Professional Welding Personal Training Course

International Welding Inspector

(IWI)

1 M1.1.7 Submerged Arc Welding

(SAW)
Lectured by : Muhammad Syukri
 Training Objectives:
“To gain an general outline of SAW welding fundamental, including
equipment, application & common problems”.

Training Scope:
 Process principles & arc characteristics
 Effect of current type & polarity
 Power source characteristic applicable for SAW
 Equipment & accessories
 Process application range & typical problem
 Consumables.
 Handling & storage of consumables as well as classification
 Welding parameter, joint preparation.
 Welding procedure & technique (Single & Multi wire)
 Special technique (strip cladding, iron-powder addition, cold & hot
wire addition).
Learning outcomes:
 Outline SAW welding principle, arc striking method & their
2
application
 Outline the handling & storage of each type of consumables
 Give example the welding parameter selection
 Give example of SAW application, joint preparation & potential
problem overcome
Syukri, B4T IWI Training course  Outline potential hazards & method of safe working
 SUBMERGED ARC WELDING (SAW)
I. General

I.1. Principle
The principle of submerged arc welding (SAW) is shown in fig.
1.-1 for the case of welding with a single wire electrode. The
bare electrode wire is fed through a contact nozzle which is
surrounded by a funnel containing the flux. The arc burns
between the electrode and the base metal, melting both. It
melts also partially the flux which becomes a molten slag
covering the weld pool and the cavity where the arc is burning.
Thus the weld pool is protected against the influence of the air
(N2, 02 ).

The slag forms also the bead surface. The slag should remain
3 liquid until the solidification of the weld pool is completed. If
the slag has the higher solidification temperature the bead
gets a bad surface (like the peel of an orange).
The arc does not burn in the middle but in the front of the
weld pool.
4
 1.2. Comparison with manual metal arc welding

The SA welding process has several advantages and

differences compared to manual shielded metal arc welding
(SMAW) with stick electrodes:
- continuous wire feed
- short distance (about 20 mm) between electrical contact
and arc; therefore it is possible to use a current which is
about 4 times as high as with stick electrodes. Stick
electrodes have a long distance between the electrical
contact and the arc (e.g. 450 mm) and need 1 to 2 minutes
for melting. During this time the wire becomes more and
more red hot if too much current is used. With SA welding
the time in which the wire is heated between electrical
contact and arc is only about 1 or 2 s . Thus very high
5 current is applicable without overheating.
- due to the high current, deposition rate, penetration and
dilution of the base metal are higher (bead on plate:
SMAW 40%, SAW 60% dilution)
 - possible current variation for 4 mm diameter electrodes:
SMAW: 140 - 180 A (= 160 A + 12%)
SAW: 350 - 900 A ( 600 A + 50%)

- arc voltage: for SMAW: characteristic for certain electrode

type (mostly 22 - 28 V depending on length of arc) for SAW:
25 - 40 V variable, preset

- welding speed:
SMAW: 10 - 30 cm/min
SAW: 20 - 100 cm/min

- combination wire- flux:

SMAW: type and quantity relation fixed
SAW: one wire can be welded with different fluxes;
one flux can be used for welding different wires.
6
Quantity

- relation flux/wire is depending on welding parameters

 - with SAW arc and weld pool are not visible. Therefore
(nowadays) all SAW welding is mechanized (current,
voltage and welding speed preset).
- Weld preparation should therefore also be made by
mechanized methods.
- no protection from the arc is necessary
- smoke and fumes are almost absent
- welding position: due to the big weld pool and the
necessary protection by the flux
- welding is only possible in the flat (1G) and (with flux
support) in the horizontal (2G) position

7
 1.3 Applications
The share of SAW is about 8% of all welding consumables in Europe.
This share is constant since 20 years.
Main applications of SAW are:
- long straight or circumferential welds mainly for wall thickness of
more than 6 mm. But in some special cases also pipes and plates
of 3 mm are welded (boiler industry).
- bridge building: mainly fillet welds
- pipe welding: longitudinal (or spiral) welds in mainly two passes,
mostly welded with three or four wire technique
- pressure vessel construction: longitudinal and circumferential
seams up to 250 mm thickness (narrow gap welding). But also
welding of 3 mm boiler tubes for tube-fin-tube walls (fig. 1.-2).

8
 - shipbuilding: prefabrication of big panels from e.g. 8 plates
with 7 four-wire heads by one side welding technique.
Welding of stiffeners by fillet welds
- welding of big storage tanks: butt welding of panels in flat
position beneath the tank. Welding of the circumferential
seams in horizontal position;
- surfacing e.g. of rolls for continuous casting;
- cladding of pressure vessels with strip electrodes

9
 2 Effect of welding parameters on weld bead shape and on flux
consumption
Arc stability in no major problem with SA welding.
Thus many combinations of current and arc voltage are possible.

2.1 Effect of current (see fig 2.-1)

10
 An increase in
current raises the
density of current
and thus the force of
the arc.
Penetration
increases (about 2
mm per 100 A) and
also the deposition
rate (about 1.5 kg/h
per 100 A; see fig.
2.-2)

11
 The flux consumption remains more or less constant. Therefore the
specific flux consumption (kg flux per kg wire) is reduced. Bead
width increases only very little.
Welding current range is about wire diameter (mm) x (100-200) (A):

wire diameter current range Wire diameter current range (A)

(mm) (A) (mm)

1,2 120-250 3 280-650

1,6 160-350 4 350-900

2,0 200-450 5 500-1100

2,5 240-570 6 600-1400

12

For constant current but smaller wire diameter penetration

and deposition rate increase due to the higher current density
 2.2 Effect of arc voltage
An increase of arc voltage is connected with an increase of the
distance between the tip of the electrode and the base metal.
Therefore the arc is spread and has less power for penetration.
Beads are wider and smoother. Absolute and specific flux
consumption increase (about 10% per 1 volt). Optimal bead shape
is reached by combining low current with low voltage and high
current with higher voltage. Usual voltage range is between 25
and 40 V.

2.3 Effect of welding speed

Starting at a middle welding speed of about 40 cm/min an
increase of welding speed gives smaller beads with less
penetration, width and reinforcement (fig 2.-3).

13
 But with welding speeds lower than 40 cm/min the weld pool
flows more and more under the arc and penetration is reduced.
The same effect is known for MIG-welding (fig. 2.-4).

14
 2.4 Effect of type of current and polarity

Single wire welding is commonly done with direct current (DC),

electrode positive (EP).
With electrode negative (EN) penetration is lower and
deposition rate is higher.
The result is a lower dilution by the base metal. DCEN is
therefore used for surfacing (mainly for the fhb'. layer).
The effects of alternating current (AC) on bead shape and
deposition rate are between electrode positive and electrode
negative.
Both - AC and EN - are prone to more porosity.
Therefore special fluxes must be used for AC and EN

15
 3 Effects on composition and strength of SA weld metal

Composition is a main factor for the strength, the toughness and

corrosion resistance of a weld metal.

3.1 Effects of welding parameters

The composition of all weld metal is influenced by chemical

reactions which take place mainly between the molten flux and
the (very hot) droplet at the electrode tip. When the droplet falls
into the weld pool it has already the final composition of the all
weld metal. Reactions between the molten flux and the weld pool
are negligible.

The alloying effect "metallurgical behavior" of the molten

flux depends on its quantity in relation to the quantity of
16 droplets.
That is the relation between the consumption of the flux and
the melting rate of the wire called specific flux consumption.
 As explained in 2.1 and 2.2 the specific flux consumption increases
with increasing arc voltage and decreasing current (fig 3.-1).

17
 Therefore the alloying effect of the flux increases also with
increasing arc voltage and decreasing current (fig 3.-2).
The alloying effect of a flux may be an increase (pick-up) of the
content of a certain element in the weld metal but also a decrease
(burn-out) (fig 3.-2).

18
 3.2 Effect of alloying elements on weld metal strength
Weld metal strength is raised by 10 N/rnm2 if the weld metal
composition is increased by about: 0,01 % C ; 0,05 % Si or Mo ; 0,10
%Mn
3.3 Effect of base metal on weld metal strength
Normalized steel needs a higher alloy content (mainly carbon) to
achieve a certain strength compared with weld metal (as welded).
Example: %C % Si %Mn Rm(N/mm2)

German steel St 52 0,20 0,4 1,5 550

SA all weld metal 0,05 0,4 1,5 550

When welding a fillet weld in one layer, the dilution of the base
metal into the weld metal is about 60%. The fillet weld will have
the following composition in respect to C:
60% base metal ST 52 = 0,6 x 0,20 % C = 0,12% C
20 40% SA all weld metal = 0,4 x 0,05 % C = 0,02% C
fillet weld metal 0,14% C. This means (0,14 - 0,05) = 0,09% C
more than necessary and 9 x 10 N/mm2 more strength.
When welding normalized steel with fillet welds in one layer
the all weld metal used should have an up to 100 N/mm2 lower
strength
 4 Equipment
There are three main types of SA welding machines:
- self steering tractors
- welding machines mounted on a gantry
- welding machines mounted on a crane
The tractor (fig 4.-1) is the cheapest equipment and versatile for
welding long welds like fillet welds for beams for bridges or butt
welds for panels in shipbuilding or on-site welding. The welding
speed, the voltage and the constant wire speed (current) can be
adjusted.
Maximum diameter of wire is 4
mm. The power source must be
of the constant voltage type.
The welding head can be
turned, moved on cross slides
up and down and sideways. The
21
tractor drives along the joint
leaning with a wheel on one
plate of a fillet weld or driving
on a rail etc. Circumferential
welds are possible.
 Welding machines mounted on a gantry or a crane (fig. 4.-2) are
much more expensive but the adjustment to the joint is easier. With
cranes it is also possible to weld inside a vessel.
The welding machines are heavier, able to weld also with wires up to
6 mm, over 1000 A, with tandem (two welding heads) or with strip
electrodes.
Electrode speed may be changed from constant speed to a feedback
system to maintain a stable arc length. This is done by comparing a
preset arc voltage with the real arc voltage. If the wire e.g.
approaches to the plate surface the real arc voltage is lower as the
preset one. This difference of voltage is used to reduce the wire feed
speed. The power source must be of the drooping voltage type. The
feedback system is necessary for thicker electrode wires.

22
 Thinner wires are welded with the constant wire feed in
connection with a constant voltage power source.
If the wire approaches the plate surface, the current increases
very much and melts the wire quicker.
Thus the arc length is kept constant.

Power sources must be for 100% duty, DC or AC.

Flux recovery units are mounted on SA welding equipment.

They have a suction nozzle about 100 mm behind the arc and
work either with an electrical ventilator or with an injector
and pressurized air.
This air must be free of oil or humidity.

Positioners are necessary for circumferential welds.

23
 5. Fluxes
There are two types of fluxes according to their manufacture
- fused fluxes
- bonded (agglomerated) fluxes

5.1. Fused fluxes

Fused fluxes are manufactured by melting coarse grained raw

materials (minerals like quarz, chalk, manganese ore, bauxite
and fluorspar) in an e.g. arc furnace.

The liquid slag is transformed into SA flux in two ways:

a. it is poored on the floor in a thick layer which breaks into
pieces. These are ground and sieved to the final particle
size.
b. it is poored into water where it forms spatter of nearly the
24 necessary particle size. After drying and grinding and sieving
the flux is ready. The method needs less energy for grinding;
but the flux contains more hydrogen within the grain which
can only be driven out at high temperatures by the
manufacturer.
 5.2. Bonded (agglomerated) fluxes
Bonded fluxes are manufactured by mixing fine grain raw materials
(minerals, metals like ferroalloys) together with water glass as a
binding agent in a special type of mixer. Spherical particles are
formed which must be dried at 600 - 800°C in a rotary drier. With two
sieves particles are removed which are too coarse or too fine.

5.3. Comparison of fused and bonded fluxes

Flux type
property
fused bonded
particle structure particle homogenous firm porous medium
stability1)
low (only at surface of the
moisture pick-up high (also within the particle)
particle)
redrying temperature 300 - 400°C
200 - 300°C
(ferroalloys, desoxidants)
addition of metals not possible possible
25
lower (exception: high metal
specific weight higher
content)
lower (exception: high metal
flux consume higher
content)
1) = resistance against abrasion during flux recovery
 5.4. Other properties of fluxes
- composition: The European standard describes 9 types of
fluxes according to their chemical composition (e.g.
manganese silicate, calcium silicate etc.).
- basicity: is mostly calculated according to Bonischewski:

Basic fluxes give higher impact values (lower oxygen content)

in the weld metal.
Optimum oxygen content is about 200 ppm.
When welding steels containing much Al in few layers a
medium basic flux is necessary to avoid a too low oxygen
26
content.
 - burn-out or pick-up of elements: these may be alloying
elements like Si or Mn, but also elements like P and S (see
also chapter 3)

- hydrogen content: both fused and bonded fluxes may give

very low (max. 3 m1/100g) or higher hydrogen contents (up
to more than 15 m1/100 g) in the weld metal even after re-
drying. Welding with AC instead of DCEN raises the hydrogen
content by a factor of about 1.7.

- slag detachability
- current - carrying capacity
- sensibility to rust (or humidity)

27
 5.5. Special types of fluxes

- High speed welding fluxes

- Fluxes suitable for the use with AC (other fluxes will give
porosity)
- Fluxes for multi-wire welding (high speed, AC)
- Fluxes for fillet welds (not sensible to rust; good flux
detachability)
- Fluxes for single or two run technique (mostly highly
alloying, therefore not suitable for multi-pass welding)
- Fluxes for multi-pass welding: low alloy pick-up or burn-off;
basic.
- Fluxes for welding small diameters (give a suitable, not too
low slag viscosity)

Rule: First select the flux and afterwards the suitable wire!
28
 5.6. Order of the flux
 Quantity: the specific flux consumption depends on the
application (table 5.-1).
 particle size: the particle category of a flux is denoted by the
smallest and largest particle size (table 5.-2). The manufacturers
deliver their fluxes mostly in a single particle category.
 package: Mostly paper or plastic bags of 50 kg. There are also
barrels for oversea transport. Redrying of the flux is necessary in
all cases.

29
 5.7. Storage, re-drying and recovery of fluxes

 storage: Temperature variations and humidity should be low

 Re-drying: There are special furnaces for re-drying of fluxes. In

critical cases a special continuous operation of such furnaces
may be necessary to compensate the inhomogeneous drying
effect.

 recovery: only the flux not melted is recovered (see chapter 4).
Suction of the flux should not be too intensive (abrasion of flux
particles). The slag may be recovered (only in the case of fused
fluxes!) by grinding and sieving.

30
 6. Wire-flux combinations

6.1. Wire electrodes

The following types of consumables are used for SA-welding:

• wires: bare and tubular wires;
• strips: bare and filled strips;
• iron powder: bare or in iron powder containing fluxes.

Tubular wires are only used for the welding of special steels in
small quantities and for hard-surfacing.
Bare wire analysis (and diameters) are specified in the
following standards:
• Wires for carbon manganese steels e.g. in AWS A 5.17;
• wires for low alloy steels e.g. in AWS A 5.23;
31 • wires for CrNi-Steels e.g. in AWS A 5.9.
 European standards have different wire analysis in respect to
AWS. Their main principle are steps of 0.5% for Mn, which
provide for steps of 0.3 % Mn or of 30 N/mm2 in the weld
metal.
Wires are called
- S 1 for 0.5 % Mn in the wire;
- S 2 for 1% Mn in the wire;
- S 3 for 1.5% Mn in the wire;
- S 4 for 2.0% Mn in the wire.

All low-alloy steel wires are coated with copper for better
electrical contact and protection against rust.

Wire diameters in Europe are 2.0; 2.5; 3.0; 4.0; 5.0 and 6.0
mm.
The most important diameter is the 4.0 mm diameter.
32 Thinner diameters are used for thinner plates, thicker ones for
thicker plates.
 6.2. Wire-flux combinations
The properties of the weld metal produced by wire-flux combinations
are also specified in the standards mentioned for wires.
The AWS has a simple classification: Table 6.-1. temperature 100 -
200 °C.

33
34
 All properties specified for the weld metal of a wire-flux
combination are valid only for the welding conditions
specified in the standards; e.g. (European Standard):
• joint preparation for all weld metals;
• wire diameter 4 nun;
• 580 A, 29 V, 55 cm/min;
• preheat and inter-pass temperature 100 - 200 °C.

35
7. Joint preparation and welding conditions
7.1. Two pass butt welds
In Table 7.-1 joint preparations and welding conditions are listed,
among others for two pass butt welds of 6 to 30 mm thickness. Joint
preparation is square edge up to 12 mm thickness.
With thicker plates there must be space for the weld metal deposited.
In this case a root pass welded by GMAW is advantageous. Special wire
flux combinations may be used for two run welds.
Two pass butt welds are very economical, but preliminary tests are
necessary

36
 The same wall thickness may be welded with different wire diameters
but also different combinations of welding speed and current (Fig. 7.-
2). Difficulties may arise not only from burn-through and lack of
penetration.
Hot cracking and low impact values may be a problem if the carbon
content in the weld metal exceeds 0.12 % C. Excessive heat input
necessary for welding two pass butt welds may lead to low toughness
in the HAZ if the carbon content of the base metal exceeds 0.12% C.
Multilayer butt welds with limited heat input may be necessary in this
case.

37
 7.2. Multilayer butt welds
Fig. 7.-3 presents examples for
joint preparations and welding
conditions for multilayer butt
welds.
The root pass is mostly welded
by SMAW or GMAW. Basic
electrodes must be used when
welding the root pass by SMAW.
With rutile electrodes pores
would develop in the SA weld
due to the high hydrogen
content of the root pass.

38
 Welding the root pass by SAW is also possible but only if the
joint preparation is precise.
Mostly reduced current and higher welding speed (lower heat
input) are used for the root pass to avoid burn-through.
Before welding from the opposite side back-gauging is necessary
in all cases except when the cap pass can be welded with a
single pass.

7.3. Narrow gap welding

Narrow gap welding is a method of multilayer butt welding for
thick plates to avoid excessive weld metal consumption and
shrinkage.
With GMAW a single pass per layer is usual. With SAW a single
pass per layer is only possible with special fluxes with very good
slag detachability which have only limited basicity.
39
Therefore two passes per layer are usual for SAW.
Joint preparation is like Fig. 7.-2, example on the right, but with
an angle of only 2-3° instead of 7°.
Circumferential welds are easier to weld than longitudinal ones
(shrinkage, removal of slag).
 7.4. One side welding
Single pass welding from
one side is usual for thin
plates.
Single or multiple pass
welding is also used for very
large thicker plates where
the turning of the panel is
difficult (shipbuilding).
In all cases of one side
welding a backing is
necessary.
Examples are given in Fig.
7.-4. One side welding for
thicker plates is only
economical for series of
40 welds as a lot of preliminary
experiments are necessary
to find optimal welding
conditions.
 8. Additional welding parameters
8.1. Ground cable contact
Cables for SAW must withstand 100% duty. The ground cable
contact must be clean and firm to avoid weld defects by bad
current transfer.
Arc blow effects can be minimized by welding away from the
ground cable contact.
For long welds ground cable contacts should be on both ends of
the weld. In the case of circumferential welds a central rotating
ground cable contact is used from which 3 or 4 branches lead to
3 or 4 contacts along the seam.

8.2. Flux height

Flux height should be as low as possible, just so that no arc is
visible.
If the arc is visible, the weld may become porous.
41
Too big flux height may cause irregular bead shape and also
porosity.
Optimal flux height is between 20 mm for low current and
voltage and 30 mm for high ones.
 8.3. Electrode stickout
Electrode stick-out is mostly the same as flux height (20 - 30
mm).
With long stick-out welding the deposition rate may be up to 40
% higher. In this case the maximum contact tip/plate distance is:
- for electrode diameter 3.2 mm: 76 mm;
- for electrode diameter 4 mm: 128 mm.
An insulated guide for the hot wire between the contact tip and
25 mm above the plate must be provided.

8.4. Ignition of the arc

With common SA welding machines a short circuit is made by
contact of the electrode tip with the base metal.
Then the base metal is hidden by the flux.
When the current is switched on, the electrode melts at the tip,
and an arc is ignited. The wire feed starts at that moment.
42
Some SA welding machines are equipped with a high frequency
arc ignition.
In this case the electrode tip is moved toward the base metal
with the current already switched on. When the electrode tip is
near the base metal surface an arc is ignited by high frequency
 8.5. Circumferential welds

When SA welding with wire electrode in the flat position slight

uphill and downhill welding is possible without a change of the
bead surface up to an angle of about 6° (depending on the size
of the weld pool).
This possibility is used for SA welding nozzles into the
cylindrical part of a vessel. Fig. 8.-1 shows that when welding
uphill, the weld pool remains behind the arc: penetration rises.
When welding downhill, the weld pool (and maybe also the
slag) flows into the arc: penetration is low, the danger of slag
inclusions rises.
When welding a circumferential seam the optimal position for
the electrode is half the length of the weld pool (crater) before
the highest point on the outside (= welding downhill). On the
inner side it is half the length of the weld pool before the
43
deepest point (= welding uphill).
44
9. Welding
defects
Table 9.-1 is a
check list for SA
welding defects,
their origin, and
measures to
avoid them.

45
 9.1. Pores
There are two causes for the formation of pores:
- metallurgical pores caused by the escape of H2, N2 or CO2
during solidification. These pores are randomly distributed
in the bead. In this case it is necessary to dry the flux and
avoid rust or scale and root passes with rutile or cellulose
electrodes;
- mechanical pores caused by air or vapor from oil or
primers in a gap. These pores come out from the gap and
are concentrated e.g. in the middle of the bead. In this
case the gap (e.g. in a butt weld) should be enlarged so
that the gases can escape.

46
 9.2. Cracks by hydrogen

Two types of cracks in welds are caused by hydrogen:

- Under bead cracks in the HAZ;
- transversal cracks in the weld metal
- in mild steel weld metal chevron cracks (45° to the surface)
- in high strength weld metal (Rm over about 650 N/mm2) 90°
to the surface. With Mn> 1.8 % also < 650 N/mm2.

Transversal cracks in the weld metal are mostly situated 10-20

mm below the weld metal surface of multilayer welds and are
not in the root pass.

All types of hydrogen induced cracks do not develop

immediately but within 24, maybe 48 hours.

47 They can be avoided by (higher) preheating or post heating

(soaking) or by better drying of the flux, the use of a flux with
lower hydrogen content or welding with DC instead of AC.
 9.3. Hot cracks

Longitudinal cracks in the center of the weld bead are hot cracks
(solidification cracks).

These cracks develop at a temperature when most of the weld

metal is already solid and only low melting films remain between
the metal crystals. Such films contain P, S and C.

Hot cracks can be avoided by

- metallurgical measures;
- welding parameters

48
 9.4. Metallurgical
measures
Main factor for hot cracks in
carbon steels is the carbon
content.
In the Fe-C diagram up to
about 0.12 % C steel solidifies
in the form of delta ferrit, over
about 0.12 % C in the form of
austenite (Fig. 9.-2) Delta
ferrite can dissolve much
more P and S compared to
austenite so that no low
melting films develop.

49
 No hot cracks develop in a fillet weld with up to about 0.12% C
even at a content of 0.10% P or S (Fig. 9-3)

50
 All weld metals usually contain only 0.04 - 0.10 % C. Therefore a
mixture with a base metal with a higher carbon content is necessary
for the development of hot cracks.
A danger of hot cracks exists therefore only when welding - steels
with more than about 0.15 % C, especially e.g. ASTM A 516 Gr. 70.
Low strength carbon steels or thermomechanical steels are not
harmful (Fig. 9.-4);

51
 - the first layer with about 60 % dilution of the base metal like
single pass fillet welds, root passes etc. (Fig. 9.-5). 0.3

52
 In these cases a wire electrode with low C, P and S and a flux with
high burn-off of C (acid flux instead of basic flux) and low pick-up
of P and S will help.

S can be compensated by Mn> 20 times S.

(Remark: a weld metal with austenite forming elements like Ni will

be more prone to hot cracks; a weld metal with ferrite forming
elements like Cr or Mo will be less prone to hot cracks)

53
 9.3.2 Welding parameters
A certain weld metal composition may produce hot cracks or not,
depending on the shape of the bead. Deep, narrow beads are prone
to hot cracks because the low melting components of the weld metal
are concentrated in the center of the weld by the solidification
pattern (Fig. 9.-6).
The same applies to a weld pool which solidifies with an acute angle
due to a high welding speed.
Deep, narrow beads (hot cracks) can be avoided by
- lower welding current or higher voltage;
- a V-joint preparation with a higher included angle or a U instead
of a V.
Hot cracks can also be avoided by lower welding speed (in spite of the
bigger weld pool).

54
 10. Special applications of SA welding
10.1. SA welding of high strength steels
High strength steels may get their strength by different measures: -
alloying with e.g. Ni, Cr, Mo, etc.;
- quenching and tempering;
- micro-alloying with e.g. Al, V or Nb for fine grain;
- thermomechanical treatment, perhaps in combination with
accelerated cooling.
The SA weld metal is chosen independent of these types of high
strength steels:

55

The flux must be basic and should provide for a low content of
hydrogen in the weld metal.
 10.2. SA welding of low temperature steels
Steels with a strength of about 500 N/mm2 and good charpy V-
notch impact values at -60°C can be welded with a weld metal
containing 1.5 % Mn and highly basic fluxes. 3.5 % Ni-steel (-80°C) is
successfully welded with an SA wire with 2 % Ni. Lower
temperatures can only be achieved with austenitic 18Cr8Ni weld
metal.
10.3. SA welding of heat resisting ferritic steels
The heat and hydrogen resistance of ferritic steels depend on their
content of Cr and Mo. In this case the weld metal must have the
same content of Cr and Mo as the base metal. The strength of the
SA weld metal in the as-welded stage is therefore very high. Basic
fluxes with low hydrogen content must be used and preheating and
postheating are necessary to avoid cracks in the weld metal. The
most important steels are the following:

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 10.4 SA welding of austenitic 18Cr8Ni-steels
These steels have a high corrosion resistance due to their content of
Cr and an austenitic structure caused by their content of Ni.
This austenitic structure is the origin of their toughness at low
temperatures and their heat resistance.
The weld metal must therefore have about the same composition as
the base metal. The content of Cr in the weld metal is usually 1 %
higher than in the base metal in order to achieve a higher corrosion
resistance and also a content of 3 - 10 % ferrite.
This ferrite content has the purpose to avoid hot cracks in the weld
metal by a primary ferritic solidification.
It should not be too high to avoid fragilization especially of weld
metals containing Mo or Nb but also if the steel is to be used for low
or high temperatures.
The SA electrode wire should already have the composition
which should be achieved in the weld metal.
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The flux should be as neutral as possible in respect to alloying
elements like Cr etc. to avoid a change in alloy content by a
change in welding conditions.
Special basic fluxes are necessary to avoid a burn-off of Cr and
to achieve a good slag detachability.
 The SA electrode wire should already have the composition which
should be achieved in the weld metal.
The flux should be as neutral as possible in respect to alloying
elements like Cr etc. to avoid a change in alloy content by a change
in welding conditions.
Special basic fluxes are necessary to avoid a burn-off of Cr and to
achieve a good slag detachability.

Hard surfacing
Low and high alloy bare or cored wires are used for hard
surfacing.
Due to the use of cored wires, alloying fluxes have lost
importance.
Fluxes should have a low pick-up of especially P to avoid hot
cracks in the mostly high carbon weld metal.
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Dilution of base metal should be kept low e.g. by welding the
first layer with DC, electrode negative. Base metals are
frequently steels with 0.3 to 0.4 % C. In this case a buffer layer
with a wire of type 1 % Mn or 1 % Mn + 0.5 % Mo should be
welded to avoid too high hardness in the first layer.
Preheating is necessary to avoid cold cracks in the weld metal.
 11. Special SA welding processes
At the beginning of SA welding one tried to achieve high
welding efficiency by the use of thick wire diameters (up to 8
mm) and high welding current to weld e.g. a 50-mm-thick plate
in two passes.

The result were welds with very inferior properties due to the
very high heat input (low welding speed).

Today SA welding processes are applied which allow the raising

of not only the current but also the welding speed so that the
heat input (bead size) remains almost the same.

This is possible e.g. by welding with 2, 3 or 4 wires of 4 or 5 mm

diameter instead of thick wires.
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 11.1. Parallel wire welding

In parallel wire welding (sometimes called twin arc welding) two

wires are fed by the same welding machine and power source
using driving rolls and contacts with two grooves: investment
costs are low.
Wire diameter is often 2.5 mm.
But (for the sake of few wire diameters on stock) also two wires
of 4 mm diameter in a distance of 8 mm between the axis of the
wires can be used.
In this case welding current can be raised up to 900 - 1000 A and
the welding speed up to 90 cm/min.
Therefore the bead size is the same as with one wire welded
with 600 A, 60 cm/min.

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 In the case of butt welds the wires are positioned one after the other.
In the case of surfacing the wires are side by side (Fig. 11.-1).

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 11.2. Tandem welding
In the case of tandem welding two wire electrodes are used. Each of
them has its own welding machine and power source. The leading wire
is mostly welded with DC, electrode positive, the second with AC (to
avoid a disturbance of the arc). Fig. 11.-2 shows the angles of and
distances between the electrodes.
The two arcs burn in the same cavity (Fig. 11.-3).
The first one is responsible for the penetration, the second
one for a good bead surface. Typical welding conditions
are:
- 1st electrode: diameter 4 mm, 600A, 30V (+) 90 cm/min
- 2nd electrode: diameter 4 mm, 600 A, 32V (—)
The flux must be suitable for AC and high welding speed (multi-
wire welding).

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 11.3. Multiwire welding
3 or 4 wire welding is usual for the welding of the longitudinal seams
of pipes.
Each additional wire enables to raise the welding speed (Fig. 11.-4).
Welding speeds above 90 cm/min can only be applied with fully
mechanized systems which are usual in the production of pipes (a
welding operator could not control the welding for a longer time).
Only AC is used, each electrode connected to another phase.

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 11.4. Hot wire welding
An additional wire is preheated by a special power source (Fig. 11.-
5). Typical welding conditions are:
- electrode: diameter 4 mm, 600 A, 30 V (DC+), 60 cm/min
- hot wire: diameter 4 mm, 150 A, 13 V.

The hot wire increases the deposition rate by about 20 % without a

substantial increase of heat input.

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 11.5. Iron powder addition
Iron powder can be added to the weld pool to increase the
deposition rate by three methods:
- filling the welding groove with iron powder with an extra
hopper before the welding flux is deposited;
- addition of the iron powder to the wire within a special
welding head. The wire transports the iron powder by
the magnetic field surrounding the wire when the
welding current flows;
- use of a welding flux containing iron powder.

11. with strip electrodes

SA strip cladding is an important method for weld overlaying
(see Chapter B 1.13 and B 2.18 of this course).
SA welding with strip electrodes has also been successfully
applied for fillet welds with following parameters:
65 - strip 15 x 1 mm
- welding current 700 - 1000 A
- welding speed 70 - 170 cm/min;
- welding position flat for a = 4 - 10 mm
- welding position horizontal for a = 4 - 6 mm.
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