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Measurement of Arc welding Parameters
Job Knowledge 139
To confirm that a w eld has been made to specification it is usually required to measure and often document the
parameters that have been used. For arc w elding the main parameters are as follow s:

W elding current
Arc voltage
Travel speed

These parameters can be used to calculate the heat input, w hich is derived from the arc energy. See this FAQ
on the difference betw een heat input and arc energy for more details.
The other parameters w hich may be measured and recorded are as follow s:

W ire feed speed (for MIG/MAG) and other processes w ith a filler w ire
Gas flow rate (shielding, backing and plasma)
Temperature (pre-heat, inter-pass and post-w eld heat treatment)

In most cases the mean values of the parameters over the time of the w eld can be recorded and used to
calculate heat input. A simple meter can be used for this, but it is better for quality assurance to have
documented values. A number of instruments exist w hich have been specifically designed for this purpose.
Generally, they provide a paper printout w ith mean values over a second or so. Some of these instruments
allow the length of the w eld to be input so that arc energy (kJ/mm) can be calculated.
W hen measuring voltage and current it is important to do so correctly. Although current can be measured
anyw here in the circuit, Figure 1, it is important to ensure that all the current passes through the cable and is
not, for example, conducted elsew here through the component or through a leakage path to earth.
[ Zoom ]

Fig. 1. C urrent measuring technique, 'A' showing the

connection for the sensor

Current is normally measured by a Hall effect probe clipped around the cable. The current rating and accuracy of
the probe needs to be taken into account.
Voltage measurement is a bit more difficult to get right as the voltage w ill vary depending w here the
connections are made. For true arc voltage, it is important to measure as close to the arc as possible, Figure 2.
For MIG/MAG, a connection on the drive rolls, back at the w ire feeder, w ill suffice. How ever, the voltage
measured across the arc w ill be low er than that measured across the pow er source terminals, possibly by
several volts, depending on the length and diameter of the w elding cables and the amplitude of the w elding
current.
[ Zoom ]

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 Fig. 2. Voltage measuring technique a) C onnection to
the back of the TIG torch; b) C onnection to the back
of the MIG gun

Care should be taken w hen measuring arc voltage in TIG w elding as the high voltage used for starting the arc
may damage the instrumentation unless it is specifically designed for arc monitoring.
Some standards now require heat input to be calculated from instantaneous values and this requires an
instrument that can accurately record the w aveform of the voltage and current and perform the calculation up to
5,000 times per second or more. An example of such an instrument is show n in Figure 3. Several other
manufacturers provide similar instruments.
[ Zoom ]

Fig. 3. AMV 4000 Data Logger Triton Electronics

Ltd

Such instruments can record and display the current and voltage w aveform from pulsed TIG and MIG/MAG
processes including controlled dip transfer and multi-pulse techniques.
W ire feed speed can be measured by clipping a tachometer to the w ire or by attaching a sensor to the w ire
feed drive rolls. Temperature is measured using a thermocouple or resistance temperature detector (RTD) probe
in contact w ith the surface or, alternatively, an infrared non-contact device. Although gas flow can be measured
w ith a bobbin type gauge, for recording the value a mass flow type instrument is required.
Limits can be set (typically +/-10%) to indicate if the parameters have deviated outside of the procedure and
statistical process control (SPC) can be used to stop or correct a process before problems occur. How ever, this
is a relatively crude technique and TW I is investigating more advanced digital processing.
For more information, please contact us.

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