Equipment for TIG Welding

Job Knowledge for Welders No. 6 describes the TIG welding process. Using an inert gas shield instead of a slag to protect the weldpool, this technology is a highly attractive alternative to gas and an!al etal arc welding and has played a a"or role in the acceptance of high #!ality welding in critical applications.

Essential equipment
In TIG, the arc is for ed between the end of a s all dia eter t!ngsten electrode and the wor$piece. The ain e#!ip ent co ponents are% power so!rce torch bac$ing syste protective e#!ip ent

Power source
The power so!rce for TIG welding can be either &' or (' b!t in both the o!tp!t is ter ed a drooping, or constant c!rrent, characteristic) the arc voltage * welding c!rrent relationship delivers a constant c!rrent for a given power so!rce setting. If the arc voltage is slightly increased or decreased, there will be very little change in welding c!rrent. In an!al welding, it can acco odate the welder+s nat!ral variations in arc length and, in the event of the electrode to!ching the wor$, an e,cessively high c!rrent will not be drawn which co!ld f!se the electrode to the wor$piece. The arc is !s!ally started by -. /-igh .re#!ency0 spar$s which ionise the gap between the electrode and the wor$piece. -. generates airborne and line trans itted interference, so care !st be ta$en to avoid interference with control syste s and instr! ents near welding e#!ip ent. When welding is carried o!t in sensitive areas, a non1-. techni#!e, to!ch starting or +lift arc+, can be !sed. The electrode can be short circ!ited to the wor$piece, b!t the c!rrent will only flow when the electrode is lifted off the s!rface. There is, therefore, little ris$ of the electrode f!sing to the wor$piece s!rface and for ing t!ngsten incl!sions in the weld etal. .or high #!ality applications, !sing -. is preferred. DC power source &' power prod!ces a concentrated arc with ost of the heat in the wor$piece, so this power so!rce is generally !sed for welding. -owever, the arc with its cathode roots on the electrode /&' electrode negative polarity0, res!lts in little cleaning of the wor$piece s!rface. 'are !st be ta$en to clean the s!rface prior to welding and to ens!re that there is an efficient gas shield.

Transistor and inverter power so!rces are being !sed increasingly for TIG welding. The advantages are%

the s aller si2e a$es the easily transported arc ignition is easier special operating feat!res, e.g. c!rrent p!lsing, are readily incl!ded the o!tp!t can be pre1progra ed for echanised

operations The greater stability of these power so!rces allows very low c!rrents to be !sed partic!larly for icro1TIG welding and largely replaced the plas a process for icro1welding operations. AC power source .or aterials s!ch as al! ini! , which has a tenacio!s o,ide fil on the s!rface, (' power !st be e ployed. 3y switching between positive and negative polarity, the periods of electrode positive will re ove the o,ide and clean the s!rface. The fig!re shows c!rrent and voltage wavefor s for /sine wave0 (' TIG welding. &isadvantages of conventional, sine wave (' co pared with &' are%

the arc is ore diff!se -. is re#!ired to reignite the arc at each c!rrent reversal e,cessive heating of the electrode a$es it i possible to tapered point and the end beco es balled

aintain a

4#!are wave (', or switched &', power so!rces are partic!larly attractive for welding al! ini! . 3y switching between polarities, arc reignition is ade easier so that the -. can be red!ced or eli inated. The ability to i balance the wavefor to vary the proportion of positive to negative polarity is i portant by deter ining the relative a o!nt of heat generated in the wor$piece and the electrode. To weld the root r!n, the power so!rce is operated with the greater a o!nt of positive polarity to p!t the a,i ! heat into the wor$piece. .or filler r!ns a greater proportion of negative polarity sho!ld be !sed to ini ise heating of the electrode. 3y !sing 567 negative polarity, it is possible to aintain a pointed electrode. ( balanced position /867 electrode positive and negative polarities0 is preferable for welding heavily o,idised al! ini! .

Torch

There is a wide range of torch designs for welding, according to the application. &esigns which have the on*off switch and c!rrent control in the handle are often preferred to foot controls. 4pecialised torches are available for echanised applications, e.g. orbital and bore welding of pipes.

Electrode
.or &' c!rrent, the electrode is t!ngsten with between 9 and 87 thoria to aid arc initiation. The electrode tip is gro!nd to an angle of 666 to 566 for an!al welding, irrespective of the electrode dia eter. .or echanised applications as the tip angle deter ines the shape of the arc and infl!ences the penetration profile of the weld pool, attention !st be paid to consistency in grinding the tip and chec$ing its condition between welds. .or (' c!rrent, the electrode is either p!re t!ngsten or t!ngsten with a s all a o!nt /!p to 6.870 of 2irconia to aid arc reignition and to red!ce electrode erosion. The tip nor ally ass! es a spherical profile d!e to the heat generated in the electrode d!ring the electrode positive half cycle.

Gas shielding
( gas lens sho!ld be fitted within the torch no22le, to ens!re la inar gas flow. This will i prove gas protection for sensitive welding operations li$e welding vertical, corner and edge "oints and on c!rved s!rfaces.

Backing s stem
When welding high integrity co ponents, a shielding gas is !sed to protect the !nderside of the weld pool and weld bead fro o,idation. To red!ce the a o!nt of gas cons! ed, a localised gas shro!d for sheet, da s or pl!gs for t!b!lar co ponents is !sed. (s little as 87 air can res!lt in a poor weld bead profile and ay red!ce corrosion resistance in aterials li$e stainless steel. With gas bac$ing syste s in pipe welding, pre1weld p!rge ti e depends on the dia eter and length of the pipe. The flow rate*p!rge ti e is set to ens!re at least five vol! e changes before welding. 4tic$ on tapes and cera ic bac$ing bars are also !sed to protect and s!pport the weld bead. In an!al stainless steel welding, a fl!,1cored wire instead of a solid wire can be !sed in the root r!n. This protects the !nderbead fro o,idation witho!t the need for gas bac$ing.

Inserts
( pre1placed insert can be !sed to i prove the !nifor ity of the root penetration. Its ain !se is to prevent s!c$1bac$ in an a!togeno!s weld, especially in the overhead position. The !se of an insert does not a$e welding any easier and

s$ill is still re#!ired to avoid proble s of inco plete root f!sion and !neven root penetration.

Protecti!e equipment
( slightly dar$er glass sho!ld be !sed in the head or hand shield than that !sed for ::( welding. ;eco ended shade n! ber of filter for TIG welding%

Shade number Welding current A 9 10 11 12 13 14 less than 20 20 to 40 40 to 100 100 to 175 175 to 250 250 to 400