Shielded Metal Arc Welding

(SMAW)
Manual
We more often hear it referred to as
"Stick Welding"
This process operates by heating the
metal with an electric arc between a
coverd metal electrode and the metals
to be joined.

Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW)

Flux Cored Arc Welding (FCAW)

Semiautomatic (also used in

mechanized and automatic)
We more often hear it referred to as
MIG
An arc is created between the wire and
the workpiece to heat and melt the base
and filler material.

Semiautomatic (also used in

mechanized and automatic)

The shielding for welding is provided

by a protective gas atmosphere which
is also emitted from the welding gun
from external source.
* Inert gases (argon and helium).
* Reactive gas (CO2)

1-Some electrodes are designed to

provide all of the necessary shielding
from the internal flux (self-shielding).
They are designated by suffixes 3, 4, 6,
7, 8, 10, 11, 13, and 14.
*self-shielded type are better suited foe
field
2-Other electrodes require additional
shielding from an auxiliary shielding
gas. They are designated by suffixes 1,
2, 5, 9, and 12.
#gas type used are CO2 or (75%
Argon-25% CO2)
*the suffixes G and GS refer to
multiple-pass and single-pass.

An arc is created between the wire and

the workpiece to heat and melt the base
and filler material.

Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW)

Manual
The electrode used is not intended to be consumed
during welding.
An arc is created between the tungsten electrode
and the workpiece to heat and melt the base and
filler material.

Submerged Arc Welding (SAW)

Semiautomatic (also used in mechanized and
automatic)

Plasma Arc Welding (PAW)

A plasma is defind as an ionized gas
With any process using an arc, a plasma is created.

SAW is characterized by the use of a

continuously-fed solid wire electrode which
provides an arc that is totally covered by layer
of granular flux.

PAW could be easily mistaken for GTAW because the

equipment required is quite similar.

Electrode

Concept

Type

Problem

Limitation

Advantage

Power Curre
source
nt

Shielding

From electrode coating

The shielding for welding is provided by a

protective gas atmosphere which is also emitted
from the welding gun from external source.
* Inert gases (argon and helium).
AC alternately heats the electrode and base metal.
Used for welding aluminum
DCEN well tend to heat the base metal more. Used
for welding of steels.
DCEP well tend the to heat the electrode more.

With SAW a granular flux is distributed is

distributed ahead of or around the wire electrode
to facilitate the protection of the molten metal.

Both PAW & GTAW torches use a tungsten electrode for

the creation of the arc. However, with the PAW torch, there
is a copper orifice within the ceramic nozzle. There is a
plasma gas which is forced through this orifice and past the
welding arc resulting in the constriction of the arc.
There is tow categories of plasma arc operation:Transferred arc , the arc is created between the tungsten
electrode and the workpiece. It is use for both welding and
cutting of conductive materials.
Nontransferred arc, occurs between the tungsten electrode
and the copper orifice. It is preferred for cutting of
nonconductive materials and for welding of materials when
the amount of heating of the workpiece must be minimized.

AC DCEP DCEN

DCEP

DCEP (1,2,3,4,6,9,12) * 5
DCEN (7,8,10,11,13,14) * 5

A constant current power source

A constant voltage, or constant

potential power source.

A constant voltage, or constant

potential power source.

A constant current power source

A constant voltage, or constant potential power

source.

A constant current power source

1- The equipment is relatively simple

and inexpensive. Portable.
2- Used in most industries for
numerous application.
3- The resulting weld quality can be
consistently high.

1- Use in many industrial application.

2- Gas shielding reduce the possibility
of introduction hydrogen into the
weld zone
3- This is little or no cleaning
required. (High production
situation.)
4- Less smoke is generated.
5- More portable.
6- Welder can more easily observe the
action of the arc and molten puddle
to improve control.
Spray Transfer - Pulsed Arc
Globular - Short Circuiting
* Spray transfer can be achieved only
when there is at least 80% argon
present in the gas mixture.

1-Rapidly gaining acceptance as the

welding process of choice in some
industries.
2-Good performance on contamination
surface, and increased deposition rates.
3-Use with satisfactory results for both
shop and field applications.
4-Electrodes produced are ferrous (for
C.S & S.S). Some od Stainless types
actually employ a carbon steel sheath
surrounding the internal flux which
contains the granular alloying elements
such as chromium and nickel.
5-Electrode comes on continuous reels
which increase the arc time
6-An aggressive - deeply penetration

High rate of weld metal deposition.

SAW can typically deposit weld metal more
efficiently than any of the more common
processes.
Saw has high operator appeal because of the
lack of a visible arc which allows the operator to
control the welding without the need for filter
lens and other heavy protective clothing.
There is less smoke generated.
Ability to penetrate deeply

As indicated, tow separate gases are required.

Argon is most commonly employed for both types of gas.
PAW is used extensively for full penetration weld in
material up to in. thick by employing a technique referred
to as keyhole welding.
This creates a high quality weld, with no elaborate joint
preparation and fast travel speeds compared to GTAW.
PAW is a very localized heat source. This allows for faster
welding speeds and therefore less distortion. The welder has
better visibility of the weld being made.

GMAW is sensitive to drafts or wind.

Not suited for field weld
Equipment required is more complex

1-Layer of solidified slag which must

be removed.
2-There is a significant amount of
smoke generated during welding.
3- Equipment required is more
complex

It is capable of welding virtually all material,

because the electrode is not melted during the
welding.
It is suitable for use on thinnest (down to 0.005 in.)
of metal.
Clean and controllable (aerospace, food and drug
processing)
It can product welds of high quality and excellent
visual appearance.
It is suitable for welding most material, many of
which are not as easily welded using other welding
processes.
If there is no commercially available wire for
particular metal alloy, it is possible to produce a
suitable filler metal by simply shearing a piece of
identical base metal to produce a narrow piece
w2hich can be hand-fed into the weld zone as if it
were a wire.
Slowest of the available welding processes.
Have a low tolerance for contamination
Required a high skill level welder.

Can only be done in position where the flux can

be supported in the weld joint.
Layer of solidified slag which must be removed.

PAW is limited to the effective joining of material 1 in. or

less in thickness. The initial cost of the equipment is
slightly greater than that for GTAW.
PAW may require greater operator skill than GTAW.

Porosity due to contamination or less of

shielding.
Incomplete fusion due to the use of
short circuiting transfer on heavy
section.
Equipment should be well maintained
to alleviate the problems.

Slag inclusion
Wire feeding problems
Incomplete joint penetration and
Porosity.

Porosity (Contamination)
Tungsten inclusion

If the arc is not properly directed, incomplete

fusion can result.
If the flux become wet, porosity and underbead
cracking may be result
Solidification cracking results when the welding
condition provide a weld bead having an
extreme width to depth ratio.

Tungsten inclusion result from too high current

Also copper inclusion.
Another problem that may be encountered when keyhole
wilding is being done is referred to as tunneling. This
occurs when the keyhole is not completely filled at the end
of the weld.
Incomplete fusion

Note: (As a welder increases arc

length, the resistance in the welding
circuit increases due to the larger gap
the current must cross. This increase in
resistance causes a slight decrease
(10%) in the current flow across the arc
gap. This decrease in current results in
a significant increase in voltage (32%)
supplied by the power source, which
limits the drop in current.
Speed (replace the electrode).
Short arc time
There is a layer of solidified slag which
must be removed

Porosity (long arcing arc blow)

Slag inclusion cracking undercut
overlap incomplete joint penetration

AC DCEP - DCEN

Electroslag Welding (ESW)

It typically exhibits the highest deposition
rate of any of the welding processes. ESW
is characterized by the joining of members
which are placed edge to edge so that the
joint is vertical. The welding is done in a
single pass such that the progression is
from the bottom to the top of the joint
without interruption. (the position of
welding is considered flat due to the
location of the electrode with respect to
the puddle. During welding the molten
metal is supported on tow sides by water
cooled shoes.

ESW is not considered to be an arc

welding process.
ESW is used when very heavy section are
being joined.

Oxyacetylene Welding (OAW)

Term oxyfuel welding is also
used.
Acetylene is the only fuel gas
capable of producing high
enough temperatures foe
effective welding. With OAW
the energy for welding is created
by a flame. The equipment for
OAW is relatively simple. It
consists of several parts:
Oxygen cylinder (tank) (2200
psi)
Acetylene cylinder (tank) (15
psi)
Pressure regulators, torch, and
connecting hoses.
*A higher amount of oxygen will
create an oxidizing flam and a
higher amount of acetylene will
produce a carburizing flam.
OAW is considered to be
chemical welding method.
Filler material are (RG-45 & RG60)
R (rod), G (Gas), 45 & 60
(tensile strength)

Stud Welding (SW)

This method is used to weld studs
or attachments to some metal
surface.
The process is controlled by a
mechanical gun which is attached
to a power supply through a
control panel. SW equipment
consists of DC power source, a
control unit, and a stud welding
gun.
Variations can include automatic
stud feeding apparatus as well as
gas shielding for use in the
welding of aluminum studs.

First, since the process is

controlled essentially by the
electrical control unit and
attached gun, little operator skill
is required once the control unit
settings are made. SW is a
tremendously economical and
effective method for welding
various attachments to a surface.
An electrical or mechanical
malfunction could produce poor
weld quality. Stud shape is
limited to some configuration
which can be held in the guns
chuck.
Lack of 360 flash and incomplete
fusion at the interface.

Advantage

The major advantage of ESW is its high

deposition rate. (can use multiple
electrodes or metal strip)
There is no special joint preparation
required. (a rough, flame cut surface is
satisfactory for this method)
There is no tendency for any angular
distortion to occur.

The equipment relatively

inexpensive and can be made
very portable.
Its primary tasks include the
welding of thin steel sheet and
small steel piping.

Limitation

The primary limitation of ESW is the

extensive time required to set up and get
ready to weld.

The flame does not provide as

concentrated a heat source as can
be achieved by an arc.
Requires a substantial skill level
for best results.

Problems

Gross porosity can occur due to wet flux

or the presence of leak in one of the water
cooled shoes.
There is a possibility of getting centerline
cracks due to weld metal shrinkage.
Also due to the tremendous amount of
heating there is a tendency for grain
growth in the weld metal.

Improper manipulation or
adjustment of the flame. If the
flame is adjusted such that an
oxidizing flame or carburizing
flame is produced weld metal
properties could be degraded.

SW is considered to be an arc
welding process.

Resistance Welding (RW)

RW is a group of welding
processed that produces
coalescence of the joining
surfaces with heat obtained
from resistance of the
workpieces to the flow of
welding current in a circuit of
which the workpiece are a
part, and by the application of
pressure. It is used for sheet
metal application up to about
1/8 in. (3mm) thick. No filler
metal or fluxes are used.
There is three major resistance
welding processes:1-Resistance Spot Welding
(RSW) the most common.
The electrodes are typically
cylindrical in shape, but can
have various configurations.
The tow electrodes apply a
pressure and a force to hold
the tow pieces of sheet metal
in intimate contact, current is
then passed through the
electrodes and the workpieces.
Resistance to the flow od
current produces heat at the
faying surfaces, forming a
weld nugget. One spot weld is
made at a time.
2-Projection Welding (PW)
one sheet has projections or
dimples formed in it. The
current is concentrated to pass
through the projections at the
faying surfaces. Large, flat
electrodes are used on
opposite sides of the sheets.
This allows several welds to
be made during a single
welding cycle.
Resistance Seam Welding
(RSEW) a continuous seam
weld is made that is actually a
series of the overlapping spot
welds. The electrodes are
typically rotating wheels
between which the tow sheets
pass.
Robotic resistance spot
welding is utilized extensively
in the automotive industry.

Brazing Processes
Brazing differs from welding in that brazing is accomplished without any
melting of the base metal. The heat applied is only for melt the filler metal.
*Soldering is also required melting filler metal temperature below 840 F
(450C).
* Brazing required melting filler metal temperature above 840 F (450C).
The braze joint is designed to have a large surface area. The clearance, or
gap, between the tow pieces to be joined is kept to a minimum. Capillary
action is that phenomenon which causes a liquid to be pulled into a tight
space between tow surfaces.
So, if the surfaces are not properly cleaned, the ability of the capillary action
to occur will be reduced to the point that the braze material will not be drawn
sufficiently into the joint.
The braze filler material configuration include wire, strip, foil, paste and
preforms.
Braze alloy designations are preceded by a B followed by abbreviations of
the most prominent chemical elements included. The brazing filler metals
having an R in front of
the B in their designations denotes their chemistry is identical with Copper
and Copper-Alloy Gas Welding Rods.
To maintain the cleanliness of the joint during the application of heat, brazing
fluxes are often used. There are numerous methods of brazing:1-Torch Brazing (TB) heating is accomplished using an oxyfuel flam. It can
be done manually, mechanically or automatically.
2-Furnace Brazing (FB) is performed in a furnace, often with a controlled
atmosphere. The braze filler material and flux are preplaced at or near the
joint.
3-Induction Brazing (IB) relies on the heat produced in a metal when placed
within an induction coil.
4-Resistance Brazing (RB) is accomplished by heating the base metal using
its own inherent electrical resistance.
5-Dip Brazing (DB) differs from the other types in that the parts to be joint
are immersed in some type of molten bath (braze filler metal) to provide the
necessary heating.
6-Infrared Brazing (IRB) relies on heating provided by radiant energy (using
a high intensity infrared light source)

*The biggest advantage of brazing is that it can be used to joint dissimilar

metals.
*it is suited for the joining of metals which does not welding of any type.
*The equipment can be relatively inexpensive.

The part must be extremely clean prior to brazing.

The joint design must provide sufficient surface area to develop the required
strength.

The formatting of voids or unbounded areas within the joint. when too much
localized heat ia applied to the base metal resulting in melting and erosion of
the base metal.
The corrosion of the base metal by some of the extremely reactive fluxes.

Cutting Ptocesses
1-Oxyfuel Gas Cutting (OFC)
We use an oxyfuel flame to heat the material to a
temperature at which it will readily oxidize, or
burn. The temperature needed is referred to as the
kindling temperature, and for steels, it is about
1700F (925C). once that temperature has been
achieved, a high pressure stream of cutting oxygen
is directed on the heated surface to produce an
oxidation reaction. This stream of oxygen also
tends to remove the slag and oxide residue which is
produced by this oxidation. The equipment used
for OFC is essentially the same as that foe OAW
except that, instead of the welding tip, there is now
a cutting attachment which includes an additional
lever or valve to turn on the cutting oxygen.
OFC using several different types of fuel gases
such as acetylene, methane (natural gas), Propane,
gasoline, and methylacetylene-propadiene (MPS).
Karf is the width of the cut produced. Drag is the
amount of offset between the cut edge.
OFC is used extensively by most industries, it is
usually limited to the cutting of carbon and low
alloy steels. In order for OFC to be effectively
accomplished the material must comply with the
following criteria: (1) it must have the capability of
burning in a stream of oxygen. (2) its ignition
temperature for burning must be lower than its
melting temperature. (3) its heat conductivity
should be relatively low. (4) the metal oxide
produced must melt at some temperature below the
melting point of the metal. (5) the formed slag
must be of low viscosity.
Advantage (inexpensive and portable equipment
use in shop and field can mad on thin or thick
section)
Limitation (finish cut may require additional
cleaning or grinding there may be a HAZ
produced having a very high hardness the flame
and hot slag produced result in safety hazards.)
2- Air Carbon Arc Cutting (CAC-A)
This process uses a carbon electrode to create an
arc for heating, along with a high pressure stream
of compressed air to mechanically remove the
molten metal. The equipment used for CAC-A
consists of a special electrode holder which is
attached to a constant current power source and a
compressed air supply.
CAC-A has applications in most industries,
especially since it can be used to cut any material
and alloys. It is important to realize that it can be
used as a weld joint preparation tool.
Advantage (has ability to cut removal) any metal
use the same power source as those used for some
types of welding. )
Limitation (very noisy and dirty process a fire
watch may required to make sure the gouged metal
droplets do not create a fire hazard the finished
cut may require some cleanup prior to additional
welding).

3-Plasma Arc Cutting (PAC)

This process is similar in most respects to PAW
except that now the purpose is to remove metal
rather than joint pieces together. The power
required may be much higher than the used for
welding. For mechanized PAC cutting, not only is
the torch water-cooled internally, but the actual
cutting may take place under water or oil to reduce
noise and particulate levels.
*It is for cutting of non-ferrous metals. PAC is also
useful for the cutting C.S.
Advantages include ability to cut metals which
cannot be cut with OFC. The result high quality
cut, and increased cutting speeds for carbon steel.
Limitation the kerf is generally quit large and the
cut edges may not be square. Special techniques,
such as water injection, can be used to improve this
edge configuration if desired. Higher cost of
equipment as compared to OFC.

Laser Beam Welding (LBW) & Electron Beam Welding (EBW) Reed from the book.