II

TWI

V[Ot

THE \ILDING D.ISTmJ].E

/
| \ / '/: ,
l l

S EC T IO N1 O

T\vI

wot

THE V/Et

iNG INSTm_]-I-E

, P R OC ES S(C O N ST A N T
A ',DRO O pt NGA' RC
C U R RE N T)
TUNGSTEN ,ruERTGAS (rrc)

T u n g s t e na r c g a ss h i e l d e d A
; rgonarc;
G a s t u n g s t e na r c w e l d i n g ;G T A W ( U S A )

dt19 9.t

Typicaldefectsassociated
with this
' Tungsteninclusions.
Lackof fusion.
Incompletepenetration.
Undercut.
'Porosity.
Type of Operation
U s u a l l ym a n u a l b
, u t c a nb e m e c h a n i s e d .
Mode of Operation
An arc is maintainedbetweenthe end of a
tungstenelectrodeand the work.The
electrodeis not consumedand the current
is controlledby the power sourceseting.
I n e o p e r a t o rm u s t c o n t r o tl h e a r cl e n g t h
and aiso add filler metal if neededto
obtainthe correctweld: consequently,
a
high degreeof skill is neededfor best
results.

Burnthrough.
Excesspenetration.
Oxide inclusions.
U n e q u alle g l e n g r h .

The arc is unstableat low currents.Speciai

provisionis made for staning(h.f.or surge
injection)and for weldingthin materials
( p u l s eT I G ) .
I n a l l c a s e st h e e l e c t r o d ea n dw e l d p o o l
a r e s h i e l d e db y a s t r e a mo f i n e ng a s .F i l l e r
rod is fed into the weld pool in some
WELDING TECHNOLOGY
lssue 0191

1d.1

T\VI

iu[g

THE WELDING iNSTITLT:

TIG W E LDI NGS E T S

sets are manufactured
in a rangeof sizes,icentifledby curreni:also imoortan:
is whetherthe outpuris DC only, DC/ACor AC only. AC is neededfor most
work on alurninium.
Eiectrrcal
inputmay be single-phas
e at 240 or 415v, or three-phaseat 415v.
on the normajd.c. or a-c.outputan 'h.f. unit'superimposes
a high vortagehigh
frequencysupplyto causea sparkfrom electrodeto parentmetalwhen ihe
welder wants to start the arc: aiternatively,an electroniccontrolswitches the
current on JUSIas the welderlifts the electrodeoff the work ('touchstart'). The
output has a droopingcharacteristic,
so by switchingoff the h.f. unit it can be
used for manua.lmetararc. Arternatively,an add-on h.f. unit can convert a
rnanualmetai arc set to TlG.
The welder often uses a foot switchwired to the set to switchon and off, and
to give a fine controlof current.
A 'slow-start'and 'currenidelay'controlsallow currentto rise and fall slowly at
the beginningand end of a weld,for exampleweldingrounda pipe.
As for gas-shieldedmetal-arcsets a cylinderholderand/ora water-cooling
unit for use with heavierguns,may be built in.
Accessories
welding returncable (torchhas its own built-inleadto siand uo to hioh
frequencysupply).
Connectorsto set.
Clampsor clips.
Torch and connectinghoseassembly,to suit current.
Gas hose.
Gas regulator.
Cylinderstand.

10.2

WELDING TECHNOLOGY
Issue 0191

rI

TWI

w[t

THE WETJING INST|nJTE

Typlcal alr cooledTIG torch

1

2.

Torch body,plasticwith metal inserts

to suit electrodediameter
Collect,interchangeable
Electrode
r^^,.t^+;^- ^^^
|| L>(JraUr 19 U<lP

1n

't1.

Currentconnection
Weldingcable
Gas hose
Gas pipe
Nozzle- ceramic
Handle
Outer flexiblesleeva

Spares
Electrodes
Collets- varioussizesto clampelectrodesin torch
Electroderear cover- variouslengthsto accommodatea long electrode,
short to work wherespace is restricted.
Gas-shielding
noz.le- ceramic.
Siliconerubberringsealsjointbetweennozle andtorchbody.

WELDINGTECHNOLOGY
lssue O191

.!0.3
:

TWI

TI{E WELDINGD\-STmJTE

ln DC welding,the erectrodeusualryhas negativeporaritywhichreducesthe

nsk of overheating
whichmay othenviseoccurwithelectiodepositive.The
ionisedgas or plasmastreamcan aftaina temperature
of severalthousand
degreescentigrade.consequeny, withinthe norma.lrangeof weldingcurrents
(5-300,4)rapidcoolingcan be effected.
The gas suppriedto the arc has two functions:it generatesthe arc prasma,and
it protectsthe electrode,weldpooland weld beadfrom undesirable
oxidation.

DC TIG
The TIG torcharrowsthe erectrode
to extendbeyondthe shierding
gas nozzre,
as shown.
Tu T" is ignitedto highvottage,highfrequenry(HF)putses,or by short
circuitingthe erectrodeto the workpieceano witrorawingat a presentrow
current.In.DCwerding,the arc is in the form of a cone,the sizeof which
is
determinedby current,the eiectrodediameterand the venexanole.

10.4

WELDINGTECHNOLOGY
lssue 0191
:

.I

T\)t/I

700t

THE WELDING INSTITIjTE

Electrode
Selectionof electrodecompositionand size is not completelyindependentand
must be consideredin relationto the operatingmode and the currentlevel.
Efectrcdesfor DC weldingare pure tungstenor tungstenwith 1 or 2/o thoria,
the thoria being added to improveelectronemissionwhich facilitatesarc
ignition. In AC welding,where the electrodemust operateat a higher
temperature,a pure tungstenor tungsten-zirconiaelectrodeis prefened,as
the rate of tungsten loss is somewhat less than with thoriated electrodes and
the zirconiaaids retentionof the 'balled'tio.
T a b l e1 .

Recommended
electrodediameterand vertexanglefor TIG
weldingat variouscurrentlevels
DC electrodenegative

Welding
current

ElectroderVertex
diameter angle,
mm
degrees

<20

1.0

ov

20 to 100

'1.6

30 - 60

1 . 6- 2 . 4

100to 200

2.4

tr-90

2.4 - 4.0

200 - 300:

s.2

90 - 120

4.0 - 4.8

300 to 4O0-

3.2

120

4.8 - 6.4

Electroder>
diameter,
mm

Thoriatedtungsten

Zirconiatedtungsten,balledtip, electrodediameterCependson degree of

balance on AC waveform.
Use current slope-in to minimisethermaj shock which may cause splitting
of the electrode.

In DC welding,a small diameter,finely pointedapproximately30" electrode

must be used to st:hilise low current arcs at less than 20A. As the current is
increased,it is equallyimportantto readjustthe electrodediameterand vertex
angle. Too fine an electrodetip causes excessivebroadeningof the plasma
stream, due to the high currentdensity,which resultsin a markeddecreasein
the depth to width ratio of the weld pool. More extremecurrentlevelswill
result in excessivelyhigh erosionrates and eventua.lly
in meltingof the
electrodetip. Recommendedelectrodediametersand vertex angles in argon
shieldinggases for the normalrange of currentsare given in Table t .
WELDING TECHNOLOGY
Issue 0191

10.5

TWI

7t[s

]-IJE \l LD i Na: I\sTIt-,i!

S h i e l d i n gg a s
The shieldinggas composiiion
is selectedaccordingto tne materjalbeina
welded,and the normalrangeof commercially
avaiiablegases ts g,u"n ,i tn"
Table below. In setectinga shielcinggas it shouldbe noted thar:
1. The most comrnonshieldinggas is argon. This can be used
for weJdinga
wrde range of materialrncludingmild steel, stainlesssteel, and
the react"ive
aluminium,tjtaniumand magnesium..
2. Argon-hydrogenminures, typicallygo and Slo Hz, can
be used for
-a]toys.
werdingausteniticsta.rnress
steerand some nicker
Tne.ouun,rg.,
of adding hydrogenare that the shieldinggas is slighily
reducing t"rri;;S
creanerwerds,and the arc itserfis more-dnstricted,
tfrus enabtiirg'n,gnei
speeds to be achievedand/or producingan improved
weld bead
penetratronprofiie,i.e. greaterdepth to width
ratio. lt should be noted that
-'
the use of a hydrogenadditioniniroducesthe risk of
hydrogen._"Xl"g'
(carbonand alroysteers)and werd metar porosity(ferriiic
st-eers,arrn-'r,iirm
ano copper), padicularlyin multipasswelds.
3. Helium, and helium-argonmixtures,typically
Z5l2S helium/argon,have
particularadvanlageswith regardto higher
ireat input; the greater heat
input is caused by the higherionisationpotentialof helium, which is
approxtmately
25eV comparedwith 16eV for argon.
4. As nitrogents a diatomicgas, on re_association
at tne workpiecesurface, it
is capable of transferringmore energy
than monatomtcargon or helium.
Hence ils addjtionto argon can be plrticularly
beneficialwhen welding
materialssuch as copper,.which have high
thermalconOuctivity;
the
adyantaogsof nitrogenadditionscannotie
u*proit"o when welding ferritic
and statnlesssteels becausenltrogenpick_up
in the weld pool could cause
a significantreductjonin toughnessand corrosion
resrstance.
A.@dh.^d.d

rA..ldt^a

5hr.rd,.9

rCo^
M.ld !1..1

C.'oo^ !r..r
Lo-.rloy rr..r

9r.

.H.

a..d

tq

nC

r.lo

nr

m,riu,..

H.r;u6

..to^

fr!!r09..

a.!o+
tur.o?.n

5r.,n'(.! l..r

a
o

a
Co o e . r

o
a'r^,um.^d

a 6otr .or^.^

10.6

o
e..

WELDINGTECHNOLOGY
lssue0191

T\vI

7g,qt

Ti.tr ''IELDING IN'STn!TF

The effectivenes-s
of a gas shieldis determinedat least in part by the gas
density. As the densityof heliumis approximatelyone tenth that of argon,
difflcultiescan be experiencedin protectingthe weld pool, particularlywhen
weldingunderdraughtyconditionsor at highcurrentswhich may induce
turbulencein the gas shieldingstream.
However, effectiveshieldingcan be maintainedby increasingthe gas flow,
typicallyby a factor of two. Shieldingof the weld pool area can also be
improved by use of a gas lens, which is insertedinto the torch nozzleto
ensure laminar flow. Adoptionof this techniqueis stronglyrecommended
when welding in positionsother than the flat and for weldingcurvedsurfaces.

AC TIG
TIG welding is also practisedwith AC, the electrodepolarityoscillatingat SoHz.
The techniqueis used in weldingaiuminiumand magnesiumalloys,where the
periods of electrodepositiveensure efficientcathodiccleaningof the tenacious
oxide film on the surfaceof the material. Comparedwith DC welding,the
disadvantagesof the techniquelie in the low penetiationcapacityof the arc
and, as the arc extinguishesat each current reversal, in the necessity for a
high open circuitvoltage,typically100V and above, or continuouslyapplied
HF, to st:hilise the arc. Low penetrationresultsin particularfrom the blunt or
'balled"
electrodewhich is caused by the high degree of electrodeheating
during the positivehalf-cycle. Where deep psnetrationis required,use of DC
with helium as the shieldinggas, which does not suffer from these
disadvantagesand is somewhattolerantto surfaceoxide, may be an
alternative. Use of helium,however,is not particularlyattractivebecauseof its
high cost and, in the absenceof the cleaningaction of the arc, the weld
pool/parentmetal boundariescan be somewhatindistinct,thus makingit
difficultto monitor and controlthe behaviourof the weld oool.

WELDING TECHNOLOGY
tssue 0191

10.7

T\MI

70[t

THE WELDING L\TSTITUTE

AUESTIONS:
TUNGSTENINERTGAS

01.

State the weldinovariablesfor TlG.

Q2.

Whatis the typeof currentusedfor steels,and whatis the electrode

polarity?

Q3.

Whatis the purposeof highfrequenry?

a)
b)

For directcurrent
For alternating
current

Q4.

Name the two inert gases mainly used in TIG and give an
advantage for each gas.

05.

Give an advantageand a disadvantageof the process.

osld