SUBMERGED ARC WELDING

INTRODUCTION
Submerged arc welding is suitable for butt welding and fillet welding of such applications as
structural members in ships, manufacture of pressure vessels, bridge beams, massive water pipes,
thin sheet shells and so on. In addition, the process is particularly effective for cladding
applications in which hard material is deposited on a softer substrate.
Submerged arc welding is most efficient if the joint can be filled with as few passes as possible.
This process is still sufficiently attractive due to more cost effective than, say, manual welding
using coated electrodes. In addition, there will be fewer weld defects with automatic welding.
The area of the arc and molten zone gets its protection from the atmospheric contamination by
submerging under a blanket of granular flux. The flux layer covers the area completely preventing
spatter, sparks, fumes, and UV radiation. Higher deposition rates than other Welding processes.

WORKING
Submerged Arc Welding (SAW) is a fully automated high productive process. A bare electrode is
continuously fed through contact tube connected to the power source. Wire feeding is done by a
motor connected with the controller. Roller guide draws wire from a reel. The wire where it meets
the work piece and surrounding area always remain covered with granular flux continuously fed
from the flux hopper. The arc is generated when the electrode comes closer to the job piece. For
this welding process DCEP i.e., electrode connected to positive terminal of the power source and
job piece connected to negative is most preferred. Due to flux covering the arc is not visible. Hence
the name submerged arc applies. The heat generated, melts portion of the flux above the arc. This
molten flux acts as a protective covering as well as thermal insulation during and after the welding
process. The molten flux solidifies to form slag as the arc propagates along the weld line. After
the welding is done, unused/unsolidified granular fluxes can be collected for reuse. The slag is
removed by chipping. The flux also acts as a thermal insulator by promoting deep penetration of
heat into the work piece. The unused flux can be recovered (using a recovery tube), treated, and
reused. The consumable electrode is a coil of bare round wire 1.5 to 10 mm in diameter; it is fed
automatically through a tube (welding gun). Electric currents typically range from 300 to 2000 A.
The power supplies usually are connected to standard single- or three-phase power lines with a
primary rating up to 440 V. Because the flux is gravity fed, the SAW process is limited largely to
welds in a flat or horizontal position having a backup piece. Circular welds can be made on pipes
and cylinders—provided that they are rotated during welding.

PARAMETERS
 Arc voltage
The arc voltage is decisive in determining the shape and width of the arc and, to some degree, also
in determining its penetration.

 Welding current
Welding current is the parameter that is of greatest importance for penetration. This means that the
welding current, which is proportional to the wire feed speed, affects the deposition rate (the
quantity of electrode material melted into the weld per unit of time), so that as the welding current
increases, the rate of melting of the filler wire also increases. For a given welding current, the
deposition rate will be higher if the filler wire is negative with respect to the workpiece than if the
wire is positive, but the penetration will be reduced.
WELDING SPEED
The welding speed (the linear speed along the line of the weld) also affects the penetration.
If the speed is increased relative to the original value, penetration will be decreased and the weld
will be narrower.
Reducing the speed increases penetration and results in a wider weld (cf. manual welding).
However, reducing the welding speed to about 20–25 cm/min (depending on the actual value of
the current) can have the opposite effect, i.e. a reduction in penetration, as the arc is prevented
from transferring thermal energy to the parent metal by the excessive size of the weld pool.
If the welding speed is to be changed while penetration is kept constant, it is necessary to
compensate by adjustment of the welding current, i.e. to increase or decrease it.

WIRE DIAMETER
For a given current, a change in wire size will result in a change in current density. Greater wire
diameter results in a reduction in penetration and, to some extent, also the risk of burning through
at the bottom of the weld. In addition, the arc will become more difficult to strike and arc stability
will be adversely affected. There is a risk of root defects if too large an electrode is used in V-
joints.

STICK-OUT
The electrical stick-out of the wire is the distance from the contact tip to the surface of the
workpiece. This distance is an important parameter, affecting the resistive heating of the tip of the
wire. If the stick-out is short, little heat will be developed in the wire and penetration will be
greater. As the stick-out length is increased, so the temperature of the wire increases and
penetration is reduced, while the rate of deposition is increased.
Extra long electrical stick-out is employed particularly for deposition and cladding (application of
a stainless steel or wear-resistant layer). It is possible to increase the rate of deposition by up to
50% with a long stick-out. When welding in normal structural steels, a normal value of stick-out
is 25–30 mm, with a somewhat shorter stickout of about 20–25 mm being used for stainless steels,
as stainless steel filler wires have higher resistance. It is desirable to be able to adjust the flux
depth, depending on the amount of molten metal in the bead.

WIRE ANGLE
The angle between the filler wire and the workpiece determines the position of the weld, its
appearance and its penetration.

Vertical filler wire angle is most commonly used, but when tandem and multi-wire systems are
used both forehand and backhand wire angles are used in order to achieve the welding
performance.

SUBMERGED ARC WELDING METHODS

 Single-wire welding
o Filler wires with diameters from 1.2 mm to 6 mm can be used with welding currents of
120–1500 A. Submerged arc welding processes have developed from single- wire
welding to higher productivity processes

 Twin-arc welding
o Submerged arc welding with two parallel wires differs more from twin-wire welding
with separate welding heads.
o Double wires have become increasingly common in the interests of higher productivity.
 o Without very much higher capital costs, it is possible to increase the deposition rate by
30–40% in comparison with that of a single-wire machine, as a result of the higher
current density that can be carried by two filler wires in parallel.
o As the equipment uses only a single wire feed unit, the welding current will be shared
equally between the two wires.

 Tandem welding
o When the wires are connected to separate power units, and the welding heads work on
the same joint, the process is referred to as tandem welding.
o Tandem welding uses thicker wires (3–4 mm). The method is used when welding thick
plate, where substantial cross-sectional areas have to be filled with weld metal.

 Strip welding
o The same equipment can be used for strip welding as for single-wire welding, but the
wire is now in the form of a strip of metal, either 0.5 x 60 mm or 0.5 x 100 mm. The
welding head and flux feed arrangements are modified to suit.
o As a result of the rectangular cross-section, penetration is exceptionally low, producing
a smooth and wide weld.
o The process is used for such applications as cladding carbon steel with stainless steel,
where the dilution from the parent metal must be low in order not to affect the corrosion
resistance of the surface layer. The method is also used for repair of worn parts.
 Narrow gap welding
o This method has been developed for the welding of thick-wall pressure vessels in very
narrow gaps. The joint sides are almost parallel, inclined at an angle of only 3.
o Instead of applying a substantial pass in the middle of the joint, the method is based on
applying passes to the left and right sides alternately. In order to ensure good release of
the slag, the width of the slag must not be wider than the joint.
o Narrow-gap welding can be used in metal thickness up to 350 mm, which can be welded
from the root to the final pass without interruption.

FLUX
Flux compositions are optimised for use in combination with filler wires of varying metallurgica l
characteristics. This combination can be provided in three ways: with all the necessary alloying
elements in the filler wire, in the flux or in the filler wire and flux together.
A flux that has been developed for good mechanical properties in some material, generally has
poorer characteristics in some other respect that is of importance for welding.
 A fused flux is homogeneous, i.e. the substances in the flux have been melted together
to form a glass-like substance, which has then been crushed and ground before finally
being classified to a suitable grain size.
 The particles in an agglomerated fluxhave been formed by 'rolling' the various
constituents on a rotating dish, drum or cone, with water glass (Sodium silicate) as an
additive. The resulting product has then been dried in a rotary kiln at a temperature of
800–900 °C. After drying, the flux is classified to give approximately the same grain
size as that of a fused flux.
 Sintered fluxes are produced by sintering the various components to produce blocks,
which are then crushed and classified.
 RESISTANCE WELDING
Resistance welding is one of many methods of fastening two or more pieces of metal together.
Resistance welding requires neither additional material nor holes in the metal.
The two pieces of metal to be joined are squeezed together by the electrodes on the welding
machine so they are in good electrical contact. Then electric current is passed through them,
heating them until they begin to melt at the spot where they are in contact. The molten metal from
the two pieces flows together; then the current is turned off and the molten metal solidifies, forming
a solid metallic connection between the two pieces. The term “Resistance Welding” comes from
the fact that it is the electrical property of resistance of the metal being welded that causes heat to
be generated when current flows through it.

Advantages of resistance welding

(i) Fast rate of production.
(ii) No filler rod is needed.
(iii) Semi automatic equipments.
(iv) Less skilled workers can do the job.
(v) Both similar and dissimilar metals can be welded.
(vi) High reliability and reproducibility are obtained.
(vii) More general elimination of warping or distortion of parts.
Disadvantage of resistance welding
(i) The initial cost of equipment is high.
(ii) Skilled persons are needed for the maintenance of equipment and its controls.
(iii) In some materials, special surface preparation is required.
(iv) Bigger job thicknesses cannot be welded

Applications of Resistance Welding

(i) Joining sheets, bars, rods and tubes.
(ii) Making tubes and metal furniture.
(iii) Welding aircraft and automobile parts.
(iv) Making cutting tools.
(v) Making fuel tanks of cars, tractors etc.
(vi) Making wire fabric, grids, grills, mash weld, containers etc.

IMPORTANT FACTORS IN RESISTANCE WELDING

Important to the proper formation of the molten area between the pieces of metal being welded is
the magnitude of current, the length of time it flows, and the force squeezing the parts together.
The optimum value of these parameters varies with the type of metal and its thickness. For
commonly used low-carbon steel 1/16" thick, a typical value of current is 10,000 amps, for a time
of 1/4 second, and 600 pounds electrode force.
 Magnitude of current
To get the 10,000 amps needed for resistance welding, some device must be used to step the current
up from the relatively low level available from the power line. The device generally used is a
transformer. Transformers are usually thought of as stepping voltage up or down, but current can
also be transformed in the same way. A transformer consists of two coils of wire, called the primary
and secondary, wound around an iron core. Power is transferred from primary to secondary via the
magnetic properties of the iron. The factor by which the current or voltage is stepped up or down
is roughly equal the ratio between the number of turns of wire in the coils forming the primary and
secondary windings of the transformer. In the preceding example, where 10,000 amps was
required, a transformer could be made with 100 turns on the primary and 2 turns on the secondary;
a “turns ratio” of 50. A 200 amp current in the primary would then be transformed into 200 x 50,
or 10,000 amps in the secondary, enough to do the welding job.
 Length of time flows
The device used to turn the current on and off is a critical part of the system. A relay or hand
operated switch might be considered as a switching device, but it is very difficult to turn a switch
on and off again in 1/4 second, and even more difficult to do it consistently. Therefore, some
electronic device with no moving parts should be used. Two such devices are available. The
ignitron tube, which has been used for many years, is one, and the silicon controlled rectifier
(SCR), a more recent development, is another. Both operate by virtue of the fact that a small
electrical signal applied to the device allows it to turn on in a small fraction of a second and conduct
a large amount of current. Removing the electrical signal allows the device to turn off again.

 Electrode force
Electrode Force is consider as necessary factor which assure the good electrical contact between
the parts being welded. This hold the parts steady until the molten metal forming the welded joint
has time to solidify. The most common method is compressed air in a cylinder and piston
arrangement. The cylinder is rigidly attached to the welding machine frame, and the moveable
piston is connected to the upper electrode. Compressed air introduced into the cylinder develops a
force on the piston which, in turn, pushes the electrode down against the metal being welded. The
amount of force applied depends on the area of the piston and the pressure of the compressed air.
In the preceding example where 600 pounds of electrode force was required, a five inch diameter
piston would require an air pressure of 30 pounds per square inch.
 Contact Resistance
The contact resistance at the weld interface is the most influential parameter related to materials.
It however has a highly dynamic interaction with the process parameters. The measured contact
resistance varies with different temperatures and pressures. It is noticed that the contact resistance
generally decreases with increasing temperature and it decreases almost proportionally with
increasing pressure.

 Material Properties
Nearly all material properties change with temperature which adds to the dynamic s of the
resistance welding process. The resistivity of material influences heat generation. The thermal
conductivity and the heat capacity influence the heat transfer. In metals such as silver and copper
with low resistivity and high thermal conductivity, little heat is generated even with high welding
current and also quickly transferred away. They are rather difficult to weld with resistance welding.
On the other hand, they can be good materials for electrodes.

 Geometry and dimensions

The geometry and dimensions of the electrodes and workpieces are very important since they
influence the current density distribution and thus the results of resistance welding. The geometry
of electrodes in spot welding controls the current density and the resulting size of the weld nugget.
Different thicknesses of metal sheets need different welding currents and other process parameter
settings.

SPOT WELDING
Resistance spot welding is a process in which overlapping surfaces are joined in one or more spots by
resistance to the flow of electric current through workpieces that are held together under force by
electrodes. The contacting surfaces in the region of current concentration are heated by a short-time
pulse of low-voltage, high-amperage current to form a fused nugget of weld metal. When the flow of
current ceases, the electrode force is maintained while the weld metal rapidly cools and solidifies. The
electrodes are retracted after each weld, which usually is completed in a fraction of a second.
SEAM WELDING
It is the process of continuous joining of overlapping sheets by passing them between two rotating
electrode wheels. Heat generated by the electric current flowing through the contact area and
pressure provided by the wheels are sufficient to produce a leak-tight weld. The resulting weld is a
series of overlapping resistance spot welds made progressively along a joint rotating the electrodes.
This process involves the travel speed as well as the sequence of current flow to provide for overlapping
welds. The welding speed, the spots per inch, and the timing schedule are dependent on each other.
Welding schedules provide the pressure, the current, the speed, and the size of the electrode wheels.

PROJECTION WELDING
As per the definition, different projections are formed in this welding technique. Here, the metal pieces
that are to be joined are kept in between the two electrodes. A larger pressure force is applied to the
electrodes. As current is passed through the system, the heat formation takes place due to the internal
resistance of the metal workpieces. One point that you must note down here, is that the heat generation
takes place due to the internal resistance of the metal workpieces rather than an electric arc. Those
projections concentrate the heat. As the pressure applied to the electrodes increases, this projection
collapses and the formation of the fused weld nugget takes place. Thus, a quality weld is formed.

FLASH WELDING
Flash Welding is a Resistance Welding (RW) process, in which ends of rods (tubes, sheets) are heated
and fused by an arc struck between them and then forged (brought into a contact under a pressure)
producing a weld.
The welded parts are held in electrode clamps, one of which is stationary and the second is movable.
Flash Welding method permits fast (about 1 min.) joining of large and complex parts. In this process,
two work pieces which are to be welded will be clamped in the electrode holders and a high pulsed
current in the range of 100000 ampere is supplied to the work piece material. In this two electrode
holders are used in which one is fixed and other is movable. Initially the current is supplied and
movable clamp is forced against the fixed clamp due to contact of these two work pieces at high current,
flash will be produced. When the interface surface comes into plastic form, the current is stopped and
axial pressure is increased to make joint. In this process weld is formed due to plastic deformation.
RESISTANCE BUTT WELDING
Resistance Butt Welding is a Resistance Welding (RW) process, in which ends of wires or rods are
held under a pressure and heated by an electric current passing through the contact area and producing
a weld. The process is similar to Flash Welding; however in Butt Welding pressure and electric current
are applied simultaneously in contrast to Flash Welding where electric current is followed by forging
pressure application. Butt welding is used for welding small parts. The process is highly product ive
and clean. In contrast to Flash Welding, Butt Welding provides joining with no loss of the welded
materials.
It is a resistance welding process that produces coalescence over the entire area of faying surfaces or
progressively along a butt joint by the heat obtained from the resistance to the flow of welding current
through the area where those surfaces are in contact. It can be used only if the parts to be welded are
equal in cross-sectional area.
The voltage required for welding is 2-8 volts and current varies from 50 A to several hundred amperes,
depending upon the material and the area to be welded at a time.