WELDING SHOP

INTRODUCTION

Welding is the process of joining similar metals by the application of heat, with or without
application of pressure or filler metal, in such a way that the joint is equivalent in
composition and characteristics of the metals joined. In the beginning, welding was mainly
used for repairing all kinds of worn or damaged parts. Now, it is extensively used in
manufacturing industry, construction industry (construction of ships, tanks, locomotives and
automobiles) and maintenance work, replacing riveting and bolting, to a greater extent.
The various welding processes are:

1. Electric arc welding,

2. Gas welding
3. Thermal welding
4. Electrical Resistance welding and
5. Friction welding

PLASMA ARC WELDING

The Plasma arc welding (PAW) is similar to GTAW or gas tungsten welding. In this kind of
welding process, the arc will generate among work part as well as the tungsten electrode. The
major dissimilarity among plasma arc welding and gas tungsten welding is that the electrode
is located within the torch of Plasma arc welding. It can be heated the gas at the
temperature of 30000oF & changes it into the plasma to attack the welding region.
METAL ARC WELDING
The metal arc welding (MAW) process mainly uses a metal electrode for the welding
process. This metal electrode can be either consumable otherwise non-consumable based on
the requirement. Most of the used consumable electrode can be covered with flux, and the
main benefit of this type of welding process is that it requires low temperature compared with
others.

CARBON ARC WELDING

The Carbon arc welding (CAW) process mainly uses a carbon rod like an electrode for
welding the metal joint. This kind of arc welding is the oldest arc welding process and
requires high current, low voltage for generating the arc. In some cases, an arc can be
generated among two carbon electrodes which are named as twin carbon arc welding.
Gas Tungsten Arc Welding
The gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) is also called as Tungsten inert gas welding (TIGW).
In this type of welding process, a tungsten electrode which is non-consumable can be
employed for welding the material. The electrode which is used in this welding can be
enclosed with gases such as argon, helium, etc. These gases will guard the weld region
against the oxidization. This kind of welding can be used for welding thin sheets.

GAS METAL ARC WELDING

The Gas metal arc welding (GMAW) is also called as Metal inert gas welding (MIGW). It
uses a fresh metal electrode which is protected by the gas like helium, argon, etc. These gases
will protect the join area from oxidation and generates multiple welding material layers. In
this type of arc welding process, a filler wire can be fed constantly using a non-consumable
metal electrode for welding the metal.
SUBMERGED ARC WELDING
The Submerged arc welding (SAW) can be extensively utilized within an automatic welding
method. In this kind of welding process, an electrode is completely submerged by the
granular coating of flux, and this flux can be an electric conductor which will not oppose the
electric supply. The solid coating of flux stops the melted metal to ultra-violate radiation and
atmosphere.

GAS WELDING
Oxyacetylene welding, commonly referred to as gas welding, is a process which relies on
combustion of oxygen and acetylene. When mixed together in correct proportions within a
hand-held torch or blowpipe, a relatively hot flame is produced with a temperature of about
3,200 deg.C. The chemical action of the oxyacetylene flame can be adjusted by changing the
ratio of the volume of oxygen to acetylene.
RESISTANCE SPOT WELDING (RSW)

Resistance spot welding (RSW) is a process in which contacting metal surface points are
joined by the heat obtained from resistance to electric current. It is a subset of electric
resistance welding.

Work-pieces are held together under pressure exerted by electrodes. Typically the sheets are
in the 0.5 to 3 mm (0.020 to 0.118 in) thickness range. The process uses two shaped copper
alloy electrodes to concentrate welding current into a small "spot" and to simultaneously
clamp the sheets together. Forcing a large current through the spot will melt the metal and
form the weld. The attractive feature of spot welding is that a lot of energy can be delivered
to the spot in a very short time (approximately 10–100 milliseconds).[2] That permits the
welding to occur without excessive heating of the remainder of the sheet.

LASER WELDING
The laser beam welding is mainly used for joining components that need to be joined with
high welding speeds, thin and small weld seams and low thermal distortion. The high welding
speeds, an excellent automatic operation and the possibility to control the quality online
during the process make the laser welding a common joining method in the modern industrial
production.
Resistance Seam Welding
Resistance seam welding is a variant of the basic resistance spot welding process. In seam
welding a series of overlapping nuggets is produced, usually by replacing the
conventional spot welding electrodes by wheels that turn as the parts to be welded are fed
between them.

Defects of Welding
Incomplete Penetration
Incomplete penetration happens when filler metal and base metal aren’t joined properly, and
the result is a gap or a crack of some sort. Check out the Figure below for an example of
incomplete penetration.
Incomplete Fusion
Incomplete fusion occurs when individual weld beads don’t fuse together, or when the weld
beads don’t fuse properly to the base metal we’re welding.

Undercutting
Undercutting is an extremely common welding defect. It happens when base metal is burned
away at one of the toes of a weld.

Cracks
Cracks can occur just about everywhere in a weld: in the weld metal, the plate next to the
weld metal or in any other piece affected by the intense heat of welding.
Slag Inclusions
A little bit of slag goes a long way . . . toward ruining an otherwise quality weld. Slags the
waste material created when we’re welding and bits of this solid material can become
incorporated (accidentally) into weld, as in. Bits of flux, rust, and even tungsten can be
counted as slag and can cause contamination in welds.

Porosity
Porosity (tiny holes in the weld) can be a serious problem in welds (especially stick or mig
welds). molten puddle releases gases like hydrogen and carbon dioxide as the puddle cools; if
the little pockets of gas don’t reach the surface before the metal solidifies, they become
incorporated in the weld, and nothing can weaken a weld joint quite like gas pockets.

Advantages of Arc Welding

The advantages of Arc welding mainly include the following.

i. Arc welding has high speed as well as welding efficiency

ii. It includes a simple welding apparatus.
iii. It is simply moveable.
iv. Arc welding forms the physically powerful bond between the welded metals.
v. It provides reliable welding quality
vi. Arc welding offers superior welding atmosphere.
vii. The power source of this welding is not costly.
viii. This welding is a quick and consistent process.
ix. The welder can utilize ordinary domestic current.

Disadvantages of Arc Welding

The disadvantages of Arc welding include the following.

i. A high expert operator is necessary to perform arc welding.

ii. The rate of deposition can be incomplete as the electrode covering tends to burn and
decrease
iii. The length of the electrode is 35mm and needs electrode changing for the entire
production rate.
iv. These are not clean for reactive metals such as titanium & aluminum

Types of Welding Joints

Tee Joint
Tee welding joints are formed when two members intersect at a 90° angle which makes the
edges come together in the center of a plate or component. Tee Joints are considered a type
of fillet weld, and can also be made when a pipe or tube is welded onto a base plate. Extra
care is required to ensure effective penetration into the roof of the weld.

Lap Joint
Lap welding joints are used most often to joint two pieces with differing thicknesses together.
Also considered a fillet type, the weld can be made on one or both sides. A Lap Joint is
formed when 2 pieces are placed in an over lapping pattern on top of each other.

Edge Joint
Edge welding Joints are often applied to sheet metal parts that have flanging edges or are
placed at a location where a weld must be made to attach to adjacent pieces. Being a groove
type weld, Edge Joints, the pieces are set side by side and welded on the same edge. For
heavier applications filler metal is added to melt or fuse the edge completely and to reinforce
the plate.

Corner Joint
Being one of the most popular welds in the sheet metal industry the Corner welding joint is
used on the outer edge of the piece. This weld is a type of joint that comes together at right
angles between two metal parts to form an L. These are common in the construction of
boxes, box frames and similar fabrications.

Butt Joint
Being the universally accepted method for attaching a pipe to itself it’s also used for valves,
flanges, fittings, and other equipment. A butt welding joint is also known as a square grove
weld. It’s the easiest and probably the most common weld there is. It consists of two flat
pieces that are side by side parallel. It’s a very affordable option.