Rilland Carl DG.

Agcaoili BS Mechanical Engineering

2019-03388 ME 32 HRU
Lab Activity 5

1. What is the role of oxygen and acetylene in oxyfuel welding? What is the importance of
the ratio between the two in welding operations?
- In oxyfuel welding, the flame that is used as the source of heat is produced by the
combustion of acetylene and oxygen. For combustion to happen, you need acetylene
which acts as the fuel gas and you also need oxygen.
- The ratio between the oxygen and acetylene is very important because it determines the
type of flame that is going to be produced. If it is a 1:1 or 1.15:1 ratio, neutral flame is
produced which is used for most welding process. If it is a 1.5:1 ratio, oxidizing flame
is produced which is used for welding copper and copper alloys. If there are excess
fuel, carburizing flame is produced which is used for welding Monel (nickel-copper
alloy), high carbon steels and some alloy steels.

2. Give three alternative fuels that can be used for oxyfuel welding, give their difference
compared to acetylene and their possible applications.
• Propylene (𝐶3 𝐻6 )
- It is a multi-purpose industrial fuel gas offering outstanding performance, safety
and economy. It is a single-component liquefied fuel gas produced as a co-product
at petrochemical plants and oil refineries. Its flame characteristics are superior to
many other liquefied fuels. It can be used for flame cutting, heating, flame
hardening, brazing, soldering, metalizing, and other operations using oxygen-fuel
and air-fuel flames.

• Propane (𝐶3 𝐻8 )
- It is a single-component liquefied fuel gas used for oxy-fuel gas cutting, heating,
brazing, and soldering. The main source of this gas is the crude-oil and gas mixtures
obtained from active oil and natural gas wells.
 • Natural Gas or Methane (𝐶𝐻4 )
- It is used in the welding industry as a fuel gas for oxygen cutting and heating
operations. Natural gas is obtained from wells and usually distributed by pipelines.
It is mainly methane but its chemical composition varies widely, depending upon
the locality from which it is obtained. The flame temperature with natural gas is
lower than with acetylene. It is more diffused and less intense.

3. Give three welding defects, their causes, and ways to remedy them.
• Weld Crack
- It is the most serious type of welding defect and it is not accepted almost by all
standards in the industry. It can appear on the surface, in the weld metal or the area
affected by the intense heat.
- It is caused by the use of hydrogen when welding ferrous metals, residual stress
cause by the solidification shrinkage, base metal contamination, high welding speed
but low current and/or no preheat before starting welding.
- Its remedies include preheating the metal as required, providing proper cooling of
the weld area, using proper joint design, removing impurities and/or using
appropriate metal.

• Porosity
- It occurs as a result of weld metal contamination. The trapped gases create a bubble-
filled weld that becomes weak and can with time collapse.
- It is caused by inadequate electrode deoxidant, using a longer arc, the presence of
moisture, improper gas shield and/or incorrect surface treatment.
- Its remedies include cleaning the materials before you begin welding, using dry
electrodes and materials, using correct arc distance, using the right electrodes
and/or using a proper weld technique.

• Undercut
- It is the groove formation at the weld toe, reducing the cross-sectional thickness of
the base metal. The result is the weakened weld and workpiece.
- It is caused by too high weld current, too fast weld speed, incorrect filler metal, the
electrode is too large and/or incorrect usage of gas shielding.
- Its remedies include using proper electrode angle, reducing the arc length, reducing
the electrode’s travel speed, but it also should not be too slow, choosing a correct
welding technique that does not involve excessive weaving and/or using the
multipass technique.