shop and field issues
down to the Wire
A guide to troubleshooting the most
common self-shielded FCAW problems.
By Charles Scharfy and Bill Giese
Self-shielded flux cored arc welding (FCAW) a blockage. Always trim the liner according to the manufacturer’s
has proven itself as a viable welding process for structural steel direction, and be certain you are using the correct size liner for
erection and bridge construction, among other uses. It offers high your electrode.
deposition rates, a wide range of mechanical properties, and good When birdnesting does occur, the situation can be fixed by flip-
weldability, among other desirable features and benefits. ping up the drive roll and pulling the wire back out of the gun,
This doesn’t mean that it’s free of challenges and difficulties, then trimming off the affected wire and re-threading it through
however, as there are common pitfalls to be encountered during the feeder and back to the gun.
the normal course of self-shielded FCAW. But armed with some Burnback is the formation of a weld in the contact tip that oc-
practical information and tips, you can avoid—or fix—these prob- curs when the wire feed speed is too slow or if the gun is held too
lems and maintain a high quality of welding work. close to the work piece. Correcting this problem is easy: increase
wire feed speed and the distance from the gun to the work piece
Wire-Feed Problems (the contact tip should be no further than 1¼ in. from the metal).
Wire feed stoppages and malfunctions—birdnesting and burn- Also remember to replace the contact tip if burnback occurs.
back—are among the most common FCAW issues, especially on
construction sites. More than just an annoying source of downtime, Gas Discontinuities
they can prematurely extinguish the welding arc and create irregu- Another set of problems with welding relates to gas. Porosity,
larities that may weaken the weld bead. for example, is a small pocket of gas caught in the weld metal that
Birdnesting is a tangle of wire that halts the wire from being can appear at any specific point on the weld or along its full length.
fed. Incorrect drive rolls, tension settings, blockages in the liner, This discontinuity, whether internal or on the surface of the weld
improperly trimmed liners (too short/burred/pinched), or the bead, significantly weakens the structural integrity of any weld.
wrong liner (too small or large for the electrode diameter) are all A dirty work piece can cause porosity, so be sure to clean the
sources of birdnesting. surface of the base metal to remove rust, grease, paint, coatings,
For example, FCAW wire is a tubular consumable and there- oil, moisture, and dirt prior to welding. You can also use filler wire
fore is much softer then GMAW solid wire. The correct drive rolls with added deoxidizers to “clean” the weld.
for FCAW wire are knurled V groove drive rolls. With the correct Additional causes of porosity include welding wire that extends
drive roll, the correct tension must also be used. Too much tension too far from the contact tip (the wire should extend no more than
will flatten the wire and will not allow the wire to feed through the 1¼ in. beyond the contact tip). Impurities in the base metal, such
contact tip, causing a “bird’s nest.” as sulfur and phosphorous in steel, are yet another cause, but the
To set the proper tension, a good technique is to start by releas- situation can be remedied by changing the base metal to a different
ing the tension on the drive rolls. Increase the tension while feed- composition (where specifications allow).
ing the wire into the palm of your welding glove and continue to Another gas-related problem is worm tracking: marks on the
increase the tension one-half turn past wire slippage. Blockages in surface of the weld bead that are caused from the gas that is cre-
the liner can also cause birdnesting, so replace the liner if you find ated by the flux in the core of the wire. It occurs when there is ex-
Often resulting from incorrect drive roll tension, birdnesting, as seen Caused by slow travel speed or holding the tip too close to the weld,
here, can be a frustrating source of downtime. burnback requires the contact tip to be replaced.
May 2008 MODERN STEEL CONSTRUCTION
This image shows a combination of worm tracking and porosity, both In addition to using increased current and a slower travel speed, a
outcomes of too much voltage. Worm tracking is both easily diag- beveled joint can greatly reduce the occurrence of incomplete pen-
nosed and easily corrected by lowering your voltage. Porosity, seen etration.
on the face and cross section of this weld, can significantly weaken
the structural integrity of the weld.
cessive voltage for a given wire feed setting/ Fusion Issues move contaminants. If you suspect insuf-
amperage. To prevent worm tracking, use Improper fusion is another area of ficient heat input could be contributing to
the manufacturer’s recommended param- concern. One such problem, undercut- incomplete fusion, select a higher voltage
eters for a given wire diameter. If it does ting, occurs when a groove melts in the range and/or adjust the wire feed speed as
occur, reduce your voltage by increments base metal next to the toe of the weld and necessary.
of one-half volt until it no longer appears. is not adequately filled by the weld metal.
This discontinuity creates a weaker area at Proper Penetration
Slag Inclusions the toe of the weld and can lead to crack- Lastly, penetration is another factor in
Slag is a naturally occurring part of ing. To correct this problem, reduce the accomplishing a quality weld. Excessive
FCAW, caused when the molten flux from welding current, decrease the welding arc penetration occurs when the weld metal
the core of the wire solidifies on top of the voltage, and adjust your electrode angle melts through the base metal and hangs
weld. Slag inclusions happen when the as needed. Reduce travel speed so that the underneath the weld; it is often caused by
slag gets trapped inside of the weld metal, weld metal completely fills the melted-out excessive heat input. To correct the prob-
creating the potential for weakened weld areas of the base metal and/or pause at each lem, select a lower voltage range, reduce
components and reduced serviceability. side of the weld bead when using a weaving wire feed speed, and increase travel speed.
These inclusions can be caused by incor- technique. At the other end of the spectrum is lack
rect weld bead placement, incorrect travel Another fusion issue is incomplete fu- of penetration, the shallow fusion between
angle, low heat input, or poor interpass sion (or lack of fusion), the failure of the the weld metal and the base metal. An obvi-
cleaning. weld metal to fuse completely with the base ous cause is insufficient heat input. Increas-
Weld bead placement is critical when metal or the preceding weld bead in multi- ing wire feed speed, selecting a higher volt-
making multiple passes on thick sections of pass applications. Incorrect electrode/ age range, and/or reducing travel speed are
metal, especially on the root passes of plug work angles that cause the weld metal to viable remedies.
welds or wide V-groove openings. Careful get ahead of the arc can be the culprit and Lack of penetration can also be caused
consideration must be paid to providing should be adjusted accordingly. by improper joint preparation and/or from
sufficient space in the weld joint for ad- To prevent incomplete fusion, place the the material being too thick. Joint prepara-
ditional passes, particularly on root joints stringer bead in its proper location at the tion and design must permit access to the
requiring multiple passes. joint, adjusting the work angle or widen- bottom of the groove, while also allowing
The travel angle of self-shielded FCAW ing the groove to access the bottom during you to maintain proper welding wire exten-
can also cause slag inclusions. In general, welding. Keep the arc on the trailing edge sion and arc characteristics.
if slag inclusions are caused by incorrect of the welding puddle and remember to
travel angle, you should increase your drag use a correct gun angle drag of 15° to 45°. Quality Welds
angle. In the flat, horizontal, and overhead If using a weaving technique, momentarily Quality self-shielded flux cored arc
positions, your drag angle should be be- hold the arc on the groove sidewalls when welds are the result of good welding tech-
tween 15° and 45°. In the vertical up posi- welding. nique, the proper choice of parameters, and
tion, your drag angle should be between 5° If correcting the electrode/work angle the welder’s ability to identify a problem
and 15°. does not remedy the problem, check to quickly and rectify it. Armed with some ba-
If welding heat input is too low, this may see if the electrode is getting ahead of the sic information, you can aggressively tackle
also cause slag inclusions. Always use the welding puddle. Simple adjustments, such the most common problems without sacri-
manufacturer’s recommended parameters as increasing travel speed or using a higher ficing time or quality.
for a given wire diameter. If slag inclusions welding current, will correct the problem.
still occur, increase the voltage until the in- A dirty work piece can also be the cause Charles Scharfy is the structural segment man-
clusions cease. of the problem. Always clean the surface ager with Hobart Brothers Company, and Bill
of the base metal prior to welding to re- Giese is a product manager with Bernard.
MODERN STEEL CONSTRUCTION MAY 2008
