Gas Shielded Arc Welding

Gases used for shielding

 In gas-shielded arc welding, a suitable gas is used as a covering arc shield
 The process was developed to weld corrosion resistant and difficult to weld metals.
 Advantages: superiority of the weld, the greater ease of operations and increased
welding speed, can be automated, and in either case can be used for welding both light
and heavy gauge ferrous and non-ferrous metals.
 In any gas shielded arc welding, the arc is struck under the blanket of the shielding gas
 Since the molten metal is exposed only to the suitable gas therefore the gases should be
chemically inert to the welded metals.

 Nitrogen can be used safely welding copper but causes serious problem in welding ferrous
materials (high solubility) → form Nitride→ Brittleness → Porosity

 Argon: Ar is by far the most common inert gas used in inert gas arc welding process.
 It is heavier than air and, therefore, provides a better blanket over the weld.
 Argon has a low ionization potential and the arc lends to be more stable
 Argon gives a quiet arc and thereby reduces spatter.
 Due to low ionization→ lower power consumption → lower penetration→ suitable for
sheet metal
 Welding steel using pure Ar →leads to undercutting and poor bead contour
 Eliminates → Ar + 2-5%O2

 Helium: It is a light gas → needs to be two to three times that of argon→ creates turbulence
around the arc.
 Another important feature of helium is that, it gives appreciably higher arc voltages for
a given arc length and welding current as compared to argon → arc is therefore, hotter
than argon →preferred for welding thicker materials + having high thermal
conductivity, + high melting points and for high speed mechanized welding.
 Helium is primarily used for the nonferrous metals such as aluminium, magnesium, and
copper.
 Small amounts of helium are sometimes mixed with argon to stabilise the arc and to
improve the quality of welds. The higher the
 Carbon dioxide:
 At room temperatures carbon dioxide is essentially an inert gas.
 At high temperatures, carbon dioxide →carbon monoxide + oxygen (20-30%)
 In the high temperature of gelding arc this dissociation takes place to the extent that 20
to 30 per cent of the gases in. the arc area is oxygen.
 Can have an oxidizing action on iron at high temperatures→ compensation can be made
for its oxidizing tendencies (using deoxidizer @ filler) and CO2 can be readily
employed for shielding the weld.
 Advantages: a broad, deep penetration as compared to Ar + low cost
 The chief drawback: the arc to be somewhat violent→ spatter problems when welding
thin materials.
 Carbon dioxide is primarily used for mild steel welding

Types of Gas Shielded Arc Welding

 Inert Gas
1. Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW or TIG-Tungsten Inert Gas)
2. Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW or MIG-Metal Inert Gas)
 Reactive Gas
1. Carbon Dioxide Shielded Arc Welding
2. Atomic Hydrogen Arc Welding

GAS TUNGSTEN ARC WELDING (GTAW or TIG Welding)

 Gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) also known as Tungsten inert gas arc welding (TIG)
 The source of heat is an arc formed between a non-consumable tungsten electrode and the
work piece
 For joints where additional weld metal is needed, a filler rod is fed into the puddle in a
manner similar to welding with a oxy-fuel torch welding process.
 Widely uses for Mg, Al
Equipment
 The basic system includes:
(1) a gas supply,
(2) a gas regulator,
(3) a power supply,
(4) the torch.

 There are three basic power supplies:

(1) DCSP (direct current straight polarity) → electrode (-ve); base metal (+ve) →Conical and
Sharp tip → No self-cleaning action of W.P
(2) DCRP (direct current reverse polarity) and → electrode (+ve); base metal (-ve) → Conical
and blunt→ Self-cleaning (+ve ionized gas, bombarded to W.P)
(3) ACHF (alternating current high frequency) → HF: to stabilize the arc
Advantages
 Weld joint is → stronger, more ductile and more corrosion resistant than the welds made
by most other welding processes.
 The process allows the welder extreme control for precision work,
 Heat can be controlled very closely and the arc can be accurately directed.
 Extremely suitable for thinner materials and where metal finishing is not desired.
 The gas tungsten arc welds are usually of extremely high quality.

 The outstanding features of the gas tungsten arc welding can be summarized as:
1. It makes high quality weld in almost all metals and alloys.
2. Very little, if any, post-weld cleaning is required. It may be recalled that whenever a
flux is used, there is the problem of removing the traces of the flux after welding.
3. The arc and the weld pool are clearly visible. This allows the welder to clearly observe
the weld as it is being made.
4. There is no filler metal carried across the arc and so there is no sputter.
5. Welding can be performed in all positions.
6. There is no slag produced that might be trapped in the weld

Limitations
 The major limitation of the gas tungsten arc welding is its low productivity (low
deposition rate)
 Another possible limitation of the process is its higher initial cost.
 The welding power source is more expensive than that used for shielded metal arc
welding, and the torch is more expensive than the electrode holder.
 Moreover, inclusions of tungsten in welded joints due to accidental contacts with the
electrode and with currents > 300 A become troublesome.
 Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW or MIG-Metal Inert Gas)

 The process utilizes the heat of an arc between a

continuously fed consumable electrode and the work
to be welded
 The gas metal arc welding equipment consists of
four major units:
(1) the power supply (DC),
(2) wire feeding mechanism,
(3) welding gun and
(4) gas supply.
 DCRP is recommended.

Types of Metal Transfer

When welding with consumable wire electrodes, the transfer of metal is achieved by three
methods: spray transfer, globular transfer, and short circuiting transfer. The type of metal
transfer that occurs will depend on electrode wire size, shielding gas, arc voltage, and welding
current.
 Spray Transfer: Very fine droplets of electrode wire are rapidly projected through the arc
plasma toward the workpiece. Droplets are equal to or smaller than the electrode diameter.
Requires high current density, injecting more heat into the base metal. Argon or an argon-
oxygen mix is necessary, producing a pinching effect that forms and transfers only small
droplets.

 Globular Transfer: Occurs at low welding currents, where a large molten ball forms at the
electrode tip, growing to 2-3 times the wire diameter before transferring. The droplet’s
irregular shape and motion can cause arc instability, shallow penetration, and excessive
spatter.

 Short Circuiting Transfer: Suitable for welding thin sections and all positions, allowing
shallow weld penetration. Works best at current levels below 200A with fine wire (1 mm
or less). Each droplet contacts the weld puddle before breaking from the wire, creating a
short circuit, extinguishing the arc, and re-igniting. Shielding gas is 25% CO₂ and 75%
argon for spatter control, or straight CO₂ for greater penetration.
Advantages of the Process
The major advantages of the gas metal arc welding can be summarised as:
1. The welding process is faster especially when compared with shielded metal arc
welding. There is no need to start and stop in order to change electrodes. As a rule weld
failures are often due to starting and sopping of welding, since this condition induces
slag inclusions, cold lapping and crater cracking.
2. High utilisation of filler material.
3. There is no flux or slag and spatter to remove. This allows a considerable saving in
welding cost. Generally speaking, weld clean-up is often more costly than actual
welding.
4. Absence of smoke and fumes allows a better control over the process.
5. Skill level in semiautomatic method of application slightly lower than that required for
manual shielded arc welding.
The gas metal arc welding process is the fastest growing welding process in use today. Its
growth is based on replacing shielded metal arc welding for welding thin metals, and for
replacing gas tungsten arc welding for welding nonferrous metals. It is replacing submerged
arc in automatic application. It has replaced gas welding and torch brazing in many uses. It
has replaced resistance welding in many sheet metal applications and can be utilised for
producing arc spot welds, as well as seam welds.
Shielded with Reactive Gas
Atomic Hydrogen Arc Welding
The first utilisation of the arc for welding non-ferrous metals was the atomic hydrogen process.
The process was developed by the famous American physicist Langmuir in 1926 on the basis
of the results of his experiments with electrical discharge between tungsten electrodes in
hydrogen. In this process an arc is struck between two tungsten electrodes which are contained
in the body of the torch. The work does not form a part of the electrical circuit and, therefore,
does not need to be grounded. Each electrode is surrounded by a stream of hydrogen supplied
to the torch from a cylinder. The size of the electrode depends on the rate of heat input required
for the material being welded. A filler rod may or may not be used depending on whether the
joint requires the additional metal.
Principle
The theory behind the production of the heat derived from the atomic hydrogen welding
process is that an arc column is established between two tungsten electrodes (Fig. 7.9) with an
ac power supply. Standard hydrogen, also called molecular hydrogen, is forced through this
arc column between the two electrodes, which dissociates the hydrogen into its atomic form.
Hydrogen is a diatomic gas. The molecular hydrogen is forced to dissociate because of the
extreme temperature in the arc column. Heat energy is absorbed from the arc by the
dissociation process, which can be expressed by the following equation:
H2 + Heat = 2H
The atomic hydrogen cannot maintain itself in this unnatural state, and, seeking its stable state
it will come back to recombine into molecular hydrogen. The molecular hydrogen is formed
as the hydrogen atoms fuse together. This fusion of atomic hydrogen into molecular hydrogen
releases a consistent heat energy.
When the torch is directed at the metal being welded this release of heat energy takes place at
the metal surface, and thus the hydrogen transfers heat from the arc to the weld. Moreover, the
newly formed molecular hydrogen burns, and the heat of combustion serves to raise the
temperature of the weld metal still further.
Equipment
The necessary equipment for atomic hydrogen welding includes a transformer, a power control
unit, an electrode holder, tungsten electrodes and a source of hydrogen. With the exception of
the electrode holder, the accessories ordinarily required for hydrogen arc welding are the same
as those required for any other arc welding process. Fig. 7.10 shows a typical atomic hydrogen
welding torch.

Advantages
The atomic hydrogen welding process, when properly carried out, is capable of producing
welds of excellent quality: The weld metal possesses a fine homogeneous structure and is
extremely ductile. Due to the reducing action of hydrogen and high fluidity of the molten
metal, oxides and other inclusions are practically eliminated from the weld area. This gives a
much cleaner weld metal than is usually obtained with other gas or arc welding processes. The
presence of the protective blanket of hydrogen permits the welding of ferrous materials without
flux, thus allowing the operator an unrestricted view during welding.
In addition to producing heat in the ways mentioned above, the ionisation process serves to
cool the tungsten electrodes and thus prolong their working life. The molecular hydrogen
which is formed by re-association at the surface of the weld metal protects the work from
oxidation, both during welding and whilst the work is cooling from the welding temperature.

Limitations
A high potential is necessary to cause ionisation of hydrogen and, therefore, the operating
voltage of the atomic hydrogen arc welding is higher than any other arc welding process. Many
aluminium and copper-base alloys have a strong tendency to dissolve hydrogen particularly
whilst they are molten. Most of the dissolved gas is precipitated as the metal solidifies, giving
rise to porosity in the weld metal. When welding medium and high-carbon steels some carbon
is lost due to a reaction between some of the carbon and hydrogen resulting in the formation
of methane gas,
CH4 :: C + 2H2 = CH4 + heat
It is usual therefore, to employ a filler rod of high carbon content in order to make up the loss.
The operating costs are usually higher than for other processes; and for this reason, it is not
competitive in certain fields. It is of maximum practical value on those applications that cannot
be handled so successfully with other methods.