Direction of Welding Backtrack the bead slightly process.

The technique is similar to that used with the

before breaking the arc. oxyacetylene and shielded metal arc welding processes.
Torch Lengthen the arc gradually and Edge joints should be used only on light gauge metal,
break and restart it while adding and they usually require no filler rod. This is referred to
filler metal to the crater. as autogenous welding, which means GTAW without
Rod Reduce the current by oper- the addition of filler metal. Preparation is simple, and
ating a remote hand or foot welding is economical and fast. An edge joint should
control. not be used where direct tension or bending stresses
Use sequencer on welding ma- will be applied because it may fail at the root under
15
chine and button on torch to low stress loads. The joint may be used for small tank
Side View reduce the current. bottoms.
Uniform speed of travel will produce beads that are
Fig. 19-20 Addition After the arc has been broken, it
smooth and even. Joints may be welded with or with-
of filler metal when is necessary to let the gas continue
out filler rod. A welding speed that is too slow causes
welding in the vertical to flow for about 15 seconds or
position. the bead to pile up and roll over the edges of the plates.
more to permit the end of the elec-
trode to cool. The tungsten elec-
trode requires an inert gas shield until it is cool
to prevent oxidation. The weld pool and the end
of the filler rod need to be kept in the gas shield
as they cool as well. This flow of gas after the
arc is broken (i.e., after shutoff) is called post-
flow. The time is set on the postflow timer.

Inspection and Testing Compare the appear-

ance of the beads you have made with those in
Fig. 19-5B. Beads should be somewhat convex
in contour. The face should be smooth and the
ripples close together. There should be good
fusion at the weld edges and no surface poros-
ity. Figure 19-21 shows both the surface ap-
pearance and etched cross sections of three
beads on a flat plate. The welding current
selected for each weld determines its quality.
The weld bead shown in A indicates that the
current is too high. In B the current is correct,
and in C the current is too low.
Weld beads made with sufficient and
insufficient shielding gas are illustrated in

Fig. 19-22. Insufficient shielding gas pro-

duces an unsound weld bead having a great
deal of porosity and very poor appearance,
Fig. 1922B. Using too much shielding gas is
wasteful.
Continue to practice until you can
make beads that compare favorably with
Fig.19-21B and that are acceptable to your
instructor.

Welding an Edge Joint: Job 19-J2

Fig. 19-21 Surface appearance and etched cross section of three
The edge joint is the easiest type of weld aluminum weld beads: (A) Welding current too high. (B) Correct welding
to make with the gas tungsten arc welding current. (C) Welding current too low. Kaiser Aluminum

616 Chapter 19 Gas Tungsten Arc Welding Practice: Jobs 19-J1J19 (Plate)
 Fig. 19-23 Welding an edge joint in the flat position.
No filler rod added. Praxair, Inc.

Inspection and Testing Complete a number of

edge joints in all positions and compare them
with the bead shown in Fig. 19-24. Pry the
plates apart to see if you are getting penetration
at the inside corners of the plate and fusion to
the surface of the plate edges. Welds should pass
Fig. 19-22 Surface appearance and etched cross section of aluminum weld the inspection of your instructor.
beads made with gas shielding: (A) Sufficient shielding gas. (B) Insufficient
shielding gas. Kaiser Aluminum
Welding a Corner Joint: Job 19-J3
Corner joints are used in the manufacture of boxes, pans,
guards, and all types of containers. An open corner joint
Too high a speed causes skimming of the surface and may be used for thicknesses up to 532 inch. Filler rod is
poor penetration in the joint.
Make sure that the abutting edges of the two plates are
fused along the center line and that the entire edge surface
of the plates is fused. The position of the torch is shown
in Fig. 19-23.
In welding an edge joint in aluminum, use a balled tip
on the tungsten for the a.c. sine wave power sources and a
pointed tip tungsten for the a.c. square wave or enhanced
square wave a.c. power sources. This will help keep the a.c.
arc steady. On carbon steel, stainless steel, and titanium use
a tapered tip, since tapered a.c. tip operation helps secure a
pinpoint concentration of heat. The welding technique for
stainless steel usually requires a slower travel speed than for Fig. 19-24 Aluminum edge joint. Note the smooth appearance
aluminum or carbon steel. of the bead. Kaiser Aluminum

Gas Tungsten Arc Welding Practice: Jobs 19-J1J19 (Plate) Chapter 19 617

AB OUT W E L DIN G
Aerowave
The nuclear facility at General Electric uses
aluminum chambers from Aero Vac, a fabrication shop. To
avoid problems with tungsten spitting, the shop uses the
asymmetric technology of an Aerowave, an a.c. TIG ma-
chine from Miller Electric. The Aerowave has a low primary
current draw. The technology provides a fast travel speed
and the ability to weld thick metals at a given amperage.
The welder can independently adjust the current in each
a.c. half cycle from 1 to 375 amperes. The duration of the
electrode negative portion of the cycle can be changed
from 30 to 90 percent. The frequency can be adjusted from
40 to 400 hertz. A welder can fine-tune the penetration
depth and width ratios of the weld bead.
required. Certain types of corner joints, using heavier ma-
terials, require the beveling of one of the plates in order to
secure complete penetration. Both pieces must be in good
contact all along the seam. The number of passes required
depends on the thickness of the material and the bevel
angle.
Welding this joint is somewhat similar to making an
edge joint, but it is usually necessary to add filler rod dur-
ing welding. The amount of filler rod required depends
on the thickness of the material and the degree to which it
is a full open joint design. It is necessary to get complete
fusion through the root of the joint. The inside buildup
should not be high, but it must be complete. The position
of the welding torch is like that used in the welding of an
edge joint.
Inspection Practice making corner joints until you are
satisfied with their general appearance (Fig. 19-25) and
you obtain fusion through to the back side. Place a welded
Fig. 19-25 Aluminum corner joint. Note the appearance of the
bead. Kaiser Aluminum
618 Chapter 19 Gas Tungsten Arc Welding Practice: Jobs 19-J1J19 (Plate)
joint on an anvil and hammer it flat. You should be able
to flatten the joint without breaking the weld through
the throat.
Welding a Lap Joint: Job 19-J4
A lap joint does not require edge preparation, but the
plates must be in close contact along the entire length of
the joint. On materials less than 316 inch thick, filler rod
may not be required. The general practice is to use a filler
rod in making the weld. This type of joint is not recom-
mended for material more than inch thick. The thick-
ness of the material determines the number of passes.
The fillet weld in a lap joint is started by first form-
ing a pool on the bottom sheet. When the pool becomes
bright and fluid, shorten the arc. Play the torch over the
upper sheet. The pool will be V-shaped. The center of
the pool is called the notch, Fig. 19-26. The speed at
which the notch travels determines how fast the torch can
be moved ahead. In order to secure complete fusion and
good penetration into the joint root and on both plates,
this notch will have to be filled in for the entire length
of the seam.
Adding filler rod increases the speed of welding. Be
sure to get complete fusion, and not merely lay in bits
of filler rod on cold, unfused base metal. The filler rod
should be alternately dipped into the weld pool and with-
drawn inch or so. It is very important to control the
melting rate of the edge of the top plate. If this edge is
melted too rapidly and too far back, a uniform weld is
impossible.
There are two conditions necessary to obtain a uni-
form bead that has the proper proportions and good
penetration.
The top plate must be kept molten along the edge to
the joint root, and the bottom plate must be molten on
the flat surface to the corner.
Just the right amount of filler metal must be added
where it is needed, Fig. 19-27.
Direction of Welding
Notch
Fig. 19-26 Lap welding technique.
 may require a beveled edge on the web plate. When there
In
is no edge preparation, be sure that current values are high
Out enough for the thickness of the web plate.
The procedure for making a fillet weld in a T-joint is
1/4 like that described for a lap weld. It is important to pro-
portion the weld properly between the two plates so that
each leg of the fillet weld is of equal length.
The design of the joint makes it somewhat difficult to
avoid undercutting the vertical plate. If filler rod is used,
Progress of the weld with filler rod. it can be fed to the weld pool in such a manner that it pro-
vides protection for the upper plate. See Figs.19-29 and
Fig. 19-27 Method of adding filler rod to a lap weld. Move filler
rod in and out rapidly about inch.
19-30 for the proper positions of the torch and filler rod.

Toe of the
Weld Bead

Fig. 19-28 A lap joint in aluminum plate. Note the complete Fig. 19-29 The correct positioning of the torch and filler rod
fusion at the toe of the weld bead. Kaiser Aluminum to prevent undercut and obtain fusion in making a horizontal fillet
weld. Kaiser Aluminum

Inspection and Testing Practice making

lap joints until you are satisfied with their
general appearance (Fig. 19-28) and feel
that you are getting good fusion and pen-
etration. Make up a test joint and pry it
apart. The top plate should be capable of
bending 90 without breaking, and there
should be evidence of complete penetra-
tion at the joint root.

Welding a T-Joint: Job 19-J5

All T-joints require the addition of filler
rod to provide the necessary buildup
and to give the strength required. The
number of passes depends on the thick-
ness of material and the size of the weld
desired. The joint may be welded from Fig. 19-30 A closeup of the positions shown in Fig. 19-29. Note the relationship of the
one or both sides. Complete penetration torch, rod, and crater. Kaiser Aluminum

Gas Tungsten Arc Welding Practice: Jobs 19-J1J19 (Plate) Chapter 19 619
Undercutting can also be caused by using too high a weld- When making a
ing current or by traveling too fast. f illet weld in the over-
Make sure that you obtain complete penetration to the head position, a lower
joint root and that complete fusion is taking place on both current setting and
plate surfaces. Incomplete penetration is caused by not slower travel speed are
forming the weld pool in the base metal before adding used than inflat posi-
filler rod to the leading edge of the pool. This defect can tion welding, but the
also be caused by welding with inadequate current or by flow of shielding gas
welding toofast. is higher. Care must be
When welding a T-joint in aluminum, care should taken to avoid sagging
be taken to avoid excessive penetration. In starting and poor penetration.
the weld, begin about 1 inch away from one edge and These defects result
weld to the nearest edge. Then return to the start of from adding too much
this weld and begin welding in the opposite direction. filler rod and carrying
Start the second weld pool about inch into the short too large a weld pool.
bead. This is necessary in order to prevent cracking the Let the pool wet out
plate along the edge of the weld or through the center enough before adding
of the weld. more filler rod. You
Do not travel too fast or add filler rod too often. Filler may find the over
rod absorbs a good deal of heat. If a large amount is added head position awk-
quickly, the weld pool chills and causes a loss of penetra- ward. Therefore, try
tion and fusion. to get in as comfort-
A good fillet weld looks shiny, and every ripple is able and relaxed a Fig. 19-32 Positions of the torch
evenly spaced. (See Fig. 19-29.) A dull-colored weld in- position as possible and filler rod when making an over-
head fillet weld in aluminum plate.
dicates that the weld was made either too hot or too cold. when welding. This Kaiser Aluminum
If there is excessive penetration, the weld was run too helps in maintaining
hot. If the weld was steady, even manipulation of the torch and filler rod.
run too cold, the edges Figure 19-32 illustrates the correct torch and filler rod
of the weld overlap the positions.
plate surface, and the
ripples are coarse and Multipass Welding Multipass welding is generally nec-
rough. essary for material over 316 inch thick. The number of
In making a fillet passes required depends on the thickness of the material,
weld in the vertical po- the design of the joint, the position of welding, and the
sition, you must make nature of the assembly being fabricated. The first pass is
sure that the current always to be considered as the root weld. It must provide
setting is not too high complete fusion and penetration at the joint root. Sub-
and that the weld pool sequent passes can be welded at higher current values,
does not become too since the root pass acts as a backup. Complete fusion into
large. A large weld the root weld and the fusion face of the joint are nec-
pool is difficult to essary to prevent areas of incomplete fusion. It is also
handle and spills over. important to provide for clear flow of the weld pool to
A slight weave assists prevent inclusions. Both weaved and stringer bead tech-
in smoothing out the niques may be used.
bead. Keep the face of Practice making both single- and multiple-pass fillet
the weld as flat as pos- welds. By making multipass welds you get the fullest use
sible. When weaving, out of the material. Figure 19-33 gives the sequence of
a slight hesitation at passes for each of the positions of welding.
each side prevents un-
Fig. 19-31 Positions of the torch
dercut. See Fig. 19-31 Inspection and Testing Practice making T-joints until
and filler rod when making a verti-
cal fillet weld in aluminum plate. for torch and filler rod you are satisfied with their general appearance and feel
Kaiser Aluminum position. that you are getting good fusion to the plate surfaces

620 Chapter 19 Gas Tungsten Arc Welding Practice: Jobs 19-J1J19 (Plate)
 1/2

1 /2
1/2
Pass 3
Pass 1
Pass 1
Pass
3 Pass 3
Pass
2
Pass
2
1/2

1/2
Pass 1 Pass 2 1/2

A B C

Fig. 19-33 Weld pass-sequence for (A) horizontal, (B) vertical, and (C) overhead
positions.

Welding a Butt Joint:

Direction of Bending
3 melt-through.
4
4 6
Maximum
Stop and Restart Welding
Fillet Size 5 = . Near the Center
Fig. 19-34 Fillet weld test specimen. Source: Kaiser Aluminum &
Chemical Corporation.
and good penetration at the root of the weld. Make a test
joint in aluminum like that shown in Fig. 19-34. Bend
the specimen back until it breaks or folds over on itself,
and etch a cross section of the weld. Examine the cross
section for root tie-in, porosity, incomplete fusion, un-
dercut, and inclusions. Fusion must be to the root of the
joint. The legs of the fillet must show fusion to the base
plates. For fillet welds in plates of different thicknesses,
the fillet leg should at least equal 34 of the thickness of
the thinner plate. The weld convexity or concavity must
not exceed 116 inch beyond a flat face. A flat weld is the
most efficient.
Jobs 19-J6 and J7
Butt joints are common to all welding. The square butt
joint is the easiest to prepare. It can be welded with or
without filler rod, depending on the thickness of the ma-
terial. Complete penetration can be secured. You must
try to avoid both incomplete penetration and excess
The single-V butt joint is used when complete pen-
etration is required on material thicknesses ranging be-
tween 38 and 1 inch. Filler rod is necessary for multipass
welding. The angle of bevel should be approximately
30. The root face should measure from 18 to 316 inch,
depending on the type and thickness of the metal being
welded.
A double-V butt joint is generally used on material
thicker than inch when welding can be done from both
sides. The angle of bevel is also 30, and the root face var-
ies from 18 to 316 inch. The root opening is best left tight
together. With proper welding, complete penetration and
fusion are ensured.
The procedure for making a butt joint is similar to
that described previously for beading on flat plate. There
is the added problem, however, of securing complete
penetration through the joint root to the back side. It is,
of course, necessary to make sure that the melt-through
on the back side is not excessive. Refer to Figs. 19-35
through 19-38 (p. 622) for the correct position of the
torch and rod when welding aluminum plate in the dif-
ferent positions.
In welding aluminum, complete penetration is de-
sirable for plate thicknesses 18 inch or under. The back
side should look smooth and have close ripples. A good
aluminum groove weld on thin plate has a thickness
through the throat of the weld equal to the thickness of
the material. Excess melt-through is a problem. Hold the

Gas Tungsten Arc Welding Practice: Jobs 19-J1J19 (Plate) Chapter 19 621
Fig. 19-35 Positions of the torch and filler rod when
welding a butt joint in the flat position in aluminum plate.
Praxair, Inc.

Fig. 19-37 Positions of the torch and filler rod when

welding a butt joint in the vertical position in aluminum plate.
Kaiser Aluminum

Fig. 19-36 Positions of the torch and filler rod when

welding a butt joint in the horizontal position in aluminum plate.
Kaiser Aluminum

JO B TI P

Opportunities
Future opportunities in welding may come
from
1. The use of mesh as a reinforcement option
2. The replacement of old concrete bridges with Fig. 19-38 Positions of the torch and filler rod when
fabricated steel welding a butt joint in the overhead position in aluminum plate.
Kaiser Aluminum

622 Chapter 19 Gas Tungsten Arc Welding Practice: Jobs 19-J1J19 (Plate)