6 Welding Technology and Design

and an outer zone where the carbon monoxide (CO) formed by the above reaction
will combine with oxygen according to the secondary reaction
2 CO + O2 = 2 CO2 + 68 kCal
2 H2 + O2 = 2H2O + 58 kCal
Thus combustion takes place in two stages.
1. Oxygen and acetylene (O2 and C2H2) in equal proportions by volume, burn
in the inner white cone. In the cone the oxygen combines with the carbon of the
acetylene to form CO, while hydrogen is liberated.
2. On passing into the outer envelope of the flame, two separate reactions
take place as combution is completed. The carbon monoxide combines with oxygen
from the atmosphere and burns to form carbon-di-oxide CO2. The hydrogen also
burns with O2 from the atmosphere to form water vapour H2O.
Depending on the ratio of C2H2 : O2, three types of flame can be obtained as
given below:
1. Reducing flame when C2H2/O2 is greater than one.
2. Neutral flame when C2H2/O2 is equal to one.
3. Oxidising flame when C2H2/O2 is less than one.
The reducing flame (also called carburising flame) will have unburned carbon
which may be added to the weld during welding. Carbursing flame may be fit for
welding high carbon steel or for carburising the surface of low carbon or mild
steel.
Neutral flame is invariably used for welding of steels and other metals. In
oxidising flame the inner zone becomes very small and a loud noise will be induced.
Oxidising flame gives the highest temperature possible. The maximum temperature
of oxy-acetylene flame is 3100-3300°C and the center of this heat concentration is
just off the extreme tip of the white cone. Oxidising flame will introduce oxygen
into the weld metal and so not preferred for steel. A slightly oxidising flame is
used for welding copper base alloys, zinc base alloys, cast irons and manganese
steels.
The welding torch has a mixing chamber in which oxygen and acetylene will
be mixed and the mixture is ignited at the torch tip. The pressure of oxygen and
acetylene can be equal and the hand valves are adjusted to get supply of gas under
sufficient pressure to force in into the mixing chamber. Torches are also designed
to operate with low acetylene pressure to enable to draw more completely the
content from the acetylene cylinder. To extinguish the flame, the fuel gas should
be turned off first followed by the oxygen. In the event of back fires, the oxygen
should be turned off first to prevent the internal temperatures from being excessively
high and damage the blow-pipe.
While welding plates of thickness less than 3mm, no filler wires are used. Such
welding is known as puddling.
For larger thickness of plates a filler rod is used. The filler rod is held at
approximately 90 degrees to the torch. When selecting the filler rod the following
working formula may be used.
upto 5 mm thick (butt weld) D = T/2