Selection of suitable welding

consumable for given application

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Using a filler metal that provides the appropriate mechanical and chemical properties for the
job-and is able to withstand the service conditions the weld encounters—is critical.

It helps minimize the risk of cracking, corrosion, and/or weld defects that could lead to
time-consuming and costly rework.
There are seven key factors to consider when selecting a filler metal:

• The base material to be welded

• The welding position,
• Regulatory specifications and codes,
• Design requirements,
• Shielding gas,
• Post-weld heat treatment,
• Welding equipment

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Factor No. 1: The base material to be welded

Joining together two materials is, for the most part, a matter of chemistry: Which filler
metal best matches the base material? If the chemistry of the materials match, the
mechanical properties will also match.

When materials being joined are not of the same strength, there are other
considerations. As a rule of thumb, welding operators should match the strength of
the filler metal to the lower strength of the two base materials. During the welding
process, dilution from the higher-strength base material is sufficient to strengthen the
weld metal deposit.

Most base metals can easily be identified through tests based on appearance and
reactions .In some it may be necessary to take a sample to a lab that can conduct a
chemical analysis

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Factor No. 2: The welding position
Whenever possible, welding operators should rotate the part so it can be welded in a flat position.
Welding in a flat position is always the most economical method, followed by horizontal or vertical
and, lastly, an overhead position.

If a welding operator must work with a large weld that can’t be manipulated, however, it forces the
need to weld in multiple welding positions. Out-of-position welding can be especially challenging if
there is only one wire size available. For example, a vertical weld-up using a 2.4mm.-diameter wire
may be extremely difficult or even impossible. A better choice would be a wire ranging from 1.14mm
to 1.6-mm in diameter, but it would require setting up an additional wire feeder or another power
source for the job. It would also require a change in feed rolls and, potentially, the welding gun.
Companies should keep in mind that changing welding positions can slow the process and
compromise efficiency, and, when possible, select a filler metal type and size that will allow for the
most versatility.

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Factor No. 3: Regulatory specifications and codes

Job specifications often dictate what class of wire to use.

If not, carefully consider the service requirements the welds may encounter.

In the end, whatever filler metal must also meet the service condition of the final product so
that the weld deposit lasts as long as the base material.

It’s equally important when welding to code that the filler metal should meet the qualifications
or certification of that code.

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Factor No. 4: Design requirements

In addition to following codes, it is important to select a filler metal that meets or

exceeds the needs of a joint design, as specified by the engineer’s welding
configuration.

For instance, when welding on thin material, it is important that the arc
characteristics are appropriate—a wire that provides deep penetration may cause
the welding operator to burn through

On the other hand, if the part to be welded is thick and features a single "V" joint,
a filler metal with better penetration characteristics allows for better tie-in at the
root and sides

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Factor No. 5: Shielding gas

It’s important to ensure the filler metal and shielding gas used for an application
are compatible.

Different shielding gases have different effects on filler metal. For example, the
addition of argon to carbon dioxide(CO2) allows transfer more of the filler metal’s
chemistry into the weld deposit. This mixture provides consistent weld quality,
offers good weld pool control, and generates lower levels of spatter.

However, by transferring a richer chemistry from the filler metal into the weld
deposit, it also increases the risk of potential cracking

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Conversely, using CO2 (an oxidizing gas) burns off some of the filler metal elements. One-
hundred-percent CO2 offers the advantage of deep-weld penetration, which is desirable
when welding thicker materials.

It does tend to have larger ball transfer and can create more spatter than shielding gas
mixtures that are a combination of Argon and CO2.

There are wires capable of operating with both straight CO2 and an argon/CO2 mixture.
Companies should consider their available gas supply and desired weld characteristics
provided by each when choosing a filler metal, and make sure that the selected filler
metal is compatible with the shielding gas chosen.

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Factor No. 6: Post-weld heat treatment
There are certain steels and material thicknesses that must be preheated to a certain temperature
before welding commences.

Preheating allows the part to cool down at a slow rate to avoid weld-shrinking issues and cracking.
Similarly, post-weld heat treatment (PWHT) is used to reduce the stresses and slowly lower the
residual heat introduced during welding, allowing the weld joint and base materials to return to the
desired properties.

On materials that require PWHT, it is important to select a filler metal capable of producing welds
that respond appropriately to the application of heat.

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Factor No. 7: Welding equipment
The type and size of equipment being used impacts what filler metal is best for the job. Specifically, the
power source needs to provide enough amperage for the diameter of wire being used for the job.

In the event that there is not enough amperage it will be necessary to either change wire diameters, which
could result in slower production to complete the weld, or change to a higher-capacity machine.

It’s also important for the power source to offer the proper welding current for the filler metal chosen.
Welding in the wrong current can lead to spatter and poor weld quality.

Determining the desired weld characteristics is equally important. Filler metals that operate on reverse
polarity (electrode positive, or EP) provide great penetration, while straight-polarity (electrode negative, or
EN) filler metals produce a more shallow joint penetration.

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Although the effect of various elements in filler metals can be rather complex and inter-
related, a review of their general properties can also help determine which filler metal is
ideal for the job.

Carbon, for example, generally increases hardness, tensile strength, and wear resistance but
decreases ductility, impact, and machinability.

Nickel, on the other hand, increases hardness, tensile strength, impact, and ductility but
decreases the part’s ability to be machined.

Similarly, there are various alloying elements that have different properties to deoxidize,
refine grain structures, or improve ductility. It is important to consider the properties
needed in a completed weld when making the filler metal selection .

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Specific Examples

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Use ER90S-B9 filler metal when welding 9Cr-1Mo containing V, Nb and N with GTAW and GMAW.
This wire is unlikely to cause hydrogen problems, especially with GTAW.

The same filler metal may be used for SAW. The filler metal also minimizes the possibility of
hydrogen attack with the SAW process, provided the flux is kept hydrogen-free by continuous
drying.

Using a vented heater in the flux hopper is a good way to prevent moisture.

The flux should not be reused when welding this material

(Tigrod ER90S-B3 is a Chrome-Moly TIG rod used for joining 2.5% Cr - 1% Mo creep resistant

steels. ... Tigrod ER90S-B9 is a solid wire for TIG welding of creep resisting, modified 9% chromium
steels, such as ASTM A335 Grade P91 or ASTM A213 T91.

GTAW & GMAW AWS 5.28 Class ER90S-B9 / ASME SFA 5.28 ER90S-B9 SAW AWS 5.23 Class EB9 /
ASME SFA 5.23 DESCRIPTION
ER90S-B9 is a bare welding wire for joining 9 CrMo modified steels with small additions of
Vanadium and Niobium such as A213-T91 tubes, A335-P91 pipe, and A387 Grade 91 plates and
A182 F91 forgings.

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When selecting filler material for welding/joining two different alloys together, consider the following
criteria:
•When welding dissimilar steels, the welding criterion is often determined by the steel with the
higher Carbon value.
•When welding high-alloy steels to low-alloy steels, it is typically a good practice to preheat the low-
alloy steels to more than 150 degree centigrade to migrate the Hydrogen out of the weld site to
reduce the stress cracking potential.
•When welding dissimilar stainless steels, ensure the filler material has similar corrosion resistance and
mechanical properties of the higher alloy. An example of that is when you weld 316L to 304L, a 316L
filler material should be used.
•Select a filler metal that has high temperature strength, oxidation resistance as well as
maintaining ductility in the weld and avoiding hot cracking.
•Consider annealing or slow cooling the welding process to reduce the corrosion cracking.
•The higher the strength of the alloys, the less weld-ability between them .

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1.      Filler metals should be specified in each WPS by AWS specification and classification. 
However, filler metals that do not conform to a standard AWS specification and classification, or
which have special requirements, should be identified by manufacturer and type.

2.      When joining similar metals, the deposited weld metal should match the chemistry and
the mechanical properties of the base metal as closely as possible.

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3.      Whenever the minimum mechanical properties of the deposited weld metal fail to meet the minimum
mechanical properties of the base metal, or whenever the nominal chemistry of the deposited weld metal
differs from the nominal chemistry of the base metal, the weld metal recommendation should be submitted
for review and approve prior to use.

4.      A filler metal should be used only for the primary material and process applications recommended in the
AWS filler metal specification or by its manufacturer (e.g., filler metals designed for "single pass welding" should
not be used for multipass joints).

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5.      When joining two different ferritic steels, or when joining ferritic to martensitic steels, the filler
metal should conform to the nominal chemistry of either base metal or an intermediate composition,
except as follows:

For attaching non-pressure parts to pressure parts, the filler metal chemistry should match the nominal
chemical composition of the pressure part.

For welding Type 405 or 410S hex mesh, anchors, etc., to carbon and low alloy steel, the filler metal
should be:
Inconel Class ERNiCrFe-6, provided the welds are not exposed to sulfur above 370°C, or
Type 309 (25 Cr-12 Ni), for design temperatures not exceeding 316°C.

For service conditions exceeding the limits stated in 2 conditions above, the filler metal selection
should be reviewed and approved prior to use.

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6.      For welding austenitic stainless steels, the following requirements should be met:

When joining ASME P-8, Group 1 austenitic stainless steels, the filler metal must contain at least 1 FN
(Ferrite Number) or 1 percent ferrite.  However, 347 electrodes should contain at least 4 FN.

When joining two different austenitic stainless steels, the filler metal may match either.

When joining 310 or 330 stainless steels and for cryogenic and special corrosive service, 0 FN filler
metal may be used.

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7.      When joining austenitic stainless to ferritic steels, filler metal types should be selected as
follows:
Inconel Class ERNiCrFe-6, provided the welds are not exposed to sulfur above (370°C).
Type 309 (25 Cr-12 Ni) for design temperatures not exceeding (316°C).
Type 310 (25 Cr-20 Ni) stainless steel should not be used.
For service conditions exceeding the limits stated in 2 conditions (ERNiCrFe-6 and 309) above,
the filler metal selection should be reviewed and approved prior to use.

8.      When the thickness of carbon or low alloy steel base metal exceeds 13 mm, groove or fillet
welds should be made with filler metals producing low hydrogen deposits.  However, cellulose or
rutile-type coated electrodes may be used for the root pass of a groove weld regardless of the base
metal thickness.

9.      Active submerged arc fluxes should not be used.

10.  Alloyed SAW fluxes should not be used for welding low alloy steels. 

11.  Reprocessed flux or re-crushed slag should not be used for SAW of pressure-containing parts
such as pressure vessels, piping and storage tanks. 

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12.  WPS should be re-qualified whenever:
Wire chemistry for ferritic steels is changed from one AWS classification to any other classification or to a chemical
composition not covered by the AWS filler metal specifications.

Filler metal is changed from one specific make and type designated under AWS Classification "G" to any other
manufacturer or manufacturer's designation.

Submerged arc welding flux is changed from one manufacturer to another or from one manufacturer's grade to
another grade (equivalency on the basis of AWS A5.17/A5.17M or AWS A5.23/A5.23M is not acceptable).  The
manufacturer and the manufacturer's grade of flux should be stated in both the WPS and the PQR.

Flux cored electrodes are changed from one AWS classification to another, electrodes are not classified by AWS, or
electrodes are specified with supplementary requirements.  Requalification is not required for a change in the
position designator from EX0T-X to EX1T-X and vice versa.

The chemical composition of the weld deposit is changed from one A-Number to any other A-Number in QW-442 of
ASME Code Section IX, including a change from A-1 to A-2 and vice versa.

13.  All-weld-metal tensile tests with any applicable production type PWHT to determine ultimate strength, yield
strength, elongation, and reduction of area should be conducted whenever
The deposited filler metal does not fall within any of the AWS filler metal specifications, A5.XX Series.
Satisfactory mill test reports or other supplier certifications are not available.

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Examples 0n Aluminium alloys

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. Three varieties of Aluminium, namely 6061, 6063 and 6082 grades are considered as the base
metals for welding

Aluminium 6061 Silicon as its major alloying elements. Originally called "Alloy 61S.
It has good mechanical properties, exhibits good weld ability, and is very commonly extruded
It is one of the most common alloys of Aluminium for general-purpose use. 6061 has an ultimate
tensile strength of more than 200 MPa (42,000 psi) and yield strength above 150 MPa (35,000 psi).

Aluminium 6063 is an Aluminium alloy, with Magnesium and silicon as the alloying elements.

It has generally good mechanical properties and is heat treatable and weldable.
The yield strength and tensile strength of base metal are 73 N/mm² and 131 N/mm² respectively.

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Aluminium 6082 Aluminium alloy is an alloy in the wrought Aluminium-Magnesium-silicon
family .
It is one of the more popular alloys in its series although it is not strongly featured in ASTM
standards.
It is typically formed by extrusion and rolling, but as a wrought alloy it is not used in casting.

It can also be forged and clad, but that is not common practice with this alloy.

It cannot be work hardened, but is commonly heat treated to produce tempers with a higher
strength but lower ductility.

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Selection of Filler materials

In selection of the filler, one may wish to consider the following facts about each of these filler 4043
and 5356 Al alloys.

4043 should not be used if you are considering the best colour match after post weld anodizing,
as this filler alloy will typically turn dark gray in colour after the anodizing process.

5356 will provide a much closer color match after anodizing

.
4043 is suitable for service temperatures above 815C

However 5356, because of its 5% Magnesium content is not suitable for these elevated
temperature applications.

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4043 has lower ductility than that of 5356.

This may be of some consideration if forming, after welding is to be carried out.

4043 has lower shear strength than that of 5356. This may be of consideration
when calculating the size of fillet welds.

4043 is a softer alloy in the form of spooled wire, when compared to 5356.

Typically when Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW), feed ability will become a less
critical issue when feeding the more rigid 5356 alloy.

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4043 will typically provide a higher rating for weld ability and provide slightly lower crack
sensitivity.

4043 will generally tend to produce welds with improved cosmetic appearance, smoother
surfaces, less spatter and less smut.

For this reason, it is sometimes more appealing to the welder.

4043 is an Aluminium/silicon filler metal designed for welding heat treatable base metals and
is a common choice for welding 6061.

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4043 offers good fluidity and less crack sensitivity than 5356 when welding 6000
series base metals.

It is often used to for repair welding Aluminium/silicon cast alloys.

Post weld cracking, corrosion resistance and behaviour under elevated temperature
also need to be taken into consideration.

Cracking usually can be minimized by choosing a filler metal alloy of higher alloy
content than the base metal.

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JOINING DISSIMILAR STEELS

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• Dissimilar materials welding refers to the joining of: ─ Two different alloy systems (e.g., steel, stainless steel) ─
Materials of different fundamental types.

• Metals, ceramics, polymers, composite Ferrous to non-ferrous ─ Materials with different compositions
within a particular type (e.g., austenitic stainless steel, ferritic stainless steel, duplex stainless steel, etc.).

Importance to industry: ─ Dissimilar lightweight material welding is used to connect different metals together
for automotive industries ─

Used where an object is subjected to multiple environments in one application such as in chemical and
petrochemical industries, power generation, and oil and gas industries ─ Minimize costs of fabrication.

Metallurgically, all fusion welds are dissimilar metal welds because: ─ Weld zone has a cast solidified structure,
while the base metal has a wrought structure ─ The chemical composition of deposited weld metal is over
mismatch or under-mismatch to that of the base metal based on the required joint strength

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• Challenges of Welding Dissimilar Metals
• The existence of a transition zone between the metals and the intermetallic compounds formed in the
heat affected zone: ─ If there is mutual solubility of the two metals, the dissimilar joints can be made
successfully ─ If there is little or no solubility between the two metals to be joined, the weld joint will
not be successful. The formation of intermetallic compounds and their effects on: ─ Increasing the crack
sensitivity ─ Reducing the ductility ─ Increasing the susceptibility to corrosion.

• Dissimilar Metals
• Differences in the coefficient of thermal expansion: ─ The residual stresses in welds are generated by
the thermal contraction of the weld metal and the adjacent base metal. As a result, the residual stress
distribution and magnitude are not similar across the dissimilar weld joint ─ If these are widely different,
there will be internal stresses set up in the inter-critical HAZ leading to service failure.

• The difference in melting temperatures, since one metal will be molten and overheated before the other
when subjected to the same heat source. The difference of the electrochemical potential could increase
the susceptibility to corrosion at HAZ. If they are far apart on the scale, corrosion can be a serious
problem.

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• Weldability of carbon steel alloys is inversely proportional to its hardenability due to martensite formation.
Austenitic stainless steels tend to be the most weldable, but suffer from distortion due to high thermal
expansion leading to cracking and reduced corrosion resistance. Ferritic and martensitic stainless steels
are not easily welded, often to be preheated and use special electrodes. Aluminum alloys are susceptible
to hot cracking, oxide inclusions, dross, and porosity (hydrogen). Titanium alloys with low amounts of
alloying elements are more readily welded, while highly stabilized titanium alloys are difficult to weld due
to segregation.

• When welding duplex stainless steels to austenitic grades, the austenitic filler metals with low carbon
and a molybdenum content intermediate between the two steels are typically used.

• AWS E309LMo/ER309LMo is frequently used for these joints. The same filler metal or AWS
E309L/ER309L is commonly used to join duplex stainless steels to carbon and low alloy steels.

• Because austenitic stainless steels have lower strength than duplex grades, welded joints made with
austenitic filler metals may not be as strong as the duplex base metal.

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Welding Consumables Used for Dissimilar Metal Welding.

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• When welding the highly alloyed austenitic stainless steels, nickel-base fillers are used.

• The nickel-base filler metals are not normally used for duplex stainless steels, but if they are, they should be
free of niobium (columbium).

• Although not thoroughly documented, there have been suggestions that the ENiCrMo-3 filler (625) has been
less than satisfactory, possibly because of interaction of the niobium from the filler with the nitrogen from the
duplex base metal.

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 Summary
• There are various alloying elements that have different properties to deoxidize,
refine grain structures, or improve ductility. It is important to consider the
properties needed in a completed weld when making the filler metal selection .

• When welding dissimilar stainless steels, ensure the filler material has similar
corrosion resistance and mechanical properties of the higher alloy.
Select a filler metal that has high temperature strength, oxidation resistance as
well as maintaining ductility in the weld and avoiding hot cracking.

• All-weld-metal tensile tests with any applicable production type PWHT to determine
ultimate strength, yield strength, elongation, and reduction of area should be
conducted whenever satisfactory mill test reports or other supplier certifications are
not available.

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Thank You

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 weldability of high-chromium molybdenum steels
Electrodes and Filler Metals
Use low-hydrogen electrodes and filler metal with this material. Some
preferred electrodes for welding 9Cr-1Mo with shielded metal arc welding
(SMAW) are E505-1X (produced to be corrosion-resistant), E8018-B8, or
B8L.
For the solid-wire processes—gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) and gas
metal arc welding (GMAW)—use ER505 or ER80S-B8. Submerged arc
welding (SAW) also uses the same classification of wires and a suitable
flux.
For flux-cored arc welding (FCAW), E505T-1 or T-2, E815-B8, or E60T5-B8L
can be used. However, there is some concern about the Charpy impact
values and FCAW wires.
For 9Cr-1Mo with V, Nb/Cb, and N, the preferred SMAW electrodes are
E9018-B9 or E9015-B9. The E9015-B9 electrode is less likely to cause
hydrogen attack because the coating does not contain all the elements,
such as iron powder, that absorb hydrogen. The same processes,
electrodes, filler metals, and flux can be used for welding SA387-Gr9 and
SA387-Gr91.

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• Joining Techniques of Dissimilar Joints
• Poor Solubility in Each Other
• Formation of Oxide Layer
• Difference in M.P, T.C, , E
• Formation of Brittle Intermetallic Phases
• Hybrid Structure

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