the unpro- 10.7.1 Cylinder Rupture
tected eyes. Greater intensities of ultraviolet radia-
tion cause rapid disintegration of cotton clothing. 10.7.1.1 Never strike an arc on a cylinder, and
insure that cylinders areelectrically insulated from
10.4.2 The total radiantenergy produced by the the work circuit. The defect produced by an arc-
gas metal arc is approximatelytwice as great as that burn ona compressed gas cylinder weakensthe cyl-
produced by the shielded metal arcat equal current inder. If ruptured, high pressure cylinders can be
values. The shielding gas employed can havesignif- turned into potentially lethal projectiles.

10.7.1.2 Gas cylinders shall be secured to pre- the first week of exposure. Caution must be em-
vent them fromfalling. Do not move cylinders with ployed when unacclimated or physically unfit work-
regulators attached. ers are exposed to heat stress operations.
10.7.2 Fire Hazard 10.7.3.2 Physiological responses to hot envi-

ronments include heat rash, heat cramps, heat ex-
10.7.2.1 Hot slag, sparks, and arc radiation act haustion, and heat stroke.
as a sourceof ignition, and burns.
10.7.4 Wire Feed Mechanisms
10.7.2.2 Workers shall be familar with fire-
prevention and fire and burn protection measures. 10.7.4.1 When working close to drive rolls, be
cautious of moving parts.
10.7.3 Heat Stress
10.7.4.2 Guard against accidental activating
10.7.3.1 Acclimatization to heat involves both of wire feed mechanism because of personal
physiological and psychological adjustments during injury.


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COPYRIGHT American Welding Society, Inc.

Licensed by Information Handling Services

Under the Direction of

American Welding Society

COPYRIGHT American Welding Society, Inc.

Statement on Useof AWS Standards

International Standard Book Number: 0-87171-301-2

@ 1989 by American Welding Society. All rights reserved

COPYRIGHT American Welding Society, Inc.

Subcommittee onGas Metal Arc Welding

COPYRIGHT American Welding Society, Inc.

COPYRIGHT American Welding Society, Inc.

4. Process Requirements and Application ............................................... 17

5 . General Joint Design ............................................................ 25

7. Inspection andWeldQuality ...................................................... 43

COPYRIGHT American Welding Society, Inc.

COPYRIGHT American Welding Society, Inc.

3 - Selection of Gases for GMAW with SprayTransfer. ..............................................21

1/4 in. (6.4 mm) Diameter Nugget.. ................................................. ........40

COPYRIGHT American Welding Society, Inc.

COPYRIGHT American Welding Society, Inc.

COPYRIGHT American Welding Society, Inc.

COPYRIGHT American Welding Society, Inc.

2. Fundamentals . cally providing a drooping volt-ampere curve) plus

2.1.2 The-following are some limitations of

k (1) The related welding equipment is morecom-

ated basically with reIatively high arc energy. With

sidered in a simple description of the mechanismof

a rent, the dropsize increaseslarger than the diame-

COPYRIGHT American Welding Society, Inc.

ALUMINUM WIRE 0.020 in. 0.025 in,

1O0 200 300 400 O 1O0 200 300 400

(A) ALUMINUM ELECTRODEDCEP (B) STEELELECTRODEDCEP

Figure 3 - Melting Rates of Gas Metal Arc Electrodes

COPYRIGHT American Welding Society, Inc.

IMËTAL STEEL ELECTRODE, DCRP

Figure 4 - Variation in Volume and Transfer Rate

COPYRIGHT American Welding Society, Inc.

Figure 6 - Oscillograms and Sketches of Short CircuitingArc

3. Equipment 3.2.1 Welding Gun and Accessories. The welding

COPYRIGHT American Welding Society, Inc.

Figure 8 - Schematic of Typical Electrogas Equipment

COPYRIGHT American Welding Society, Inc.

@ WORKPlECE LEAD @ SHIELDtNG GAS. FROM CYLINDER

@) SHIELDING. GAS.TO GUN @ COOLING. WATER- OUT

m. WATER FROM-GUN @ POWER CABLE

Figure 9 - Semiautomatic Gas Metal Arc Welding Installation

COPYRIGHT American Welding Society, Inc.

SHIELDING GAS SUPPLY

SHIELDING GAS INPUT TO WELDING CONTROL

COOLING WATER INPUT TO WELDING CONTROL

@ SHIELDING GAS INPUT @ 115 V AC INPUT TO WELDING CONTROL

@ COOLINGWATERINPUT @ 1 1 5 V AC INPUT TO CARRIAGE CONTROL

@ ELECTRODEFEED UNIT-INPUT @ INPUTTOCARRIAGEDRIVE MOTOR

Figure 10 - Machine Gas Metal Arc Welding Installation

COPYRIGHT American Welding Society, Inc.

(4) Gas hose welding or for some easily-oxidized metals such as

COPYRIGHT American Welding Society, Inc.

COPYRIGHT American Welding Society, Inc.

COPYRIGHT American Welding Society, Inc.

CONSTANT CURRENT POWER SOURCE

CONSTANT VOLTAGE POWER SOURCE

Figure 11; - Static Volt-Ampere €haracferistics