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STEEL CONSTRUCTION:
FABRICATION AND ERECTION
oxygen-acetylene flame.
resistance to the passage of a current.
electric arc.
Its main drawback is a low duty cycle, i.e. only a small volume of metal is deposited
before the welder has to stop and insert another electrode. This is not a problem on short
welds but becomes a consideration on long welds, especially when labour costs are high.
The operating characteristics of the electrode are controlled by the composition of the flux
covering. A variety of electrodes are available to suit different applications. The current
used is chosen to match the diameter of wire being used. When low hydrogen contents in
the weld pool are necessary to avoid cracks in the heat-affected zone (HAZ) on cooling,
MMA electrodes must be baked and stored at temperatures and times recommended by the
manufacturer. These procedures ensure that the electrodes deposit weld metal with
appropriate low levels of diffusible hydrogen.
speaking the term MIG should be limited to the use of pure argon as a shielding gas,
which is not used for carbon steel. MAG is a semi-automatic process where the welding
gun at the end of a flexible conduit can be hand held and manipulated, but all other
operations are automatic (see Figure 2).
The arc and weld pool are shielded by a gas which does not react with molten steel; in
current practice the shielding gas is carbon dioxide, or a mixture of argon and carbon
dioxide. No flux is necessary to shield the pool since the alloying elements are in the
electrode wire, but sometimes a flux-cored electrode is used to produce a slag which
controls the weld profile and reduces the liability of lack of fusion defects and the
incidence of porosity. The arc length is controlled by the power supply unit. Although
MAG welding is somewhat easier to use than MMA, skill is required to set up the correct
welding conditions.
The way in which metal is transferred from the electrode wire to the molten pool depends
upon current, voltage and shielding gas composition. As the current is increased the form
of the transfer changes abruptly to a stream of fine drops which are propelled across the
arc gap by the electro-magnetic forces in the arc. This is called spray transfer and it
enables welding to be carried out against gravity. Changing the shielding gas to carbon
dioxide (assuming steel electrodes) causes the transfer to become more globular and less
well directed; however, the situation can be reversed by using a mixture of inert gas and
carbon dioxide.
5. STUD WELDING
This is a variation of arc welding in which studs are welded to plane surfaces
automatically (Figure 4). The stud, which may be a plain or threaded bar (if plain it will
have a head) is the electrode and it is held in the chuck of a welding gun which is
6. CHOICE OF PROCESS
When choosing a welding process a number of factors must be taken into account:
Position of welding. SAW and Spray Transfer MAG are not suitable for vertical or
overhead positions. Dip transfer MAG is acceptable for vertical and overhead
welding, but MMA is probably best for overhead work, especially on site.
Steel composition. Steels with lower carbon equivalent values are more readily
welded and require lower preheat levels.
Comparative cost. The cost per unit length of weld can be calculated, but depends
upon the burn-off rate of the process and must allow for differences in duty cycle
(idle time between electrodes for MMA, etc.), Figure 5.
7. CONCLUDING SUMMARY
8. ADDITIONAL READING
1. Gourd, L. M., "Principles of Welding Technology", E. Arnold, 1980.
description of processes.
2. Houldcroft, P. T., and Robert, "Welding and Cutting - A Guide to Fusion Welding
and Associated Cutting Processes", Woodhead and Faulkner, 1988.
details of individual processes.
3. Structural Welding Code - Steel, American Welding Society, 1992.
4. EN 24063: 1992 (ISO 4063: 1990) Welding, Brazing, Soldering and Braze
Welding of Metals - Nomenclature of Processes and Reference of Numbers for
Symbolic Representation on Drawings.
5. EN 288: Part 1: 1992, Welding Procedures Metallic Materials, Part 1: General
Rules for Fusion Welding.
6. EN 288: Part 2: 1992, Welding Procedures Metallic Materials, Part 2: Welding
Procedure Specification for Arc Welding.
7. EN 288: Part 3: 1992, Welding Procedures Metallic Materials, Part 3: Welding
Procedure Tests for Arc Welding of Steels.
8. EN 288: Part 4: 1992, Welding Procedures Metallic Materials, Part 4: Tests for the
Arc Welding of Aluminium and its Alloys.
9. Pratt, J. L., "Introduction to the Welding of Structural Steelwork", SCI P-014, 3rd
Revised Edition, 1989, Steel Construction Institute.