INFORMATION SHEET

Course Name : BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN OIL AND GAS PRODUCTION

Course Unit : FABRICATION AND WELDING TECHNOLOGY

Course Level : YEAR 11 SEMESTER 11 Course Code: SOG 2202

GAS METAL ARC WELDING (GMAW)

GMAW is generally divided into:

1) CO2 welding (Carbondioxide Gas welding)

This process generally uses Carbondioxide gas as shielding gas

2) MAG welding(Metal Active Gas welding)

This process uses a mixture of argon and Carbondioxide as shielding gas

3) MIG welding (Metal Inert Gas welding)

This process uses shielding gas that is inert and does not contain
Carbondioxide
Principles of Operation

In gas metal arc welding, a metal wire is automatically fed to a welding

torch with drive motor. An arc is then created between the parent material
and the wire, and argon, helium, carbondioxide, or other type of mixed
gas is supplied around the point of arc occurrence to protect the arc and
molten metal.

Safety Precautions When Performing GMAW

HAZARDS PRECAUTIONS
Live  Dried insulated gloves have to be used while broken and
conductors used gloves should not be used.
 Electrical parts should not be touched.
 Do not use cables without enough current capacity or the
ones which are not intact on the surface or inside
conductors shown already.
 The cable joints must be tightly clamped and insulated.
 All powers have to be cut off completely when equipment is
not in use.
Hazardous  Ensure you have enough ventilation and air breathing
fumes and apparatus.
gases  Do not weld in locations near chlorinated hydrocarbons
vapors coming from degreasing, cleaning and spraying
operations. The heat and rays of the arc can react with
solvent vapors to form phosgene (a highly toxic gas) and
other irritating products.

Flammable  Remove flammable substances from the welding area.

substances  Welding sealed containers and pipe lines might cause
explosion and injury.
 Do not weld pipe lines with air inside.
 Avoid loose contacts of electrical cable
 Fire extinguishers have to be availed at welding locations.
Rotary parts  Do not put your hand, fingers, hair, sleeves and garments
such as gears close to gears, feeding rollers in rotation.
and feeding  Put on fitting gloves when guiding the wires and changing
rollers the wire spool.

SMAW components

1) Welding power source and control unit

o In Gas Metal Arc Welding, DC reverse polarity is most commonly used. This
means the welding wire has positive polarity and the parent material has
negative polarity.

2) Wire feeder

o In general, a drive roller is consisted of a lower roller with grooves and an

upper smooth wheel roller.
o The drive roller is categorized into a V-groove type for hard wire use and a
U-groove type for soft wire use.
o The roller specification must match the diameter of wires to be used.
3) Welding torch

o In general, air cooling torch is used for currents lower than 300A.
o The contact tube used for this should have a size that matches the
diameter of the wire to be used. If a tube bigger than the diameter of wire
is used, it will turn on an electric current and result in unstable arc.

4) Shielding gas, cable-hose assembly and accessories parts such as gas

regulator, remote control box, etc.
 o Shielding gas used for Gas Metal Arc Welding is selected basing on
the type of parent material and welding wire.
o Commonly used shielding gases include Carbondioxide, Argon, Helium
and oxygen

5) Carbon Steel GMAW Wire

o Standard wire diameter: 0.9, 1.0, 1.2, 1.6, 2.0, 2.4 mm

o Mild steel wire for Gas Metal Arc Welding is a solid wire which
contains deoxidizing elements.
These include: magnesium, silicon, and titanium.
o Wire surface has a thin copper coating to prevent the surface from
rusting.
o The weight of the wire is either10, 15 or 20 kilograms.

Weld Metal Transfer

GMAW process is unique in that there are several modes of transferring the filler
metal from the wire to the weld.
Mode of metal transfer is a mechanism by which molten filler metal is transferred
across the arc to the base metal.

a) Short circuiting transfer

b) Globular transfer
c) Spray transfer (Axial spray transfer)
d) Pulse arc transfer

Selection of the mode of metal transfer used depends on: Welding power
source, the wire electrode size, type and thickness of the material, type of the
shielding gas used.
 a) Spray Transfer

Hundreds of droplets of the metal are transferred from the end of the electrode
in the form of a fine spray. It is used for welding thicker plates in the flat,
horizontal/ vertical positions.
Spray transfer requires the use of higher welding current and arc voltages.
The true spray can be obtained when the shielding gas is argon or
argon/oxygen mixture.

b) Globular Transfer

This is generally used on thin materials and at very low currents range.
In globular heat transfer, the arc melts the end of the electrode, forming a
molten ball which becomes so large and It falls across the arc landing onto the
molten weld pool. This can be achieved when using Carbondioxide.

c) Pulsed Transfer

This process produces dual pulsed currents. One pulse of high current is for axial
spray transfer mode and the other pulse of current should not transfer any weld
metal. The pulsing of the current levels permits the use of high amperage
transfer mode and the low amperage so that the total heat input to the weld is
low.
The high current of the spray produces good penetration and fusion, and the
low current allows the weld pool to cool.
This method reduces spatter and gives greater control of heat input to the work
piece.
 d) In Short Circuit (Dip) Transfer

Generally used in low currents allowing the liquid metal at the electrode tip to
be transferred by direct contact with the molten weld pool. This process requires
a very short arc length so as to create a short circuit. This process produces a
weld pool that solidifies quickly hence allowing welding of thinner sheets, motor
vehicle body repair and sheet metal construction.

Advantages of using GMAW

 It can be used to weld all types of commercially available metals and

alloys
 Welding can be done in all positions with proper selection of equipment
and parameters
 Using a continuously-fed electrode minimizes the occurrence of defects
on starts and stops
 Deep weld penetration can be obtained
 Minimal post-weld clean-up is required due to the absence of a covering
slag on the weld bead
 Welding speeds and weld metal deposition rates are higher than those
obtained with Stick Welding
 Ideal for multi-pass welding (with proper filler metal selection)
 Less operator skill is required compared to Stick Welding
  Fume rates are at very low levels compared to Stick Welding and Flux
Cored Welding
 A wide selection of filler metal compositions and diameters are available
to weld thick or thin material
 This process is ideal for mechanized welding
 X-ray quality welds can be produced
Limitations of using GMAW

 Welding equipment is more complex, more costly and less portable than
that for Stick Welding
 The required welding torch makes reaching into constricted areas difficult,
and the need for good gas shielding necessitates the torch being
relatively close to the weld area
 Relatively high levels of radiated heat and light may cause operator
discomfort and initial resistance to the process
 Burn through is a common issue when welding extremely thin materials
(<1/16”)
 This process does not perform well where base metal contamination is a
problem. The base metal must be clean and rust free

Defects, Causes, and Solutions

Defects Causes Solutions

Too small a weld bead o Decrease the travel speed
(particularly fillet and to increase the cross
1 Weld metal cracks root beads) section
of the bead.
Rapid cooling of the o Use a back step
crater at the end of a welding
weld technique to end
the weld.
2 Inclusions High travel speeds o Reduce the travel speed.
o Increase the arc voltage.
 o Increase the shielding gas
flow to displace all air from
the weld area.
o Remove spatter from the
Inadequate shielding interior of the gas nozzle.
o Use a slower travel speed.
o Reduce the nozzle-to-work
distance.
o Hold the gun at the end of
the weld until the molten
crater solidifies.
3 Porosity
o Use only clean and dry
Electrode electrode wire.
contamination o Eliminate pickup of
lubricant on electrode in
the wire feeder or conduit.

Work piece o Remove all grease, oil, rust,

contamination paint and dirt from work
surfaces before welding.
Arc voltage too high o Reduce operating voltage
Excess nozzle-to-work o Reduce electrode
distance extension.
o Reduce the electrode feed
Excessive heat input rate and arc voltage.
Excessive melt- o Increase the travel speed.
4 through Improper joint o Reduce excessive root
preparation. opening.
o Increase root face height.

Weld zone surfaces not o Clean all groove faces and

free of film or scale weld zone surfaces of any
mill scale or impurities prior
to welding.
5 Incomplete fusion
o Reduce the travel speed.
Insufficient heat input o Reduce arc weaving to
produce a more
controllable weld pool.
o Increase electrode feed to
6 Lack of Inadequate heat input obtain higher welding
penetration current.
o Maintain proper nozzle-to-
work distance.