Gas Tungsten Arc Welding

By L D Poyyara
 GTAW
• Fusion Welding Process
• Arc Between Non-Consumable Tungsten
Rod And Work
• Arc & Weld Pool Shielded By Argon
• Filler Wire Separately Added To Weld Pool
• Welding Torch & Tungsten Rod Cooled by
Flow OF Argon / Cooling Water
 Shielding Gas
• Inert Gas - Argon , Helium
• Common Shielding Gas – Argon
• When Helium Is Used – Called Heli – Arc Welding
• When Argon Is Used – Called Argon Arc Welding
• Inert Gas Prevents Contamination Of Molten Metal
• It Prevents Oxidation Of Tungsten Rod
• It Ionizes Air Gap and Stabilizes Arc
• It Cools Welding Torch & Tungsten Rod
 Equipment & Accessories
Pressure Regulator
Flow Meter

Tungsten Rod
Argon Gas In
Cooling Water In Solenoid
Valve Argon Cylinder

HF Unit &
Welding Cable & Cooling Water Cooling
Ceramic Cup Water In Tube System
Cooling Water Out
Argon Shielding
Arc
High Frequency
+ Connection
Work

Pedal Switch Power Source

– +
 GTAW Equipment &
Accessories
• Power Source – Inverter, Thyrester,Rectifier,
Generator
• High Frequency Unit
• Water Cooling System
• Welding Torch- (Ceramic Cup, Tungsten Rod,
Collet, Gas-lense)
• Petal Switch
• Argon Gas Cylinder
• Pressure Gauge, Regulator, Flow Meter
• Earthing Cable With Clamp
 Types Of GTAW Power Source
• Inverter- DC

• Thyrester – DC

• Motor Generator – DC

• Rectifier – DC

• Transformer – AC (For Aluminium Welding Only)

 Power Source
• Provides Electric Energy – Arc – Heat

• Drooping Characteristic

• OCV – Appx. 90V,

• Current Range 40 A to 300 A ( Capacity Of M/s)

• Arc Voltage 18V to 26V

Characteristic Of GTAW
Power Source
Drooping – Constant Current

V
V1
Vertical
V2
Curve

A
A1 A2
 High Frequency Unit
• Provides High Voltage Electric Energy With
Very high Frequency – 10000 Cycles / Sec.

• Initiates low energy Arc & ionize Air Gap.

• Electrically charges Air Gap For welding

Current to Jump Across the Tungsten Tip &
BM to Form An Arc.

• HF Gets Cut Off, Once Welding Arc Struck.

 Water Cooling System

• Provides Cooling Water To Welding Torch.

• Cools Tungsten Rod, Torch handle & Welding

Cable.

• Cooling Water Returns through Flexible Tube

Which Carries welding cable within.
 GTAW TORCH

Cap with collet For Torch Handle Cooling Water Outlet

Holding Tungsten
Argon Gas Inlet

Cooling Water Inlet Tube with cable

Ceramic Cup

Tungsten Rod Argon Shielding Gas

Base Metal

Earthing Cable Arc

 Petal Switch
When Petal Pressed
• Solenoid valve opens, Argon gas
flows
• High Frequency starts jumping from
Switches system tungsten rod
• Welding current flows generating an
on And off in arc across tungsten rod and work.
sequence • High frequency gets cut off from the
system & welding continues.
When Petal Released
1 Current gets cut off, Arc extinguishes
2 Gas flow remains for few more
seconds before it stops.
Argon Gas Cylinder- Pressure
Regulator + Flow Meter

• Cylinder Stores Argon

Cylinder Valve At High Pressure
Pressure gauges

• Regulator Regulates
Flow Meter
Cylinder Pressure to
Flow Regulator Working Pressure
Pressure Regulator
Connection To Torch • Flow Meter Controls
Flow Rate
Argon Cylinder
 Shielding Gas
• Argon - Purity 99.95%

• Impure Argon Results In Porosities

• Purity Verified by Fusing BQ CS plate

• Leakage of Argon in Torch Results in

Porosity.

• Check Leakage by Closing the Ceramic

Cup With Thump
 Argon Gas Cylinder
• Light Blue In Colour

• Full Cylinder Pressure: 1800 psi ( 130 Kgs / Cm2 )

• Volume Of Argon In Full Cylinder: 7.3 M3

• Commercial Argon (99.99%) Cost: Rs 70/- Per M3

• High Purity Argon (99.999) Cost: Rs 87/- Per M3

 Back Purging
Purging Gas Commercial • Applicable to Single
Argon or Nitrogen Sided full penetration
• Prevents oxidation of
Filler Wire Welding Torch root pass from opposite
side of weld
• Essential for high alloy
Purging steels, nonferrous
Purging Gas In
Gas Out metals and alloys
Purging Root Pass • Desirable For All
chamber Material
Tools For GTAW

• Head Screen

• Hand gloves

• Chipping Hammer

• Wire Brush

• Spanner Set
 Tungsten Rod
Tungsten Rod
• Non Consumable Electrode.

• Maintains Stable Arc

• Tip to be Ground to a cone Shape of 60º

to 30º angle

• Thoriated Tungsten for General

Application, Zerconiated Tungsten for Ground to
Aluminium Welding
50º ankle

• Sizes :- 2, 2.4 & 3 mm Ø

 Filler Wire

• Added Separately to the weld pool.

• Compatible to base metal

• Used in cut length for manual welding.

• Used from layer wound spool for

automatic welding.

• Sizes :- 0.8, 1, 1.2, 1.6, 2, 2.4 & 3 mm

ASME Classification Of Filler Wire
SS Filler Wire:
SFA-5.9, ER 308, 308L, 316, 316L, 347, 309
LAS Filler Wire:
SFA 5.28, ER 70S A1, ER 80S B2, ER90S D2,
ER 80S Ni2
CS Filler Wire:
SFA- 5.18 , ER 70S2
C = 0.07%, Mn = 0.9% – 1.4%, Si = 0.4 – 0.7%, P = 0.025%, S = 0.035%
 Dos & Don'ts In GTAW
Dos Don’ts
• Always Connect • Don’t Strike Arc With
Electrode – Ve Electrode + Ve
• Keep Always Flow • Don’t strike Arc Without
Meter Vertical Argon Flow
• Check & Confirm • Don’t Strike Arc By
Argon Purity touching Tungsten Rod
• Clean Groove & Filler • Don’t Touch Weld Pool
wire With Acetone With Tungsten Rod
• Grind Tungsten Tip to • Don’t Lift and break Arc
Point
 Dos & Don'ts In GTAW
Dos Don’ts
• Break The Arc Only By • When Arc is Stopped
Pedal Switch Don’t Lift Torch
• Lift The Torch only After immediately.
5 Sec Of Arc Break. • Don’t Weld With Blend
• Ensure Pre Purging & Tungsten Rod
Post Purging of 5Sec • Don’t Weld With Argon
• Ensure Argon Flow & Leaking Torch
Water Circulation To • Don’t Weld Without
Torch Water Circulation
 Dos & Don'ts In GTAW
Dos Don’ts
• Provide Back Purging • Don’t Weld Single Sided
For Single Sided Full Full Penetration Welds
Penetration Welds Without Back Purging
• Use N2 or Argon as • Don’t Use N2 As Back
Back Purging Gas For Purging Gas For Non
CS & LAS Ferrous Alloys
• Use Argon As Back • Don’t Empty Ag
Purging Gas For SS & Cylinders Fully
Non Ferrous Alloys
 Defects In GTAW
1. Cracks 2. Lack Of Fusion
3. Porosity 4. Undercut
5.Lack Of Penetration 6. Excess Penetration

7.Overlap 8. Suck Back

9. Under Flush 10. Burn Through
11. Tungsten Inclusion 11.Stray Arcing
 Crack
Cause Remedy
1) Wrong Consumable 1) Use Right Filler Wire
2) Wrong Procedure 2) Qualify Procedure
3) Improper Preheat 3) Preheat Uniformly
4) Inadequate Thickness 4) Add More Filler Wire
In Root Pass in root Pass

crack
 Lack Of Fusion

Cause Remedy
1) Inadequate Current 1) Use Right Current
2) Wrong Torch angle 2) Train /Qualify welder
3) Improper bead placement 3) Train/Qualify Welder

Lack Of Fusion
 Porosity
Cause Remedy
1) Impure Argon Gas 1) Replace Argon Cylinder
2) Argon Leak Within Torch 2) Replace Leaking Torch
3) Defective Filler Wire 3) Replace Filler Wire
4) Wet surface of BM 4) Clean & Warm BM
5) Rusted / Pitted Filler wire 5) Clean Filler Wire
6) Improper Flow Of Argon 6) Provide Gas lense

Porosity . .
 Undercut

Cause Remedy
1) Excess Current 1) Reduce the Current
2) Excess Voltage 2) Reduce Arc length
3) Improper Torch angle 3) Train & Qualify the Welder

Under cut
 Lack Of Penetration*
Cause Remedy
1) Excess Root Face 1) Reduce Root Face
2) Inadequate Root opening 2) Increase Root Opening
3) Over size Filler Wire 3) Reduce Filler Wire size
4) Wrong Direction of Arc 4) Train / Qualify Welder
5) Improper bead placement 5) Train / Qualify Welder
6) Improper weaving technique 6) Train & Qualify Welder

* Applicable to SSFPW

LOP
 Excess Penetration*
Cause Remedy
1)Excess root opening 1) Reduce root gap
2) Excess Current 2) Reduce Current
3) Inadequate root face 3) Increase Root face
4) Excess Weaving 4) Train Welder
5) Wrong Direction Of Arc 5) Train Welder
* Applicable to SSFPW

Excess Penetration
 Overlap
Cause Remedy
1) Wrong Direction Of Arc 1) Train & Qualify Welder
2) Inadequate Current 2) Increase Current
3) Excess Filler Wire 3) Reduce Filler Metal

Overlap
 Suck Back*
Cause Remedy

1) Excess weaving in root 1) Reduce weaving

2) Excess Current 2) Reduce Current
3) Inadequate root face 3) Increase root face
4) Wrong Electrode angle 4) Train / Qualify Welder
* Applicable to SSFPW in 4G, 3G & 2G

Suck Back
 Under flush
Cause Remedy
1) Inadequate weld beads in 1) Weld some more beads
final layer in final layer
2) Inadequate understanding on 2) Train / Qualify welder
weld reinforcement
3) Wrong selection of filler wire 3) Train / Qualify Welder
size

Under flush
 Burn through*
Cause
1) Excess Current
2) Excess Root opening
3) Inadequate Root face
4) Improper weaving
Remedy
1) Reduce the Current
2) Reduce root opening
3) Increase root face
4) Train / Qualify Welder

*Applicable to root pass

Burn trough
 Tungsten Inclusion
Cause Remedy
1) Ineffective HF 1) Rectify HF Unit
2) Improper Starting of Arc 2) Never Touch Weld
With Tungsten Rod
3) Tungsten Tip Comes in 3) Train / Qualify welder
Contact With Weld

Tungsten Inclusion
 Stray Arcing
Cause Remedy
1) HF Not In Operation 1) Rectify HF Unit
2) Inadequate Skill of Welder 2) Train the Welder

Arc Strikes
Thanks