SUBMERGE ARC WELDING

Dr. VISHVESH J. BADHEKA,

Associate Professor, School of
Technology,
Submerge Arc Welding

Role of the Flux:

i) Stability of arc
ii) Mechanically and
chemically properties
iii) Quality of the weld
Principal of SAW
• Factor to be determine
whether SAW include:
i) Chemical & mechanical
properties
ii) Thickness of base metal
iii) Joint accessibility
iv) Position of the weld
v) Frequency or volume of the
welding performed
 Arc Starting Methods
• Steel wool ball start (10 mm dia.)
• Sharp wire start
• Scratch start
• Molten flux start
• High frequency start
 General Methods of SAW
Semiautomatic Welding
- Welder control the traveling
speed, direction and placement
of the weld.
- Flux and electrode control
automatically
- Dia. less than 2.4 mm

• Automatic Welding
- Without continues
monitoring.
• Machine Welding
- Equipment perform
complete operation.
- It must be monitor by
welding operator traveling
speed, position of work.
 Equipment
• Power supply
• Electrode delivery system
• Flux distribution system
• Traveling arrangement
• Process control system
 Power Supply

• DC CV power supply: (400 to 1500 A )

- Semi-automatic welding (300 to 600 A)
- Automatic welding (300 to 1000 A)
- Best for high speed welding of thin steel.

• DC CC power supply: (up to 1500 A )

- Use with voltage sensing variable wire feed speed control.
- More expensive and complex.

• CC/CV combination power supply:

• Alternative Current: (800 A to 1500 A )

- Greater than 80 V required for reigniting arc.
 Control System
• Semi-automatic machine
- Simple
- Control the wire feed speed

• Automatic machine
 Welding Head and Torch
• Wire Feed Motor (8 to 235 mm/sec)

• Feed Roll Assembly

- Knurled V - type
- Smooth V – type

• Torch Assembly
- NG-SAW
- Strip electrode SAW ( 30, 45, 60, 90
mm wide and 1 mm thick)

• Accessories Equipment
- Traveling equipment ( 45 mm/sec)
- Flux recovery unit
- Fixturing equipment
- Positioning equipment
Traveling Equipment
 Flux Recovery Unit
• Function:

- Remove unused flux

- Screen out fused slag and other

oversize mat.

- Remove the magnetic particles.

- Removes the fines.

- Recirculate the flux back hopper

for reuse.

- Heat flux in the hopper to keep it

dry
 Electrode
• Packed in coil and drum. ( 11 to 454 kg.)

• Diameter ( 1.6 mm to 6.4 mm )

• Larger dia. Electrode carry more current and higher deposition rate.

• Above 125 A/mm2 electrode extension effect deposition rate.

• Increase the electrode extension increase deposition rate.

• For 2, 2.4, 3.2 mm electrode, extension 3 mm.

• For 4, 4.8, 5.6 mm electrode, extension 5 mm
 Flux
• Fused Flux:

- Manufacturing

- Advantages
 Good chemical homogeneity
 Easy removal of fine without affecting the flux.
 Readily recycle without significant change in particle size or
composition.

- Limitation
 Difficulty in adding deionizer and ferrous alloys during
manufacturing.
 High temp. need to melt raw ingredient .
 Bonded Flux
• Manufacturing
- Raw mat. powdered, dry mixed and bonded either potassium
silicate or sodium silicate or two.
- After the bonding wet mix is palletized and baked at temp. below
fused flux.

• Advantages
- Easy addition of deoxidized and alloying element.
- Color identification
- Usable thicker layer of flux

• Limitations
- Tendency to absorb moisture.
- Possible gas evolution from molten slag.
 Mechanical Mixed Flux

• Manufacturing
- Two or more fused or bonded fluxes are mixed in any ratio.

• Advantages
- High critical properties.

• limitation
- Segregation of the combine flux during shipment, storage and
handling, recovery system, feeding system.
- Inconsistency in combine flux.
 Particle Size and Distribution

• As current increase, average particle size for fused flux decrease

and percentage of the small particle increase.

• When rusty steel is welded coarse particle more preferable because

they allow gas to escape more easily.

• Application of low hydrogen consideration are important flux must

kept dry.

• Width and depth of the flux

- Granular flux layer deep: molten metal irregularity distorted.
- Granular flux layer shallow: Flushing and spatter, porous weld.
Classification system for flux and electrode
combination
 Welding Current
• High current: deposition rate is higher and also lead to waste of
electrode, greater distortion and weld shrinkage.

• Low current: incomplete fusion, due to unstable arc.

 Welding Voltage
• Voltage principally determine the shape of the weld and
appearance.

• Increase in voltage with constant current and travel

speed:
- Produce a flatter and wider bead, increase flux composition
- Reduced porosity by rust or scale on steel.
- Increase pick up of alloying element from an alloy flux.

• Excessive high arc voltage:

- Produce wider bead shape that is subjected to cracking
- Difficult to slag removal, produce concave shape, increase undercut

• Low Voltage:
- Narrow arc and difficult to slag removal.
Figure. Solidification cracks may appear
when the weld is deep and narrow.
 Traveling Speed
• Increase in traveling speed
- Power or heat input decrease
- Less filler metal consumption, weld become smaller

• High traveling speed

- Promote undercut, arc blow, porosity, uneven bead shape.

• Slow traveling speed

- Concave bead shape subjected to cracking
- Excessive arc exposure, slag inclusion
Figure. The effect of welding speed on weld appearance, with
constant values of current and voltage.
 Polarity
• Polarity also affects the
penetration. If the filler
wire is positive,
penetration is deeper than
if the filler wire is negative.

• This means that it is better

to use negative polarity
when performing cladding, Figure. The effect of wire polarity
in order to avoid mixing the on penetration.
cladding material into the
base material.

• Melting rate is increased by

about 30 % percent when
negative polarity is used.
 Wire angle
• The angle of the filler wire to the joint has a considerable
effect on the shape and penetration of the weld.

• In certain cases, forehand welding (see Figure) gives a

wider bead that can counteract the tendency to produce
a high, narrow weld convexity, and thus allow a higher
welding speed to be used.
Figure. The effect of filler wire angle.
Figure. The effect of wire diameter on weld appearance.
 Types of weld
• Groove Welds (1.2 to 16 mm)
- Single pass (7.99 mm)
- Two pass (15.9 mm)

• Fillet Welds

• Plug Welds
 Weld Backing
• Backing strip
• Backing weld
• Copper backing
• Flux Backing
 Electrode Position
• The alignment of the welding electrode in relation to the
joint
• The angle o tilt in the lateral direction, in relation to the
joint
• The forward or backward direction in which the welding
electrode points.
 Welding horizontal fillet
• Clearance for the welding torch, especially when
structural sections are being welded to the plate.
• The relative thickness of the members forming the joint.
Circumferential Weld
 Slag Removal & Run on Run off Tab

• Important Factor: Bead Shape

and Bead Size

• In convex beads slag removal

much easier than concave bead
or undercut beads, so decrease
in voltage will improve slag
removal in narrow grooves.

• In two pass welds, a concave

bead that blends smoothly to the
top edges of the joint is much
easier to clean than concave
bead that does not blend well.
 Process Variation
• Narrow Groove SAW ( > 50 mm )
- Root opening ( 13 to 25 mm ), Groove Angle ( 0-8 degree)

• Multiple Wire SAW:

- Improve operation flexibility and provide more efficient use of the
available base metal, higher welding speed (five time more than single
wire)

- Twin electrode SAW:

 Two wire connected single power source and wire feeder, DCEP

- Tandem arc SAW:

 Two variation

• Cold Wire Addition

• Hot Wire Addition

 Metal Powder Addition
• 70 % increase deposition
rate.
• Smooth fusion, improved
bead appearance, reduced
dilution.
 Sources of defects in SAW

• Insufficient Fusion and Slag Entrapment:

- Improper bead placement and procedure

• Solidification cracking of SAW

- Bead shape, joint design, incorrect choice

• Hydrogen Cracking:

- Porosity:
- Sufficient flux coverage, impurity removed from flux, electrode and
base metal.
 Advantages
• Arc is under blanket of flux so spark, smoke, flash or spatter avoided.

• Higher current density increase the penetration and decrease need of

edge preparation

• High deposition rate and welding speed are possible.

• Cost per unit length of joint is relatively low.

• Sound weld with excellent mechanical properties.

• Low hydrogen weld deposits can be produced.

• Flux can be reused, welding distortion is much less.

• No edge preparation necessary for material under 12 mm thick plate.

 Disadvantages

• Initial cost of power feeder, power supply, controls and flux handling
equipment is high.

• Weld joint need to be place in the flat and horizontal position.

• Slag must be removed before subsequence pass.

• Less than 4.8 mm thick plate can not be welded.

• Flux is subjected to contamination that may cause weld porosity.

• Cast iron, Al alloys, Mg alloys, Pb and Zn can not be welded by this

method.
 Application
• Fabrication of pipes, penstocks, pressure vessel, boilers,
structural shapes, rail road and earth moving equipment.

• Cranks, bridge grinders and structural of railway coaches

and locomotives.

• Automotive, ship-building and nuclear power industry.

• Hardfacing of tractor roller and idlers, and crane pulleys.

• Welding of MS, medium and high tensile low alloy steel.

 References
• American Welding Society handbook, 2000, volume no. 2,
• American Society of Metal handbook, 1990, volume no. 35,
• Welding Technology – by O.P.Khanna
• www.esabna.com
• www.weldcop.com
• www.twi.co.uk
• www.thefabricator.com
• www.gbwelding.com
• www.avestawelding.com