Metal Welding - Types and Processes

Welding is a fabrication or sculptural process that

joins materials, usually metals orthermoplastics, by
causing coalescence. This is often done
by melting the workpieces and adding a filler
material to form a pool of molten material
(the weld pool) that cools to become a strong joint,
with pressure sometimes used in conjunction
with heat, or by itself, to produce the weld. This is
in contrast with soldering and brazing, which
involve melting a lower-melting-point material
between the workpieces to form a bond between
them, without melting the work pieces.

Types:

Shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) - also

known as "stick welding", uses an electrode that

has flux, the protectant for the puddle, around it.

The electrode holder holds the electrode as it
slowly melts away. Slag protects the weld puddle
from atmospheric contamination.

1. Coating Flow
2. Rod
3. Shield Gas
4. Fusion
5. Base metal
6. Weld metal
7. Solidified Slag
Applications: an important process for the
fabrication of steel structures and vehicles.

Gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) - also known

as TIG (tungsten, inert gas), uses a non-

consumable tungsten electrode to produce the

weld. The weld area is protected from
atmospheric contamination by an inert shielding
gas such as Argon or Helium.

Applications: aerospace, construction, piping, tool

and die

Gas metal arc welding (GMAW) - commonly

termed MIG (metal, inert gas), uses a wire
feeding gun that feeds wire at an adjustable
speed and flows an argon-based shielding gas or
a mix of argon and carbon dioxide(CO2) over the
weld puddle to protect it from atmospheric
contamination.

(1) Torch handle,

(2) Molded phenolic dielectric (shown in white)
and threaded metal nut insert (yellow),
(3)Shielding gas diffuser,
(4) Contact tip,
(5) Nozzle output face

(1) Direction of travel,

(2)Contact tube,
(3) Electrode,
(4) Shielding gas,
(5)Molten weld metal,
(6) Solidified weld metal,

(7)Workpiece

Flux-cored arc welding (FCAW) - almost

identical to MIG welding except it uses a special
tubular wire filled with flux; it can be used with
or without shielding gas, depending on the filler.

Applications: high-speed (e.g., automotive)

applications

Submerged arc welding (SAW) - uses an

automatically fed consumable electrode and a
blanket of granular fusible flux. The molten weld
and the arc zone are protected from atmospheric
contamination by being "submerged" under the
flux blanket.

Applications: Surfacing applications (wear-facing,

build-up, and corrosion resistant overlay of steels)

Electroslag welding (ESW) - a highly

productive, single pass welding process for
thicker materials between 1 inch (25 mm) and 12
inches (300 mm) in a vertical or close to vertical
position.

Applications: welding thick workpieces

Plasma Arc Welding

Plasma
arc
welding (PAW)
is
an
arc welding process similar to gas tungsten arc
welding(GTAW). The electric arc is formed
between an electrode (which is usually but not
always made of sintered tungsten) and the
workpiece. The key difference from GTAW is that
in PAW, by positioning the electrode within the
body of the torch, the plasma arc can be separated
from the shielding gas envelope. The plasma is
then forced through a fine-bore copper nozzle
which constricts the arc and the plasma exits
the orifice at high velocities (approaching the speed
of sound) and a temperature approaching 28,000 C

(50,000 F) or higher. Arc plasma is the temporary

state of a gas.

1. Gas plasma,
2. Nozzle protection,
3. Shield Gas,
4. Electrode,
5. Nozzle constriction,
6. Electric arc