Manual Metal Arc Welding

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 Manual Metal Arc Welding

• Most Versatile Welding Process

• Suitable for almost all types of metals and all positions
• Its operation is comparatively easy
• It is a fusion welding
• The heat being provided by electric arc
• The arc has an average temperature of around 6,000 degree
C
• M.M.A welding is carried out using either a.c. or d.c.
• In case of d.c. current + ve or – ve polarity may be used
• A high open circuit voltage (o.c.v.) required is 65-90 volts
• Lower welding voltage required is 20-40 volts
• Reasonable range of current must be available; 30-350 amps
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Effect of Amperage too low
Poor penetration or fusion,
unstable arc,
irregular bead shape,
slag inclusion,
porosity,
electrode freezes to the weld,
possible stray arc strikes.
Effect of Amperage too high
Excessive penetration,
burn through,
porosity,
spatter,
deep craters,
undercut,
electrode overheats,
high deposition (positional welding
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Effect of Voltage too low
Poor penetration,
Electrode freezes to work
Possible stray arcs
Fusion defects
Slag inclusions
Unstable arc
Irregular bead shape.
Effect of Voltage too high
Porosity
Spatter
Irregular bead
Slag inclusion
Very fluid weld pool
positional welding difficult.

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Travel speed too slow
• Excessive deposition
• Cold laps
• Slag inclusions
• Irregular bead shape.

Travel speed too Fast

• Narrow thin bead
• Slag inclusion
• Fast cooling
• Undercut
• Poor fusion and Penetration

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An electrode connected to the d.c.+ve pole will have two thirds of
the available energy.The remaining one third of the energy in the
parent material
It will result in:
wide and shallow weld pool
Broad HAZ
Slow Rate of Cooling
Hydrogen Intrapment
An electrode connected to the d.c. –ve pole has One third of the
energy develops at the electrode and two thirds of the energy in the
parent material.
This will result in
Weld pool which is narrow, deep and fast freezing
limited h.a.z.
May lead to hydrogen entrapment and a brittle metallurgical
structure
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 In A.C. The polarity is reversing 100 times per second (50 c.p.s.).
Effect of equalizing the heat distribution
Heat at the electrode and half in the parent material.

Types of Consumables used in MMA

Rutile: Titanium Dioxide, Clay , Sodium silicate
Cellulosic: Cellulose( wood pulp), Titanium Dioxide, Sodium silicate
Basic: Lime stone ( Calcium carbonate ), Titanium Dioxide, Sodium
silicate

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MIG/MAG Welding Process

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 MIG/MAG Welding Process

• This process uses a bare wire consumable electrode

• The wire, typically 0.8 -1.6 mm diameter

• Is continuously fed from a coil through a specially designed

welding gun.

• The possibility of atmospheric contamination is eliminated

by
introducing a shielding gas.

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 MIG Welding Process

• When an inert gas is used for shielding the welding, the process
is know as metal inert-gas (MIG) welding

• Argon is an efficient shielding gas, being inert

• Argon does not chemically react with the weld metal

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 MAG Welding Process

• When an active gas is used for shielding the welding process is

know as metal active-gas (MAG) welding

• CO2 commonly used as Shielding Gas in MAG Welding

• Therefore the MAG process is widely referred to as CO2 welding

• CO2 will react with Iron at high temperatures, to produce Iron Oxide

• Shielding Gases changes the electric properties of the weld

• This will influence on the metal transfer rate,heat input,penetration

and weld profile characteristics.
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 • Shielding Gases changes the electric properties of the weld

• This will influence on the metal transfer rate, heat input,

penetration and weld profile characteristics.

Example Gasses and applications for MIG/MAG Welding are

Pure Argon Aluminum , copper , 9% Nickel steel

Argon + 1% to 5% Oxygen
CO2
Argon + 5% to 25% CO2
Argon + 5% Hydrogen
Argon + 15% Nitrogen
75% Helium + 25% Argon
75% Helium + 25% Argon
Stain less steel
Carbon steel 0.4% C, Low alloy steel
Carbon steel, Low alloy steel
Nickel and its alloys
Copper and its alloys
Aluminum and Copper alloys
Austenitic Stainless steel
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Metal Transfer Modes in MIG/MAG Welding

• Spray or free flight transfer,

• Dip transfer (semi-short circuiting arc),
• Globular transfer, Pulsed transfer.

Spray or free flight transfer

• The weld metal transfers across the arc in the form of a fine spray.
• This gives high deposition rates and deep penetration welds.
• It is well suited to thick materials and for flat or horizontal
welding positions

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 Dip transfer (semi-short circuiting arc)
To achieve this low amperage and low arc volts are required.
This produces relatively cool arc Used on thinner sections for all
positional welding, including Vertical down welding

Globular transfer
This occurs in the intermediate range between Spray and Dip
This has mechanized and automated set up

Pulsed Transfer
Pulses of high powered current are super imposed over a constant
Semi short circuiting background mode
This permits hotter welding with high deposition rates

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For MIG/MAG welding, usually electrode d.c. +ve of a flat
Characteristic is used
Advantages
• Minimal wastage of consumable electrode,
• No frequent changing of consumable electrode,
• Little or no interpass cleaning required (no slag produced)
• Heavier weld beads are produced.
• Faster welding process,
• Low hydrogen process
• Preheat may not be required.
Disadvantages
•Increased risk or porosity – due to displacement of the gas
shield, more maintenance of plant involved

• High risk of lack or fusion.

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TIG Welding

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The TIG welding process uses a non-consumable tungsten
electrode to provide an arc.

Filler metal, when required, is fed from a separate filler rod.

A shielding gas, e.g. argon, is fed through the welding gun to the
weld area and provides a gas shield to prevent contamination by
the atmospheric gases.

No fluxes are used with the process.

When the arc only is used to produce the weld, without the
addition of separately fed filler wire, the process is known as
autogenous TIG
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 TIG Welding is used for deposition of high quality root runs
on pipe work.

When high quality root runs are needed, a back purge is used
to prevent oxidizing (coking) of the weld metal.
In most cases electrode d.c. –ve polarity is used

d.c. +ve needs higher voltage and overheat and melt the tip

The scavenging action achieved with electrode d.c + ve

A compromise is met using AC current so that for 50% of

each current cycle the electrode is positive.

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The gas shield fulfils two main function

It provides a suitable ionizable atmosphere for the electric arc.

It protects the weld pool from atmospheric contamination.

Excessive gas pressure can cause rippling of the weld pool.
Three gases may be considered for TIG welding: argon, helium,
and nitrogen.
Argon Produces a smooth, quiet arc with low arc volts.
The addition of between 1% and 5% of the active gas hydrogen,
will raise the arc voltage and give deeper penetration.

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The inert gas helium is lighter than argon, therefore requires
higher.

Helium creates a higher arc voltage which is useful for welding

thick sections.
Helium is also more expensive than argon.

Nitrogen is inert at room temperature.

At arc temperature Nitrogen combines with oxygen and becomes
Active therefore not suitable in most of the cases

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A high o.c.v. of around 90 volts is required for TIG welding to
ensure arc stability at all times.

The power sources used for TIG are generator, transformer ,

transformer-rectifier.

High frequency current is superimposed at the start of all

d.c.welding operations.

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 Plasma Arc Welding

Plasma arc welding is basically a modification of the TIG process

The p.a.w. process has the ability to perform welds by the keyhole
technique on closed square butts on 1.5-10 mm thick plates
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The welding torch consists of a non-consumable tungsten electrode

This electrode is fixed in a nozzle

Trough this nozzle plasma gas flows

This nozzle lies within another nozzle through which the shielding
gas flows.
Gas is fed into the inner nozzle under low pressure and passes
through the electric arc where it becomes ionized.

This increases the gas pressure and thus the temperature which
is in the range of 10,000 – 17,000 oC.

This superheated ionized gas is referred to as plasma.

Shielding and plasma gases used are pure argon, helium or

argon helium mixtures. 1 23
 Submerged Arc Welding

• Submerged arc welding uses a continuously fed bare wire

consumable electrode, 1.6 to 6.4 mm diameter.
• The weld pool is protected by separately supplied shielding flux

in fused or agglomerated form. 1 24

• It is possible to feed more than one consumable wire electrode
into the weld pool at the same time. Single,twin,triple wire feed

system is commonly used

••Submerged
The arc andarc welding
molten weldismetal
normally fully mechanized.
are completely submerged beneath
the layer of shielding flux.

• The flux also provides additives to the weld, removes impurities

from the weld and provides a thermal blanket.

• Rapid deposition of heavy weld beads is possible without spatter.

• It is possible to weld 37 mm thick weld in one pass, using 5000
Amp current
• Both a.c. and d.c. power sources are used with SAW
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Deep penetration will be achieved because of the high current
used.
Submerged arc welding is widely used in ship building, structural
steel work, general engineering applications, and for the
fabrication of pipes and pipelines.

Carbon steel, alloy steel and stainless steels are the main
materials welded using this process.
Only possible to weld in the flat or horizontal vertical position.

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 Fluxes for SAW are divided into two types:
• Fused – granulated.
• Agglomerated – powdered.

Fused fluxes
• The ingredients are mixed and melted at a high temperature
• The mixture is then poured onto large chill blocks or directed into
a stream of water to produce granules which have a hard glassy
appearance.
• The materials is then crushed, sieved for size, and packaged.

Advantages of fused fluxes

• Good chemical mix achieved.
• They do not attract moisture.
• The easy removal of impurities and fine particles etc. when recycling
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Agglomerated fluxes

• All the flux materials are dry mixed and then bonded with either
potassium or sodium silicate.
• Backed at a temperature below the melting point.
• The powder is sieved for size and packaged

Advantages of Agglomerated
fluxes
• Easy addition of deoxidants and Ferro-alloys.

Dis - Advantages of Agglomerated fluxes

• Absorb moisture
• Difficult redrying and recycling
• Difficult removal of impurities

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Electro Slag Welding

1- Plate to be welded
2- Shoes
3- Molten Slag
4- Electrode
5- Molten Metal
6-Finished Weld
7- Pipe for cooling
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 Electro Slag Welding

• Used to Join Metals 10 – 50 mm thick

• Plates upto 300 mm can be welded at 600-1200 mm /hour speed

• Welding is possible only when the plates are in vertical position

• Welding once started must be carried out till finish becouse

restart produce defective areas

• Welds are mostly defect free

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