Arc Welding

The arc welding is a fusion welding process in which the welding heat is obtained from an electric arc
between the work (or base metal) and an electrode. The electric arc is produced when two conductors of an
electric circuit are touched together and then separated by a small distance, such that there is sufficient voltage
in the circuit to maintain the flow of current through the gaseous medium (air). The temperature of heat
produced by the electric arc is of the order of 6000°C to 7000°C.

The most common method of arc welding is with the use of a metal electrode which supplies filler metal.
The welding is done by first making contact of the electrode with the work and then separating the electrode
to a proper distance to produce an arc. When the arc is obtained,
intense heat so produced quickly melts the work under the arc forming a pool of molten metal which -
seems to be forced out of the pool by the blast from the arc A small depression is formed in the work and the
molten metal is deposited around the edge of this depression, which is called the arc crater. The slag is brushed
off after the joint has cooled. The arc, once started, should be advanced at a uniform speed along the desired
line of welding. The melting should reach to a sufficient depth below the original surfaces of the metal pieces
to be joined to obtain the desired weld. This is known as obtaining proper penetration.
Both the direct current (D.C.) and alternating current (A.C.) arc used for arc welding. The direct current
supply for arc welding is usually obtained from a generator driven by either an electric motor or a petrol or
diesel engine. The alternating current supply for arc welding is obtained from a step-down transformer which
receives current from the supply mains at 200 to 440 volts and transforms it to the voltage actually required
(i.e. 80 to 100 volts) for striking the arc only. In order to maintain die arc, a still lower voltage say about 30
to 40 volts is required. The voltage required in case of D.C. welding is 60 to 80 volts for striking the arc and
15 to 25 volts for maintaining the arc.
Polarity in Arc Welding
We have already discussed that both the direct current and alternating current may be used for DC welding,
but the direct current is preferred for most purposes. When the work is connected to the positive terminal of
a D.C. welding machine and the negative terminal to an electrode holder, the welding set up is said to have
straight polarity. On the other hand, when work is connected to negative and the electrode to a positive
terminal, then the welding set up is said to have reversed: polarity. The straight polarity is preferable for
some welds while for other welds reversed polarity should be used. When it is desired to have more heat
liberated at or near the work, straight polarity is used because the heat developed at the positive terminal is
higher (about 60 to 75% of the total heat evolved) than the negative terminal. The temperature of the arc
produced is 3500°C to 4000°C.
When alternating current is used, there is no fixed polarity at the terminals and they interchange n every cycle.
The alternative current also acquires zero value twice in each cycle. Thus, at these particular moments, the
potential difference between the terminals is zero and hence a high voltage is required to maintain the arc at
this moment.
 Comparison between A.C. and D.C. Arc Welding
The A.C. welding transformer has no moving The D.C, welding generator has rotating parts and
parts and is simpler is more complicated.

The transformer costs less and its maintenances The generator costs more and its maintenance cost
cost is low. is high.

Since the distribution of heat is equal, therefore Heat distribution is different in two poles, i.e., two-
there is no need for changing the polarity. Hence third in positive and one-third in negative. By
only ferrous metals are usually welded by A.C. changing the polarity, all types of metals can be
welded by D.C.
All types of electrodes cannot be used in A.C. arc All types of electrodes, bare or coated can be used
welding because the current constantly reverses in D.C. arc welding because the polarity can be
with every cycle. Only coated electrodes can be changed to suit the electrode.
used.
The problem of ‘arc blow’ does not arise as it is In D.C., the ‘arc blow’ is severe and cannot be
very easy to control. controlled easily.

The arc is never stable The arc is more stable.

It can be used only when A.C. supply from the In the absence of A.C. mains supply, an engine
mains is available driven D.C. generator set can be used

A.C. is more dangerous. D.C. is comparatively less dangerous

Types of Arc Welding

Following are the two types of arc welding depending upon the type of electrode
Un-shielded arc welding. When a large electrode or filler rod is used for welding, it is said
to be un-shielded arc welding. In this case, the deposited weld metal while it is hot will
absorb: oxygen and nitrogen from the atmosphere. The effect of oxygen is to produce
inclusions and blowholes in weld and nitrogen promotes hardness and brittleness. This
decreases the strength of weld metal, lower its ductility and resistance to corrosion.
Shielded arc welding. When the welding rods coated with fluxing material are used, then it
is called shielded arc welding. The fluxing material is applied to the rod by dipping or
extrusion these rods are sometimes called coated electrodes. The coated rods not only supply
a fluxing agent: but it also fuses at a slower rate than the rod itself. This property acts to
exclude the atmosphere in the vicinity of the atmosphere and prevents the absorption of large
amounts of harmful oxygen and nitrogen the welds made with the coated rods or by shielded
arc welding method are free from blow holes arc produce much stronger welded joints.

Arc Welding Equipment

The equipment commonly used for welding consists of the following:

1. Alternating current (A.C.) or direct current (D.C.) machines

2. Electrode

3. Electrode holder (insulated)

4. Cables

5. Cable connectors

6. Cable lugs

7. Chipping hammer
8. Earthing clamps

9. Wire brush

10. Helmet or hand shield

11. Safety goggles

12. Hand gloves

13. Aprons sleeves etc.

Precautions in Arc Welding

The following precautions should be strictly observed while performing electric arc welding.
1. The hand, face and eyes should be protected from the heat and flare of the electric arc. For this, the
operator should wear hand gloves to protect hands and a hand shield or helmet with a window of
coloured glass should be used to protect face and eyes.
2. The space for the electric arc welding should be screened off from the rest of the building so that other
workmen are safe from the glare of the arc which is very harmful for eyes.
 Arc Welding Processes
The following are the various arc welding processes commonly used in engineering practice.

1. Carbon arc welding.

2. Metal arc welding.
3. Metallic inert gas (MIG) arc welding.
4. Tungsten inert gas (TIG) arc welding.
5. Atomic hydrogen welding.
6. Stud welding.
7. Submerged arc welding.
8. Plasma arc welding.
9. Flux cored arc welding.
10. Electro-slag welding.
11. Electro-gas welding.

Now discuss about Metal arc welding.

Metal Arc Welding

In metal arc welding, the arc is produced between the metal electrode (also called filler rod) and the work
piece. During the welding process, the metal electrode is melted by the heat of the arc and fused with the work
piece. The temperature produced by the heat is about 2400°C to 2700°C. The electrodes used in this process
are straight pieces of metal wire about 45 cm long and diameters ranging from 1.5 to 10 mm. The entire
electrode (except for the bare end where it is held by the electrode holder) is covered with a coating material.
The basic set up for the metal arc welding is shown in Fig

Metal Arc Welding

Fig: - Metal arc welding

The metal arc welding is normally a manual process. When the metal pieces to be joined are relatively thick,
then a number of individual passes are required to complete the weld, as shown in Fig the line of metal
deposited during a single pass is known as bead. By moving the electrode side to side, a wider bead may be
obtained and more metal is deposited during a pass

Metallic inert gas (MIG) arc welding.

MIG welding was first patented in the USA in 1949 for welding aluminium. The arc and weld pool formed
using a bare wire electrode was protected by helium gas, readily available at that time. From about 1952, the
process became popular in the UK for welding aluminium using argon as the shielding gas, and for carbon
steels using CO2. CO2 and argon-CO2 mixtures are known as metal active gas (MAG) processes. MIG is an
attractive alternative to MMA, offering high deposition rates and high productivity.

Process Characteristics
MIG/MAG welding is a versatile technique suitable for both thin sheet and thick section components. An arc
is struck between the end of a wire electrode and the workpiece, melting both of them to form a weld pool.
The wire serves as both heat source (via the arc at the wire tip) and filler metal for the joint. The wire is fed
through a copper contact tube (contact tip) which conducts welding current into the wire. The weld pool is
protected from the surrounding atmosphere by a shielding gas fed through a nozzle surrounding the wire.
Shielding gas selection depends on the material being welded and the application. The wire is fed from a reel
by a motor drive, and the welder moves the welding torch along the joint line. Wires may be solid (simple
drawn wires), or cored (composites formed from a metal sheath with a powdered flux or metal filling).
Consumables are generally competitively priced compared with those for other processes. The process offers
high productivity, as the wire is continuously fed.Manual MIG/MAG welding is often referred as a semi-
automatic process, as the wire feed rate and arc length are controlled by the power source, but the travel
speed and wire position are under manual control. The process can also be mechanised when all the process
parameters are not directly controlled by a welder, but might still require manual adjustment during welding.
When no manual intervention is needed during welding, the process can be referred to as automatic.
The process usually operates with the wire positively charged and connected to a power source delivering a
constant voltage. Selection of wire diameter (usually between 0.6 and 1.6mm) and wire feed speed
determine the welding current, as the burn-off rate of the wire will form an equilibrium with the feed speed.
Metal Transfer Mode
The manner, or mode, in which the metal transfers from the electrode to the weld pool largely determines the
operating features of the process. There are three principal metal transfer modes:
Short circuiting/ Dip
Droplet / spray
Pulsed
Short-circuiting and pulsed metal transfer are used for low current operation while spray metal transfer is only
used with high welding currents. In short-circuiting or 'dip' transfer, the molten metal forming on the tip of the
wire is transferred by the wire dipping into the weld pool. This is achieved by setting a low voltage; for a
1.2mm diameter wire, arc voltage varies from about 17V (100A) to 22V (200A). Care in setting the voltage
and the inductance in relation to the wire feed speed is essential to minimise spatter. Inductance is used to
control the surge in current which occurs when the wire dips into the weld pool.
For droplet or spray transfer, a much higher voltage is necessary to ensure that the wire does not make contact
i.e. short-circuit, with the weld pool; for a 1.2mm diameter wire, the arc voltage varies from approximately
27V (250A) to 35V (400A). The molten metal at the tip of the wire transfers to the weld pool in the form of a
spray of small droplets (about the diameter of the wire and smaller). However, there is a minimum current
level, threshold, below which droplets are not forcibly projected across the arc. If an open arc technique is
attempted much below the threshold current level, the low arc forces would be insufficient to prevent large
droplets forming at the tip of the wire. These droplets would transfer erratically across the arc under normal
gravitational forces. The pulsed mode was developed as a means of stabilising the open arc at low current
levels i.e. below the threshold level, to avoid short-circuiting and spatter. Metal transfer is achieved by
applying pulses of current, each pulse having sufficient force to detach a droplet. Synergic pulsed MIG refers
to a special type of controller which enables the power source to be tuned (pulse parameters) for the wire
composition and diameter, and the pulse frequency to be set according to the wire feed speed.

Shielding Gas
In addition to general shielding of the arc and the weld pool, the shielding gas performs a number of
important functions:
Forms the arc plasma
Stabilises the arc roots on the material surface
Ensures smooth transfer of molten droplets from the wire to the weld pool
Thus, the shielding gas will have a substantial effect on the stability of the arc and metal transfer and the
behaviour of the weld pool, in particular, its penetration. General purpose shielding gases for MIG welding
are mixtures of argon, oxygen and CO2, and special gas mixtures may contain helium. The gases which are
normally used for the various materials are:
Steels:
CO2
Argon +2 to 5% oxygen
Argon +5 to 25% CO2

Non-ferrous (e.g. Aluminium, copper or nickel alloys):

Argon
Argon / helium
Argon based gases, compared with CO2, are generally more tolerant to parameter settings and generate
lower spatter levels with the dip transfer mode. However, there is a greater risk of lack of fusion defects
because these gases are colder. As CO2 cannot be used in the open arc (pulsed or spray transfer) modes due
to high back-plasma forces, argon-based gases containing oxygen or CO2 are normally employed.

Applications
MIG/MAG is widely used in most industry sectors and accounts for more than 50% of all weld metal
deposited. Compared to MMA, MIG/MAG has the advantage in terms of flexibility, deposition rates and
suitability for mechanisation. However, it should be noted that while MIG/MAG is ideal for 'squirting'
metal, a high degree of manipulative skill is demanded of the MIG welder.
 M.C.Q
1. Non - consumable electrodes are made of

a. Carbon
b. Graphite
c. either carbon or graphite
d. same material as the metal pieces to be welded
2. In metal arc welding, the filler material required is

a. Iron
b. Copper
c. Aluminum
d. No filler is required
3. Arc welding is also known as

a. Pressure welding
b. Plastic welding
c. Non - pressure welding
d. None of these
4. Amount of current required to generate the arc under no load condition is called?
a. Open circuit current
b. Closed circuit current
c. Short circuit current
d. Arc current

5. Which of the following inert gas is used with DC power supply only?
a. Argon
b. Helium
c. CO2
d. All of the Mentioned

Short answer type question

1. What is arc welding?
2. Write the name of Arc Welding Equipment
3. How many types of arc welding?
4. What is Metal Arc Welding?
5. Write the difference A.C. and D.C. Arc Welding
6. What is MIG welding
7. Write the application of MIG welding
 ARC WELDING JOB: 1
Aim: -To make a double lap joint, using the given mild steel pieces and by arc welding.
Material used: Two mild steel pieces of 70 mm X 50 mm X 5 mm.
Tools and equipment used:
1. Arc welding machine.
2. Mild steel electrodes.
3. Electrode holder.
4. Ground clamp.
5. flat nose Tong.
6. Face shield.
7. Apron.
8. Hand gloves.
9. Metallic work Table.
10. Bench vice.
11. Rough flat file.
12. Try square.
13. Steel rule.
14. Wire brush.
15. Ball peen hammer.
16. Chipping hammer.
Organize the operation by process:
1. Cleaning the work pieces.
2. Tack welding.
3. Full welding.
4. Cooling.
5. Chipping.
6. Finishing. Fig: Double lap joint

Procedure:
1. Take the two mild steel pieces of given dimensions and clean the surfaces thoroughly from
rust, dust particles, oil and grease.
2. Remove the sharp corners and burrs by filing or grinding and prepare the work pieces.
3. The work pieces are positioned on the welding table, to form a lap joint with the required over lapping.
4. The electrode is fitted in to the electrode holder and the welding current is set to a proper value.
5. The ground clamp is fastened to the welding table.
6. Wearing the apron, hand gloves, using the face shield and holding the over lapped pieces the arc is struck
and the work pieces are tack‐ welded at the ends of both the sides.
7. The alignment of the lap joint is checked and the tack‐ welded pieces are reset, if required.
8. Welding is then carried out throughout the length of the lap joint, on both the sides.
9. Remove the slag, spatters and clean the joint.
Precautions:
1. Use goggles, gloves in order to protect the human body.
2. Maintain the constant arc length.
Result The lap joint is thus made, using the tools and equipment as mentioned above.
 ARC WELDING JOB: 2
Aim: - Preparation of butt joint as shown in figure using shielded metal arc welding process
Material used: Two mild steel pieces of 70 mm X 50 mm X 5 mm.
Tools and equipment used:
1. Arc welding machine.
2. Mild steel electrodes.
3. Electrode holder.
4. Ground clamp.
5. flat nose Tong.
6. Face shield.
7. Apron.
8. Hand gloves.
9. Metallic work Table.
10. Bench vice.
11. Rough flat file.
12. Try square.
13. Steel rule.
14. Wire brush.
15. Ball peen hammer.
16. Chipping hammer.
Organize the operation by process:
1. Cleaning the work pieces.
2. Tack welding.
3. Full welding.
4. Cooling.
5. Chipping.
6. Finishing. Fig: V – butt joint joint
Procedure:
1. The given metallic pieces filled to the desired size.
2. On both pieces bevelled in order to have V groove.
3. The metallic pieces are thoroughly cleaned from rust grease, oil, etc.
4. The metallic pieces are connected to terminals of Trans former.
5. Select electrode diameter based on thickness of work piece and holds it on the electrode holder. Select
suitable range of current for selected dia.
6. Switch on the power supply and initiates the arc by either striking arc method or touch and drag method.
7. Take welding to be done before full welding.
8. In full welding process after completion one part before going to second part. Slag is removed
from the weld bed. With the metal wire brush or chipping hammer.
9. Then the above process will be repeated until to fill the groove with weld bed or weld Metal.
Precautions:
1. Use goggles, gloves in order to protect the human body.
2. Maintain the constant arc length.
Result: Butt joint is prepared as shown in figure by using arc-welding process.