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Technical Know ledge > Technical Know ledge > Job Know ledge > W elding consumables - part 2 Share:

Job Know ledge

Welding consumables - Part 2
Job Knowledge 83
Part 1
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
The previous article, Part 1, dealt w ith the cellulosic and rutile electrodes. This article w ill cover the basic, iron
pow der and acid electrodes.
The description 'basic' originates from the chemical composition of the flux coating w hich contains up to perhaps
50% of limestone, calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ). This decomposes in the arc to form a gas shield of carbon
monoxide/dioxide.
In addition to the limestone there may be up to 30% of calcium fluoride (CaF 2 ) added to low er the melting point
of the limestone and to reduce its oxidising effect. Also deoxidants such as ferro-manganese, ferro-silicon and
ferro-titanium are added to provide de-oxidation of the w eld pool.
Other alloying elements such as ferro-chromium, ferro-molybdenum or ferro-nickel may be added to provide an
alloy steel deposit. Binders may be sodium silicate, only for use on DC+ve current, or potassium silicate w hich
enables the electrodes to operate on both direct and alternating current.
The gas shield from basic electrodes is not as efficient as that from the rutile or cellulosic types and it is
necessary to maintain a constant short arc if porosity from atmospheric contamination is not to be a problem.
The electrodes are particularly sensitive to start porosity because of the length of time taken to establish an
efficient protective shield. An essential part of w elder training is familiarisation w ith the technique of starting the
w eld ahead of the required start position and moving back before proceeding in the direction of w elding.
The penetration characteristics of basic electrodes are similar to those of rutile electrodes although the surface
finish is not as good. The slag cover is heavier than rutile electrodes but is easily controlled, enabling the
electrodes to be used in all positions. High limestone coatings have been developed that enable a limited range
of electrodes to be used in the vertical-dow n (PG) position. The w eld pool blends smoothly into the parent metal
and undercutting should not occur.
The slag is not as easily removed as w ith rutile or cellulosic electrodes but the low melting point means that slag
entrapment is less likely. The chemical action of the basic slag also provides very clean, high quality w eld metal
w ith mechanical properties, particularly notch toughness, better than that provided by the other electrode
types. A further feature of these electrodes is that the w elds are more resistant to solidification cracking,
tolerating higher levels of sulphur than a rutile or cellulosic electrode. This makes them valuable if it becomes
necessary to w eld free cutting steels.
The basic electrode is also know n as a low hydrogen rod ('lo-hi'). The coating contains no cellulose and little or
no moisture provided the electrodes are correctly handled. W hen exposed to the atmosphere, moisture pick-up
can berapid. How ever, baking the electrodes at the manufacturers' recommended baking temperature,
generally around 400C, w ill drive off any moisture and should provide hydrogen levels of less than 5ml/100g
w eld metal. After baking the electrodes need to be carefully stored in a holding oven at a temperature of some
120C to prevent moisture pick-up.
Many manufacturers now provide electrodes in hermetically sealed vacuum packs w ith hydrogen levels
guaranteed to be less than 5ml/100g w eld metal. These are particularly useful in site applications w here there
is a need to maintain very low hydrogen levels and baking and storage facilities are not available. The
electrodes are taken directly from the pack and can be used for up to 12 hours from opening before sufficient
moisture has been absorbed to require baking.
Basic, low hydrogen electrodes are therefore w idely used in a variety of applications w here clean w eld metal
and good mechanical properties are required. They can be obtained w ith alloyed core w ires and/or ferro-alloy
additions to the coating to give very w ide selection of w eld metal compositions, ranging from conventional
carbon steels, creep resistant and cryogenic steels and duplex and stainless steels. W here high quality,
radiographically or ultrasonically clean w eld metal is a requirement, such as on offshore structures and pressure
vessels, basic electrodes w ill be used.
Developments over the last 20 or so years have enabled carbon-manganese steel consumables to give good
Charpy-V and CTOD values at temperatures dow n to -50 o C. The low hydrogen capabilities also mean that basic
electrodes w ould be used for the w elding of thick section carbon steels and high strength, high carbon and low
alloy steels w here cold cracking is a risk (see Job knowledge articles Nos. 45 and 46).
In addition to the 'standard' cellulosic, rutile and basic electrodes discussed above, electrodes may be classified
as 'high recovery'.
By adding substantial amounts of iron pow der, up to 50% of the w eight of the flux coating, to either basic and
rutile electrode coatings it is possible to deposit a greater w eight of w eld metal than is contained in the core
w ire. These electrodes are described as having an efficiency above 100% eg 120%, 140% etc and this 3 digit
figure is often included in the electrode classification.
The electrodes have thicker coatings than the 'standard' electrodes w hich can make them difficult to use in
restricted access conditions. They are, how ever, w elder friendly w ith good running characteristics and a smooth

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 stable arc. The iron pow der not only melts in the heat of the arc to increase deposition rate but also enables
the electrode to carry a higher w elding current than a 'standard' electrode.
The iron pow der is electrically conducting, so allow ing some of the w elding current to pass through the coating.
High w elding currents can therefore be used w ithout the risk of the core w ire overheating, thus increasing both
the burn-off and the deposition rates. The high recovery electrodes are ideally suited for fillet w elding, giving a
smooth, finely rippled surface w ith a smooth blend at the w eld toes. They are generally more tolerant to
variations in fit-up and their stability on low open circuit voltages means that they are very good at bridging
w ide gaps. How ever, the large w eld pool means that they are not suited to positional w elding and are generally
confined to w elding in the flat (PA) and horizontal-vertical (PC) positions.
The last type of electrode covering is described as 'acid'. These electrodes have large amounts of iron oxides in
the flux coating w hich w ould result in a high oxygen content in the w eld metal and poor mechanical properties.
It is therefore necessary to incorporate large amounts of de-oxidants such as ferro-manganese and ferro-silicon
in the flux. Although they produce smooth flat w eld beads of good appearance and can be used on rusty and
scaled steel items the mechanical properties tend to be inferior to the rutile and basic coated electrodes. They
are also more sensitive to solidification cracking and are therefore little used.
The next articles w ill cover specification and classification of MMA (SMAW ) electrodes.

Part 3
Part 4
Part 5

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