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Gas Metal Arc Welding Practice: Jobs 24-J1–J15 (Pipe) Chapter 24 799
Root Pass Weld the root pass with the stringer bead tech-
nique. Start welding at a properly feathered tack. Hold
the gun travel angle at a 10 to 15° angle from a point
perpendicular to the center of the pipe and use a drag
angle, Fig. 24-24A. It is also important to lower your gun
5° from the 90° position, Fig. 24-24B. Carry your wire
on the leading edge of the pool to get complete penetra-
tion. Make sure that fusion is taking place along the root
edges of each pipe bevel, Fig. 24-25. Also make sure
that the weld does not sag along the bottom bevel so that
it causes overlap and incomplete fusion on the bottom
edge. Also be careful not to undercut the top bevel. Pen-
etration through the back side is necessary, Figs. 24-26
and 24-27.
Torch oscillation, if necessary, is best carried out ac-
cording to the pattern illustrated in Fig. 24-28. When Fig. 24-25 This pipe stand allows the welder to maneuver
completing a section of the root pass and approaching a around it to maintain proper eye contact with the leading edge of
the weld pool. The pipe is positioned so that it is a good height
feathered tack, change the torch angle gradually over a
for the body mechanics required. Along with contact tip to work
distance of 1⁄4 inch before the tack from the 15° push angle distance, travel speed, travel angle, and work angle to assure com-
to a 5° drag angle. This gun position ensures a good tie-in plete joint penetration and weld profile. Location: UA Local 400
at the tack, Fig. 24-29. © McGraw-Hill Education/Mark A. Dierker, photographer
800 Chapter 24 Gas Metal Arc Welding Practice: Jobs 24-J1–J15 (Pipe)
Select two pieces of pipe 4 to 6 inches long
of the size and weight specified in the Job Out-
line. Bevel the edges 30 or 371⁄2° as directed by
your instructor and leave a 1⁄16-inch root face
on each bevel. Refer to Figs. 24-7 and 24-8,
page 794. Tack weld the two nipples together
as shown in Fig. 24-23, page 799. Place the
Fig. 24-26 Closeup view of root pass penetration on the inside of a pipe
tack-welded pipe in a welding fixture in the
obtained when making a 2G weld on pipe. © Plumbers and Pipefitters Union, horizontal position.
Alton, IL Special care must be taken when welding in
the horizontal fixed position. Before making the
tack welds and welding the pipe joint, check the
electrode extension carefully (1⁄4 to 3⁄8 inch) and
regulate the heat until the arc is smooth and ac-
tive. Make sure that the pipe has a root opening
of 3⁄32 inch all around. This root opening is most
important and must be maintained. Feather the
tack welds so that they do not become an obstruc-
tion when you pass over them with the root pass.
Fig. 24-27 Inside of pipe showing penetration of the root pass in steel pipe Tack welds that are too thick cause an incomplete
welded with the GMAW process and a short circuiting mode of metal transfer in penetration and fusion so that the finished weld is
the 2G position. Note the absence of obstruction to flow. not radiographic quality.
pass so that it is clean and Root Pass The root pass should be started at the 11 or
free from contamination. 1 o’clock position, continued across the top of the pipe,
and carried down past the 6 o’clock position to the
Direction of Welding Inspect
Inspection and Testing
5 or 7 o’clock position, depending on the side being
each pass as you com- welded.
Fig. 24-28 Suggested plete it. The final layer of
pattern for gun manipulation stringer beads should show
in making the root pass for a good fusion with each other
2G weld. and be equally spaced,
Figs. 24-32, page 802 and Tack
24-33, page 803.
Direction of
Use the same testing procedure as that used for the roll Welding
position (1G).
pressure and power piping and in general construction. Push Travel Angle of 5° as Feathered
20°
Either technique produces sound welds, but the downhill End of Tack Is Welded
technique is faster. When welding downhill, some welders
Drag Travel Angle of 10°–20° to within 1/4ʺ of Tack
find it difficult to keep the weld metal from running ahead
of the weld pool. You should weld several joints in this Fig. 24-29 Top view of a pipe in the 2G position, showing
position and practice various welding techniques. Do Job rotation of the torch from a drag angle of 20° to a push angle of
24-J6 with the downhill technique. 5° as a tack weld is approached when welding a root pass.
Gas Metal Arc Welding Practice: Jobs 24-J1–J15 (Pipe) Chapter 24 801
/
1 16
A drag angle of approxi- are very critical points and
mately 45 to 55° to the cen- often cause trouble. Com-
30°
3 ter (axis of the pipe) should pare Figs. 24-35 and 24-36.
1
2 be maintained as the weld The downhill technique
3/32
progresses past the feathered of welding is preferred for Oval Pattern Formed Clockwise
end of the tack, Fig. 24-17, the root pass, but if the fitup
For Pipe 1/4ʺ Wall Thickness
page 798. It may be neces- is close, the uphill technique
sary to oscillate the gun nar- may be employed. Follow
A
rowly as required during the the procedure previously Oval Angle
weld, Fig. 24-15, page 797. described but hold the gun between
45° & 90°
1/16 Side movement is necessary at a 90° angle to the center
to make sure that fusion is (axis of pipe), Fig. 24-37,
taking place on the root face page 804. The welding tech-
30°
5 of each pipe section. nique is like that for welding
1 2 4 When you reach that part pipe with the shielded metal
3 of the pipe between the 4 arc process and plate with
and 6 o’clock positions, the gas metal arc process.
3/32
802 Chapter 24 Gas Metal Arc Welding Practice: Jobs 24-J1–J15 (Pipe)
is shown in Fig. 24-40, page 804. Clean and
inspect the weld, Fig. 24-41, page 804.
Make a third filler pass like the second pass.
Clean and inspect.
Cover Pass The
cover pass is welded like the
second and third passes. Use the edge of each
bevel as a guideline to determine the width of
the weld. To prevent undercut, hesitate at the
Fig. 24-33 Closeup view of a completed sequence in a weld like that shown sides to permit the weld pool to fill up. The
in Fig. 24-32. © Plumbers and Pipefitters Union, Alton, IL bead should have about 1⁄16 inch convexity, and
it should taper out to the edges of the bead.
It is important to keep the arc ahead of the pool when
Start Here, doing filler and cover passes downhill. Any attempt to
Move Gun Down slow down the travel speed in order to deposit more weld
metal allows the molten pool to run ahead of the arc and
causes overlapping or incomplete fusion. Keep the metal
thin. The maximum pass width that can be handled with
any degree of success is 1⁄2 inch. Split layer passes are nec-
essary beyond this width.
Practice starts and stops so that you will develop the
skill to perform the technique with a minimum of prob-
lems. You will find this somewhat difficult when mak-
ing filler and cover passes. Avoid the tendency to add too
much weld deposit, because it results in poor fusion and
Fig. 24-34 Method of restarting the root pass to eliminate crater very poor appearance.
cracks.
Gas Metal Arc Welding Practice: Jobs 24-J1–J15 (Pipe) Chapter 24 803
Fig. 24-37 MIG welding pipe in the 5G position. Care must be Start Wire Here, Move Up
taken to follow the contour of the pipe. The welder is just leaving
the top of the pipe (12 o’clock) portion of the pipe. The root pass Fig. 24-40 Welding technique for making tie-ins in the 5G
is being done in the downhill direction. Location: UA Local 400 position downhill.
© McGraw-Hill Education/Mark A. Dierker, photographer
Fig. 24-41 Typical face appearance of a filler pass and a root pass
in the 5G position downhill. © Plumbers and Pipefitters Union, Alton, IL
Fig. 24-38 The gun is in the 3 o’clock position of the pipe. Some
welders find the 5G position very difficult. It involves a mixing of Inspection Inspect your completed welds carefully. Keep
the flat, overhead, and vertical positions. Location: UA Local 400 in mind the weld characteristics that are indicative of
© McGraw-Hill Education/Mark A. Dierker, photographer sound welding. Study Figs. 24-42 and 24-43,
804 Chapter 24 Gas Metal Arc Welding Practice: Jobs 24-J1–J15 (Pipe)
Fig. 24-42 The face of the root pass in steel pipe.
The joint shows complete penetration. The inside
of the pipe shows root penetration, which is free of
notches, icicles, crevices and other obstructions to
flow. The size of the root pass is between 1⁄8 and
5
⁄32 inch. Note the concave contour, which will accept
the next pass with minimal chance of discontinuities.
Fig. 24-44 GMAW-S process was used to weld the root pass in this 11⁄2-inch thick,
mild steel pressure vessel. The joint members were spaced 1⁄8 to 5⁄32 inch apart to give
proper penetration and reinforcement on the inside. Tack welds for holding parts in
proper alignment were removed by grinding before the root pass was completed.
Ends of the root pass increments were tapered with an 8-inch wide disc grinder wheel
at the same time tack welds were removed to ensure complete fusion at the tie-in.
Filler and Cover Passes Weld the filler and cover passes
with the uphill welding technique. Reduce the wire-feed
speed to reduce the current. Adjust the voltage until you
have a smooth arc. Start at the bottom at the 5 or 7 o’clock
position and weld across the 6 o’clock position up toward
the 11 or 1 o’clock position at the top of the pipe, depend-
ing on the side of the pipe you are welding from. Hold
the gun as illustrated in Fig. 24-37, page 804. Weave the
gun from side to side and pause at each edge of the previ-
ous weld. This gives the weld metal a chance to fuse to
the metal surface and allows the edges to fill up so that
Fig. 24-43 Inside of vessel showing penetration of undercut will not take place. Weld passes should not be
a root pass deposited in the pressure vessel shown in more than 1⁄8 inch thick. The filler passes should have a
Fig. 24-44. The joint shows complete penetration free of all
obstruction. Root reinforcement is between 1⁄32 and 3⁄32 inch.
flat face. The cover pass may have a convexity of rein-
forcement about 1⁄16 inch high. You are again cautioned
to be very careful when making stops and tie-ins. Use the
Select the pipe nipples specified in the Job Outline.
technique shown in Fig. 24-47, page 806. Clean and in-
Prepare them as previously instructed, tack them, and set
spect for welding defects. Compare your welds with those
them up in the welding fixture.
shown in Fig. 24-48, page 806.
Root Pass Weld the root pass downhill with the welding Whether the direction of travel is up or down makes
technique practiced in Job 24-J6. Clean and inspect the some difference in the face appearance of the welds. Gen-
weld for discontinuities. erally, uphill travel produces a weld with close ripples.
Gas Metal Arc Welding Practice: Jobs 24-J1–J15 (Pipe) Chapter 24 805
Start Wire Here, Move Down
806 Chapter 24 Gas Metal Arc Welding Practice: Jobs 24-J1–J15 (Pipe)