WELDING VARIABLES

&

THEIR EFFECTS
 PROCESS VARIABLES
Welding amperage
Arc voltage
Travel speed
Electrode extension and stick out
Polarity
Electrode orientation
Weld joint position
Electrode diameter
Shielding gas and gas flow rate
EFFECT OF CURRENT ON BEAD SHAPE
EFFECT OF VOLTAGE ON BEAD SHAPE
EFFECT OF TRAVEL SPEED ON BEAD SHAPE
STICKOUT
Electrode stick-out and arc length in DC-welding

3 - 5 mm

1 - 5 mm

Electrode stick-out depends on the current joint type used

EFFECT OF STICKOUT ON CURRENT
EFFECT OF STICKOUT ON WELD BEAD
 POLARITY
Electrode Negative Electrode Positive

Ions + - Electrons + -
Ions Electrons
+ - + -
+ - + -

Work Piece Positive Work Piece Negative

Straight Polarity DCSP Reverse Polarity DCRP

ELECTRODE ORIENTATION

Effect of the
Travel Angle
on the Weld
Bead Profile
EFFECT OF TORCH ANGLE ON BEAD SHAPE
TORCH POSITION
TORCH POSITION
BEAD CHARAACTERISTICS
TORCH MANIPULATION
TORCH MANIPULATION
TORCH MANIPULATION
TORCH MANIPULATION
 SHIELDING GAS
Shielding gases are necessary for
gas metal arc welding to protect the
welding area from atmospheric
gases such as nitrogen and oxygen,
which can cause fusion defects,
porosity, and weld metal
embrittlement if they come in
contact with the electrode, the arc,
or the welding metal.
 Shielding Gas

The choice of a shielding gas

depends on several factors, most
importantly:
the type of material being welded and
the process variation being used
GMAW Process- Shielding Gas
Pure inert gases such as argon and
helium
are only used for nonferrous welding;
with steel they cause
an erratic arc and encourage spatter
(Helium) or
do not provide adequate weld penetration

(argon)
Shielding Gas
Pure carbon dioxide, on the other hand,
allows for deep penetration welds but;
Encourages oxide formation, which
adversely affects the mechanical properties
of the weld
Its low cost makes it an attractive
choice, but
thearc is harsh, spatter is unavoidable,
making welding thin materials difficult
 EFFECT OF SHIELDING GASES

Argon Argon-Helium Helium CO2

Bead Contour & Penetration Patterns for

various Shielding Gases
 Relative Effect of Oxygen versus Carbon Dioxide additions to
the shielding gas mixture

ARGON-OXYGEN ARGON-CARBON DIOXIDE CARBON DIOXIDE

Shielding Gas
Therefore, Ar & CO2 are mixed in a 75%/25%
or 80%/20% mixture, which reduces spatter
and makes it possible to weld thin steel
workpieces.
Ar is also commonly mixed with other gases,
such as oxygen, helium, hydrogen, and
nitrogen.
Addition of up to 5% oxygen encourages spray
transfer, which is critical for spray-arc and
pulsed spray-arc GMAW.
An argon-helium mixture is completely inert,
and is used on nonferrous materials.
 GAS FLOW
The desirable rate of gas flow
depends primarily
on weld geometry, speed, current, the
type of gas, and the metal transfer
mode being utilized
Welding flat surfaces requires
higherflow than welding grooved
materials, since the gas is dispersed
more quickly.
Gas Flow
Faster welding speeds mean
thatmore gas must be supplied to
provide adequate coverage.
Higher current requires
greater flow, and generally, more
helium is required to provide adequate
coverage than argon.
 Gas Flow

Metal Transfer Mode Gas Flow required

Short circuiting & Pulsed 10 L/min (20 ft/h)

spray modes (small
weld pools)
Globular transfer 15 L/min (30 ft/h) is
preferred
Spray transfer (higher 20-25 L/min (40
heat input, larger weld 50 ft/h)
pool)
 PLATE THICKNESS Vs GAS FLOW RATE

FOR BUTT JOINT IN FOR FILLET JOINT IN

PLATE FLAT POSITION FLAT POSITION

THICKNESS GAS FLOW RATE (LPM)

1.6--2mm 8--10 10
3mm 8--10 10
6mm 12 12
10mm 12 12
12mm 14 14
16mm 14 16
20mm 16 16
25mm 16 18
32mm 18 20
40mm 18 20
 What currents for different sizes
electrodes.

Welding current
(Amps)
Electrodes Light Heavy Medium
2.00mm 40 60 50
2.5mm 55 85 70
3.15mm 90 130 110
4.00mm 140 180 165
5.0 mm 180 240 210
6.3 mm 220 320 260
 Relation Between Welding Variables

FOR BUTT WELDING IN FLAT POSITION

PLATE WIRE DIA WELDING CURRENT ARC VOLTAGE
THICKNESS (mm) (Amps) (Volts)

1.6--2mm 0.8 55-70 18

3mm 0.8 110-120 20-22
6mm 1.2 125 22
10mm 1.2 150 26
12mm 1.2 150-175 26
16mm 1.2 150-175 28
20mm 1.2 170-200 30
25mm 1.2-1.6 125-250 32
32mm 1.2-1.6 125-275 32
40mm 1.2-1.6 125-300 32
Adjustments in Welding Parameters & Techniques
THANKS