Gas Metal Arc and Flux

Cored Arc Welding

Processes
 Contents

• Gas Metal Arc Welding

• Flux Cored Arc Welding

 Major Arc welding processes

– MMAW / SMAW
• Manual Metal Arc Welding / Shielded Metal Arc
Welding
– GMAW / FCAW *
• Gas Metal Arc Welding ( MIG / MAG )
• Flux Cored Arc welding
– GTAW *
• Gas Tungsten Arc welding
– SAW
• Submerged Arc Welding
• Electro – slag

*Gas shielded processes

 Weld Metal Deposited By Major Arc
Welding Processes

70% 30%
2%
Manual Metal Arc
1%
20% Submerged Arc
70% 9%
Gas Metal Arc

8% Gas Tungsten Arc

Developed 60%
Countries
India
 Gas Metal Arc Welding the Dominant Process

• Improved productivity with flexibiity

• High weld quality with low hydrogen deposit
• Suitable for semi-automatic and automatic welding
• Increased penetration and deposition rates
• Amenable to mechanisation and robotic applications

• Adaptable to microprocessor based feed back

control
 Gas Metal Arc ( MIG ) Welding

Uses continuous wire

0.6 – 2.0 mm as
electrode
Gas shielded, inert or
active gas
Manual,automatic or
semi-automatic
process
High productivity
GMAW process
GMAW equipment
 Power Source Characteristics

• Power Sources of Constant Current type having

drooping characteristics are used for
- MMAW process
- GTAW process
- Plasma processes

• Power sources of constant voltage type having flat

characteristics are used for
- GMAW & FCAW processes
- SAW process
V-A Relationship – CV power
source for GMAW / SAW
Automatic arc length regulation
 Wire Feed Speed / Current.

• Constant potential power sources are used for

GMAW and have no built in means of changing the
current. The current adjusts itself to burn off the
quantity of wire delivered. If the wire feed speed is
increased more current is drawn to burn it off . In
this way adjusting the wire feed speed also adjusts
the current supplied.

• The current dictates the amount of heat generated

by the arc. Increasing the current increases the arc
energy and therefore the heat input. This in turn
increases fusion and penetration, wire deposition
rate and travel speed.
 Shielding Gases

Shielding gases provide a Types of shielding

protection to the weld metal gases used in GMAW
from the atmosphere and • Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
have a pronounced effect on: • Argon
• Arc characteristics • Helium
• Mode of metal transfer • Oxygen
• Penetration and weld bead profile • Nitrogen
• Speed of welding • Mixtures of the above
• Undercutting tendency gases
• Cleaning action
• Weld metal mechanical properties
 GMAW Filler Wire
GMAW filler wire for welding carbon-manganese and low alloy steels
require additional quantities of silicon and Manganese as de-oxidisers.
Some stainless steel wires may also have higher silicon, otherwise
chemistry of GMAW wire generally match the plate material

AWS specifications covering GMAW wire

• SFA-5.7 for copper and copper alloys
• SFA-5.9 for stainless steels
• SFA-5.10 for aluminium and aluminium alloys
• SFA-5.14 for nickel and nickel allos
• SFA-5.18 for carbon – manganese steels
• SFA-5.28 for low alloy steels
 Modes of metal transfer
• The mode of transfer is determined by a number of
factors:
– Magnitude, type and polarity of welding current
– Electrode diameter
– Electrode composition
– Electrode extension and
– Shielding gas composition
Influence of welding current & gas on
metal transfer mode in GMAW

DIP GLOBULAR SPRAY

CO2 Argon Mix
CO2 /
Ar Mix
 Modes Of Metal Transfer
• DIP TRANSFER
Low current - low voltage used to produce
short circuiting arc, freq. 200 times / minute.
Used for sheet metal and postional welding

• SPRAY TRANSFER
Higher currents and voltage used , droplet size
same as or lower than the wire diameter.
Higher deposition rate penetration and fluidity
of the molten pool , increases the productivity
 Dip or Short Circuit Transfer
• Occurs with carbon dioxide, argon and argon mixtures as
the shielding gas and the current density is low.
• Molten droplets forms on the tip of the electrode, but
instead of dropping to the weld pool, they bridge the gap
between the electrode and the weld pool as a result of
the greater wire feed rate.
• This causes a short circuit and extinguishes the arc, but it
is quickly reignited after the surface tension of the weld
pool pulls the molten metal bead off the electrode tip.
• The metal is transferred from the electrode only during
the period in which the electrode is in contact with the
weld pool.
• No metal is transferred across the arc.
• The electrode contacts the weld pool in the range of 20-
to 200 times per second.
 GMAW – Metal Transfer modes

Spray Transfer Globular Transfer

4 steps in
Short
circuiting
transfer
 Spray Transfer
• Spray transfer GMAW occurs when the molten
metal from the electrode is propelled axially
across the arc in the form of minute droplets.
• With Argon-rich gas shielding it is possible to
produce a very stable, spatter-free axial spray
transfer mode.
• The mode requires Direct current with a positive
electrode (DCEP) and a current level above a
critical value termed the spray transition current.
Below this level, the transfer is globular.
Axial Spray Transfer

•Molten metal is
propelled axially
across the arc in
minute droplets
•Argon-rich gas
shielding produces
stable spatter free
axial spray transfer
mode
Argon Mixed Gas Spray Transfer
 Modes Of Metal Transfer Contd.

• GLOBULAR TRANSFER
An intermediate stage between dip and spray
transfer. Droplet sizes are more than the wire dia.
Produces excessive spatter and erratic arc
behaviour

• PULSED TRANSFER
Controlled method of spray transfer. Heat input to
the job is controlled by low background current
with high pulses using special type of equipment
 Globular transfer
• Globular transfer is normally encountered with CO2 as shielding gas
at higher current and voltages.
• The higher surface tension of molten metal with CO2 produces a
larger size droplet greater than the wire diameter.
• The CO2 gas also dissociates in the welding arc to CO and oxygen
and then recombines back on top of the weld.
• This sets up some electro-magnetic forces in the upward and
tangential directions which act on the metal droplet. It also produces
greater heat due to the burning of the CO.
• When the droplet finally detaches by gravity or it falls in an uneven
manner on to the workpiece, This causes higher spatter and a more
uneven bead.
• As a result of the large molten droplets this mode of transfer is
generally limited to flat and horizontal welding positions.
CO2 Globular Transfer
 Pulse Transfer

Combines the control on heat input of short arc with the higher
deposition rate of open arc.
Gives extremely precise control on metal transfer and penetration
to give superior weld quality
In synergic pulsed systems wire feed rate synchronised with
pulsed current to control individual droplet detachment.
 Problems of using CO2 as
Shielding Gas
• Unstable arc with high level of spatter

• High fume formation rate

• Higher level of reinforcement

• Reduced speed due to high viscosity

• Undercut / sharp notch at the toe of weld

 Spatter generated

1 metre of weld at 260 amps

using 1.2mm dia. A18 solid wire

Carbon dioxide Argon - 20 CO2 Argon-12 CO2

17.1 g 8.6 g 5.5 g

T-GK 3 (10)
 Problems in using pure Argon
as Shielding gas

• Stable and Soft arc with a tendency to wander

• Finger shaped penetration profile

• Poor fusion and penetration due to low heat

input

• Comparatively high bead profile

Finger Profile of pure Argon arc
Pure Argon Profile
Oxygen

Carbon di-oxide
20% 10%

Modified by oxygen and CO2

 Development of Shielding Gas
Mixtures
For welding mild and alloy steels which can tolerate some amount of
oxidising gases the pure Argon arc is modified by adding
• 1 – 5% oxygen to reduce surface tension and improve weld pool
fluidity to give a flatter bead and increase welding speeds.
• 5 – 25% CO2 to increase arc heat to improve fusion and penetration
and round out the penetration profile of pure argon. However the
greater is the amount of CO2 added higher is the spatter.
For welding stainless steels
• Upto 2% oxygen or 3% CO2 added to improve weld fluidity and
give flatter weld bead.
• 10 - 40% helium added in modern gases for improved penetration &
bead shape and increased welding speeds,
For welding aluminium, copper, nickel and other non-ferrous
alloys where no oxidising gas can be tolerated
• 25 – 75% helium added to improve fusion, penetration and welding
speeds.
 Argon - Helium Mixtures used for
Aluminium and Non-ferrous metals

Helium Argon
Effect of CO2 and O2 on welding speed
( 4mm throat fillet on 6mm plate)

70
60
Welding 50
40
speed
30
cm/min 20
10
0
CO2 and Argon mixture profiles

CO2 Argon mixture

 Shielding gas profiles &
effect on weld length
weld length
1.2 m weld length
1.15 m weld length
1m

Ar-CO2-O2 Ar-CO2 CO2

Savings with Argon / CO2 / O2 gas mixtures
Process
Savings in wire DIP SPRAY
----------------------
 From reduced spatter 5% 10 - 15 %

 From flatter weld 10 - 20 % 10 - 15 %

Total Savings 15 - 25 % 20 - 30 %

Savings in arcing time 15 - 25 % 20 - 40 %

-----------------------------------
 Savings in power Equivalent to Equivalent to
arcing time arcing time

 Savings in gas volume Equivalent to Equivalent to

assuming flow rate same as CO2 arcing time arcing time

Savings in weldshop productivity

------------------------------------------------
 From improved welder productivity 5 - 10 % 5 - 10 %

 From reduced spatter cleaning and upto 50 % upto 75 %

weld dressing time
CASE STUDY - 2
Heavy Fabrication
CO2 Argon Mix
Welding Parameters 270 A 280 A
31 V 30 V

Gas flow rate (lt/min) 15 15

Arcing Time (sec) 440 306
(30% saving)
Wire Consumption (kg) 32.8 25.8
(21% saving)
Cost (Rs.) 1180 930
Gas Consumption (M3) 6.6 4.6
Cost (Rs.) 92 263
Power Cost (Rs.) 372 249
Labour - welding (Rs.) 366 255
- dressing (Rs.) 60 30
Total Welding Cost 2070 1727

Reduction in direct weld costs - 16.6 %

 All weld deposit properties
with ER70S-6 wire
Weld Chemistry
Wire With CO2 With Argon-mix

C 0.085 0.08 0.09

Mn 1.39 1.20 1.30

Si 0.95 0.73 0.76

Mechanical Properties
UTS (kg/cm2) 54.8 62.5
YS (kg/cm2) 45.1 49.8
% El 24 30
Impact (Joules) - RT 149 180
- (-)300C 60 100
 Benefits of using gas mixtures
• Improved arc stability leading to lower spatter loss

• Improved weld bead geometry leading to weld metal saving

• Faster welding speeds leading to higher productivity and

reduced labour costs

• Improved weld quality leading to lesser rejects

• Reduced clean up time

• Lower distortion

• No heaters required for individual cylinders

Gas Metal Arc Welding Parameters

• Current ( amps )
• Voltage ( volts )
• Shielding gas flow rate. ( litres / min )
• Stick out
• Torch angle
• Welding speed
 Balancing the wire feed speed
• As the wire feeds toward the weld it is melted by the
arc which burns up the wire. This is shown below.

Balancing welding parameters

Wire Feed
Rate

Arc Burn -
Back Rate
 Balancing the wire feed speed

• Two options are available to balance the wire

feed rate
• Adjusting the arc voltage to increase or
decrease the burn off rate - used when the
current is OK for the job
• Adjusting the wire feed speed if the current
is too high or low.
WELDING PARAMETER CHART
PROCESS PARAMETER WIRE SIZE WIRE SIZE WIRE SIZE

0.8 mm 1.0 mm 1.2 mm

Dip Amps 45 -130 60 -145 65 -150

(Short nozzle) Volts 15 -22 16 -22 16 -22
Gas flow (lts/min) 10-15 12-16 12-16
Stick out (mm) 8 – 10 8 – 12 8 – 12

Spray Amps 150 – 200 180 – 200 (250) 210 – 400

(Long nozzle) Volts 24 – 31 25 – 31 26 – 35
Gas flow (lts/min) 12 – 16 14 – 18 15 - 20
Stick out (mm) 15 – 20 16 - 22 18 – 25
 Torch angle.

15 - 25

Direction of travel
This rake angle should be utilised for the welding of all joint types in the
flat and overhead position.
 Influence of wire angle
The wire angle influences
• penetration
• weld convexity
• tendency to undercutting
• porosity.

Backhand gives high penetration,

narrow and high weld convexity, and
relatively high risk for undercutting

Vertical welding gives optimum

performance
Backhand Vertical Forehand
Forehand gives low penetration, wide
and low weld convexity, and relatively
slight risk for undercutting
 Process Variations

• Gas metal arc spot welding is a technique in

which two overlapping work-pieces are fused
together by penetration of the arc
• Heavier sections can also be welded by
punching a hole in the upper work-piece. This is
know as plug-welding
• As against resistance spot welds, access to only
one side of the joint is necessary for Gas metal
arc spot welding.
 MIG Brazing
• MIG brazing is a variation of the MIG
welding process used for brazewelding. It
uses the heat generated by an arc struck
between a continuously fed consumable
filler wire and the workpiece to fuse the
metal in the joint area.
• The consumable wire used in MIG brazing
is solid and an additional shielding gas is
required to protect the arc and weld area in
the same manner as that used for MIG
welding.
• The main features of the process are low
welding currents, low heat input and high
deposition rates.
• The filler wire is usually of copper-silicon
alloy, although other copper alloy wires
have also been used.
 High Productivity GMAW Processes

• Conventional GMAW limited to deposition rates upto

6kg / hr and speeds upto 600 mm / min.

• To achieve higher productivity

- Modified single wire processes
Speeds upto 2m/min, deposition rate 14kg/hr
- Two wire processes
Speeds upto 5m/min, deposition rates 20kg/hr
 RAPID ARC / RAPID MELT / T.I.M.E
PROCESSES

• Characterised by high wire feed rates upto 30 m/min

with high stick out
• 3 voltage ranges : Low - Forced short arc
High - Moderated spray arc
V.High - Rotating arc
• Special gas mixture compositions
Ar - 26.5He - 8CO2 - 0.5O2
Ar - 30He - 10CO2 - 300ppm NO
Ar - 8CO2
 Two Wire Processes
• Two wires, leading and trailing forming common
elongated weld pool.

Twin wire GMAW -

• Power sources coupled in parellel with common
control. Parameters cannot be set independently
• Equipotential contact tubes - same volts for both
wires. Magnetic attraction of arc roots.
• Optimum inter wire spacing 4-7mm.
• Mostly used with Pulsed - Arc and Spray Arc
 Multi-wire GMAW Process

• Tandem Wire Technologies

came to the GMAW process
in early Nineties .
• 2 electrically isolated wires,
one behind the other (lead &
trail electrodes), closely
spaced, deposit metal in
single weld pool
• Lead wire generates most of
base metal penetration, trail
wire controls bead contour
and edge wetting-also adds
to Depo. Rate.
• Managed by specialized
Power control software
 Two Wire Processes

Tandem MIG
• Independently controlled power sources
frequency coupled - master and slave operation.
• Electrically seperated contact tubes allows
independent volts and parameter settings.
• Phase shift in pulsed welding achieves high
quality spatter free welding
• Argon - 5O2 and Argon - 18CO2 gas mixtures
used
• Applications in Ship building, tank welding, truck
wheels, rail coaches
 Summary: GMAW Benefits
• GMAW is an efficient process that can be used to weld
all commercial metals and alloys
• GMAW can perform in all positions, a capability
submerged arc welding does not have
• Deposition rates are significantly higher that SMAW
• Long welds can be deposited and the process can be
easily mechanized
• Minimal post-weld cleaning is required due to absence of
slag
• It is a low hydrogen process, making it a good choice of
process to be used for susceptible materials
• Process skills are readily taught and acquired
 Summary: GMAW Limitations
• The equipment required for GMAW is more
complex, expensive and less portable than that
used for SMAW
• Difficult to use in hard-to reach places due to the
limitation imposed by the gun size
• The arc must be protected against drafts in
excess of 8 km/h, which may disperse the
shielding gas, thus limiting outdoor applications
• Relatively high levels of radiated heat and arc
intensity
FCAW PROCESS
 Flux Cored Welding
• Flux Cored Arc Welding (FCAW) is frequently
referred to as flux cored welding. 
• Flux cored welding is a commonly used high
deposition rate welding process that adds the
benefits of flux to the welding simplicity of MIG
welding. 
• As in MIG, welding wire is continuously fed from
a spool.  Flux cored welding is therefore referred
to as a semiautomatic welding process.
 Flux/metal-cored wires

Flux powder Strip (0.6 mm thick) of

consists of Ferro- carbon steel/ stainless
alloys, and/or gas steel/Nickel/ copper
formers and/or slag
formers

Resultant weld metal

contains transferred
Slag – metal, alloying
consists of elements
silicates and
oxides
 Flux/metal-cored wires

Flux powder Gas shielded cored wires

consists of contain only slag formers
and no gas formers as gas is
•Ferro-alloys externally provided
•Gas formers
Open arc (Gasless) cored
•Slag formers wires contain gas formers
& slag formers

Submerged arc cored

wires contain no gas
formers and no slag formers
FCAW
Weld
Profile
 FCAW Advantages
• High quality weld metal deposit
• Excellent weld appearance
• Welds many steels in a wide thickness range
• High operating factor and easily mechanized
• High deposition rate (up to 4 times greater than SMAW
and high current density
• Relatively high electrode deposition efficiency
• Requires less pre-cleaning than GMAW
• Good fusion, less distortion and high tolerance for
contaminations
• Good resistance to under-bead cracking
 FCAW Limitations
• Limited to welding ferrous metals and nickel
base alloys only
• It produces a slag covering that must be
removed
• FCAW wire is more expensive on weight basis
that solid electrodes
• The equipment is more expensive, complex
• The power source and wire feeder must remain
close to point of welding
• More smoke and fumes than GMAW and SAW
 FCAW Process Features
• Uses tubular wire with flux
inside
• Gas shielded (FCAW-G) or
self shielded (FCAW-S)
• The flux produces a protective
slag and/or gas cover
• Combination of benefits of
MMAW and GMAW
• High productivity process with
low spatter. Smooth arc with
CO2. Argon mixtures give
superior performance
• Problem of high fumes which
need to be extracted in
enclosed areas
 Application of FCAW
• For fabrication of
- mild and low alloy steels
- stainless steels
- high nickel alloys

• For surfacing
- for wear or corrosion/oxidation resistance
- wide range of hardness / compositions available
- self shielded wires mainly used here
 FCAW application areas
Out-of-position welding
• Solid wire GMAW has to use dip-transfer which is slow with
tendency for lack-of-fusion or expensive pulsed-arc power sources
• Rutile type gas shielded E71T-1 wires can deposit over 3 kgs/hr
vertically up and are extensively used in shipbuilding, structural and
general fabrication applications.

Outdoors field welding

• Gas shielded, solid wire or FCAW processes cannot be used due to
windy conditions
• Self shielded E71T-8 wires used which can deposit upto 2 kgs/hr
vertically up.
 FCAW application areas
Down-hand welding
• For applications not requiring Charpy impact properties
E70T-4, self shielded wires used. Deposits upto 18 kg/hr
in mechanised operation
• For applications requiring impact properties E70T-1
wires used. Deposits upto 14 kg/hr in mechanised
operation.

For welding coated and galvanized sheet

• Self shielded E71T-14 wires used. Breaks up and
volatilizes the coating avoiding porosity and cracks

For high impact requirements and low alloy steels

• E70T-5 wires used with gas shielding
 Typical welding Parameters for FCAW
E71T-1 wire
Wire Down-hand Vertical-up Overhead
Size
0.9 mm 26V – 200A 23V – 150A 26V – 200A

1.2 mm 27V – 240A 25V – 200A 27V – 210A

1.4 mm 28V – 260A 25V – 210A 28V – 220A

1.6 mm 28V – 275A 25V – 220A 28V – 240A

 Gas Metal Arc Brazing
• A copper based electrode (e.g. aluminium
bronze or silicon bronze) is used instead
of a steel electrode to join steel.
• As the copper alloy has a lower melting
temperature than steel, less heating of the
base metal is required in order to deposit a
weld bead, and little or no melting of the
base metal occurs.
• The lower heat input reduces the amount
of coating that is melted away and the
copper based weld bead furnishes better
corrosion resistance than that provided by
a carbon steel weld bead.
THANK YOU