Industrial Electronics (2nd Sem 2013-2014)

3/17/2014

Fernando Victor V. de Vera, ECE, M.Tech

fvictor.devera@gmail.com
fvictordevera@yahoo.com
University of the East - Manila Campus
College of Engineering
Electronics Engineering Department

AUTOMATIC WELDING

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Welding
Welding is a fabrication or sculptural process
that joins materials, usually metals or
thermoplastics, by causing coalescence.
This is often done by melting the workpieces
and adding a filler material to form a pool of
molten material (the weld pool) that cools to
become a strong joint, with pressure
sometimes used in conjunction with heat, or
by itself, to produce the weld.
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Other Processes Similar to Welding

Soldering
A process in which two or more metal items are
joined together by melting and flowing a filler metal
(solder) into the joint, the filler metal having a lower
melting point than the adjoining metal

Brazing
a metal-joining process whereby a filler metal is
heated above melting point and distributed between
two or more close-fitting parts by capillary action. The
filler metal is brought slightly above its melting
(liquidus) temperature while protected by a suitable
atmosphere, usually a flux. It then flows over the base
metal (known as wetting) and is then cooled to join
the workpieces together.
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Industrial Electronics (2nd Sem 2013-2014)

3/17/2014

Energy Sources for Welding

Gas flame
Electric arc
Laser
Electron beam
Friction
Ultrasound

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Dangers Involved with Welding

Burns
Electric shock
Vision damage
Inhalation of poisonous gases and fumes
Exposure to intense ultraviolet radiation

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Welding Processes
Arc
Gas
Resistance
Energy Beam
Solid State

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Industrial Electronics (2nd Sem 2013-2014)

3/17/2014

Arc Welding
Uses a welding power supply to create and
maintain an electric arc between an electrode
and the base material to melt metals at the
welding point.
Power source: DC or AC
Electrodes: consumable or non-consumable
The welding region is sometimes protected by
some type of inert or semi-inert gas, known as a
shielding gas, and filler material is sometimes
used as well.
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Power Supply
Common Welding Power Supply:
CONSTANT CURRENT
Most often used for manual welding processes such as
gas tungsten arc welding and shielded metal arc
welding, because they maintain a relatively constant
current even as the voltage varies.

CONSTANT VOLTAGE
Most often used for automated welding processes such
as gas metal arc welding, flux cored arc welding, and
submerged arc welding.
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Arc Welding Power Supply

The length of the arc is directly related to the
voltage, and the amount of heat input is
related to the current.

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Industrial Electronics (2nd Sem 2013-2014)

3/17/2014

Welding Electrodes
Electrodes
Used to conduct current through a workpiece to
fuse two pieces together.

Types:
Consumable Electrodes
Non-Consumable

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Welding Electrodes

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Consumable Welding Electrodes

Uses direct current and electrodes can be
charged either be positive or negative.
Processes:
Shielded metal arc welding
Gas metal arc welding

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Industrial Electronics (2nd Sem 2013-2014)

3/17/2014

Consumable Welding Electrodes

The positively charged anode will have a
greater heat concentration, so, changing the
polarity of the electrode has an impact on
weld properties.
If the electrode is positively charged, the base
metal will be hotter, increasing weld penetration
and welding speed.
A negatively charged electrode results in more
shallow welds.
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Non-Consumable Welding Electrodes

Can use either type of direct current, as well
as alternating current.
Processes:
Gas tungsten arc welding

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Non-Consumable Welding Electrodes

With Direct Current:
The electrode only creates the arc and does not
provide filler material
Positively charged electrode causes shallow welds,
Negatively charged electrode makes deeper
welds.

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Industrial Electronics (2nd Sem 2013-2014)

3/17/2014

Non-Consumable Welding Electrodes

With Alternating Current
Results in medium-penetration welds.

Disadvantage:
The arc must be re-ignited after every zero
crossing.
Use a square wave pattern instead of the normal
sine wave, making rapid zero crossings possible
and minimizing the effects of the problem.

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Arc Welding Processes

Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW)
Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW)
Flux-Cored Arc Welding (FCAW)
Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW)
Plasma Arc Welding (PAW)

Submerged Arc Welding (SAW)

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Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW)

Also manual metal arc welding (MMA) or stick
welding.
Electric current is used to strike an arc between
the base material and consumable electrode rod,
which is made of filler material (typically steel)
and is covered with a flux that protects the weld
area from oxidation and contamination by
producing carbon dioxide (CO2) gas during the
welding process.
The electrode core itself acts as filler material,
making a separate filler unnecessary.
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Industrial Electronics (2nd Sem 2013-2014)

3/17/2014

Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW)

Also known as metal inert gas (MIG) welding
A semi-automatic or automatic process that
uses a continuous wire feed as an electrode
and an inert or semi-inert gas mixture to
protect the weld from contamination.
Since the electrode is continuous, welding
speeds are greater for GMAW than for SMAW.

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Flux-Cored Arc Welding (FCAW)

Uses similar equipment but uses wire
consisting of a steel electrode surrounding a
powder fill material.
This cored wire is more expensive than the
standard solid wire and can generate fumes
and/or slag, but it permits even higher
welding speed and greater metal penetration.

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Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW)

Also tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding
A manual welding process that uses a
nonconsumable tungsten electrode, an inert
or semi-inert gas mixture, and a separate filler
material.
Useful for welding thin materials.
Can be used on nearly all weldable metals,
though it is most often applied to stainless
steel and light metals.
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Industrial Electronics (2nd Sem 2013-2014)

3/17/2014

Plasma Arc Welding (PAW)

Also uses a tungsten electrode but uses plasma gas to
make the arc.
The arc is more concentrated than the GTAW arc,
making transverse control more critical and thus
generally restricting the technique to a mechanized
process.
Because of its stable current, the method can be used
on a wider range of material thicknesses than can the
GTAW process and it is much faster.
It can be applied to all of the same materials as GTAW
except magnesium, and automated welding of stainless
steel is one important application of the process.
A variation of the process is plasma cutting, an
efficient steel cutting process.
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Submerged Arc Welding (SAW)

A high-productivity welding method in which the
arc is struck beneath a covering layer of flux. This
increases arc quality, since contaminants in the
atmosphere are blocked by the flux.
The slag that forms on the weld generally comes
off by itself, and combined with the use of a
continuous wire feed, the weld deposition rate is
high.
Working conditions are much improved over
other arc welding processes, since the flux hides
the arc and almost no smoke is produced.
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Gas Welding
The most common gas welding process is
oxyfuel welding, also known as oxyacetylene
welding.
It is one of the oldest and most versatile
welding processes, but in recent years it has
become less popular in industrial applications.
It is still widely used for welding pipes and
tubes, as well as repair work.
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Industrial Electronics (2nd Sem 2013-2014)

3/17/2014

Gas Welding
The equipment is relatively inexpensive and
simple, generally employing the combustion of
acetylene in oxygen to produce a welding flame
temperature of about 3100 C.
The flame, since it is less concentrated than an
electric arc, causes slower weld cooling, which
can lead to greater residual stresses and weld
distortion, though it eases the welding of high
alloy steels.
A similar process, generally called oxyfuel cutting,
is used to cut metals.
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Resistance Welding
Resistance welding involves the generation of
heat by passing current through the resistance
caused by the contact between two or more
metal surfaces.
Small pools of molten metal are formed at the
weld area as high current (1000100,000 A) is
passed through the metal.
Efficient and cause little pollution, but their
applications are somewhat limited and the
equipment cost can be high.
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Resistance Welding
Spot Welding
Shot Welding
Seam Welding
Others:
Butt
Flash
Projection
Upset
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Industrial Electronics (2nd Sem 2013-2014)

3/17/2014

Spot Welding
Spot welding is a popular resistance welding method
used to join overlapping metal sheets of up to 3 mm
thick.
Two electrodes are simultaneously used to clamp the
metal sheets together and to pass current through the
sheets.
Advantages:
efficient energy use
limited workpiece deformation
high production rates
easy automation
no required filler materials.

Disadvantage:
Weld strength is significantly lower than with other
welding methods.
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Shot and Seam Welding

SHOT Welding
Can be used to spot weld stainless steel

SEAM Welding
Relies on two electrodes to apply pressure and
current to join metal sheets.
Uses wheel-shaped electrodes that roll along and
often feed the workpiece, making it possible to
make long continuous welds (like in beverage
cans).
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Energy Beam Welding

METHODS:
LASER Beam Welding - employs a highly focused
laser beam.
Electron Beam Welding - done in a vacuum.

The two processes are quite similar, differing

most notably in their source of power.

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Industrial Electronics (2nd Sem 2013-2014)

3/17/2014

Laser and Electron Beam Welding

CHARACTERISTICS:
Extremely fast
Easily automated
Highly productive.
Very high energy density
Makes deep weld penetration possible
Minimizes the size of the weld area.

DISADVANTAGES:
Very high equipment costs
Susceptibility to thermal cracking
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Solid State Welding

The materials being
joined are not melted.
TYPES:
Ultrasonic Welding
Explosion Welding
Friction Welding
Electromagnetic Pulse
welding
Co-Extrusion

Cold
Diffusion Bonding
Exothermic Welding
High frequency welding
Hot pressure welding
Induction welding
Roll welding
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Ultrasonic Welding
Used to connect thin sheets or wires made of metal or
thermoplastic by vibrating them at high frequency and
under high pressure.
The equipment and methods involved are similar to
that of resistance welding, but instead of electric
current, vibration provides energy input.
When welding plastics, the materials should have
similar melting temperatures, and the vibrations are
introduced vertically.
Ultrasonic welding is commonly used for making
electrical connections out of aluminum or copper, and
it is also a very common polymer welding process.
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Industrial Electronics (2nd Sem 2013-2014)

3/17/2014

Explosion Welding
Involves the joining of materials by pushing
them together under extremely high pressure.
The energy from the impact plasticizes the
materials, forming a weld, even though only a
limited amount of heat is generated.
The process is commonly used for welding
dissimilar materials, such as the welding of
aluminum with steel in ship hulls or
compound plates.
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Geometry of Weld Joints

BASIC TYPES:
A. Butt joint
B. Corner joint
C. T-joint
D. Lap joint
E. Edge joint

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Geometry of Weld Joints

Common Welding Joint
Types:
1. Square butt joint
2. V butt joint
3. Lap joint
4. T-joint

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Industrial Electronics (2nd Sem 2013-2014)

3/17/2014

Quality of Welds
Factors influence the strength of welds and
the material around them
Welding method
Amount and concentration of energy input
Weldability of the base material, filler material,
and flux material
The design of the joint
Interactions between all these factors.

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Automatic Welding
Sequence of Operation in making a Weld:
Squeeze
Weld
Hold
Release
Standby

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Squeeze Interval
The welding electrodes come forward to engage
the metal.
They are allowed to press against the surfaces for
a short time before the welding current starts.
This is done to allow the electrodes to conform to
the curvature of the surfaces and to make perfect
electrical contact.
Usually lasts about 1sec, but can be adjusted by
the operator.
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Industrial Electronics (2nd Sem 2013-2014)

3/17/2014

Weld Interval
The welding transformer is energized.
Current flows down from the power source
towards the electrode and through the metalto-metal contact, thereby creating a weld.
Usually takes about 2-10 secs long.

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Weld Interval

The welding current is turned on and off in short

bursts, called pulsations.
SUBINTERVALS:
HEAT The portion of the weld in which the current is
flowing.
COOL The portion where the current is absent.
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Variables that Affect the

Quality of Welds
1.
2.
3.
4.

Pulsations per weld interval

Cycles per Heat subinterval
Cycles per Cool subinterval
Conduction Angle

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Industrial Electronics (2nd Sem 2013-2014)

3/17/2014

Hold Interval
Electrode pressure is maintained on the metal
surfaces, but the welding current is turned off.
This is done to allow fused metal of the weld
to harden before the mechanical force exerted
by the electrodes is removed.
Lasts about 1 sec.

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Release and Standby Intervals

RELEASE
The welding electrodes are retracted.

STANDBY
Waits for the next cycle to commence.

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