Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW)

Aim
To study the influence of process parameters on weld geometry and melting efficiency in Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW).

Theory of Operation
The base plate is attached to the ve terminal of the battery. The electrode holder is given +ve supply. There are ac and dc power units with built-in high frequency generators designed specifically for TIG welding. These automatically control gas and water flow when welding begins and ends. If the electrode holder (torch) is water-cooled, a supply of cooling water is necessary. Electrode holders are made so that electrodes and gas nozzles can readily be changed. Mechanized TIG welding equipment may include devices for checking and adjusting the welding torch level, equipment for work handling, provisions for initiating the arc and controlling gas and water flow, and filler metal feed mechanisms. Voltage is typically in range of 20V. Then the TIG gun is brought closer to the plate the arc is developed between the wire and base plate. Wire is continuously fed from hand.

TIG also has a gas nozzle through which an inert or reducing gas is directed toward the welding pool. The gas prevents the oxidation of metal in the weld pool. The gun also has a coolant water supply in case of high temperatures. The schematics of the weld gun are shown below.

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All commercially important metals such as carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum, and copper can be welded with this process. The welder has higher control over bead geometry. TIG

welding can be used in all positions. It is normally used for root passes during welding of thick pipes but is widely being used for welding of thin walled pipes and tubes. This process can be easily mechanized i.e. movement of torch and feeding of filler wire, so it can be used for precision welding in nuclear, aircraft, chemical, petroleum, automobile and space craft industries. Aircraft frames and its skin, rocket body and engine casing are few examples where TIG welding is very popular.
The bead geometry is given below.

Procedure
Produce weld bead on different plates with different current settings. Record the mean voltage(V) and current(I) and time taken for each. Cut transverse section on each weld sample and note down height(h), width(w), penetration(p). Also measure the gain in weight of the sample

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Parameters
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. V= Voltage I= Current p= Penetration w= Width h= Height T= Time m= Mass E= Energy

Observation Table
S. no. Time for single pass (s) (volt) 1 2 3 (A) (mm) (mm) (gm) Voltage Vp Current I Width (w) Height (h) Penetration(p) (mm) mass of electrode used(m)

54 23.84 73

15.5 17.1 16

124 130 135

7.98 4.575 8.74

2.83 1.775 3.03

1.39 1.6 2.3

4.2936 1.508 7.3875

Calculations:
Ein(effective energy input) =process*Vp*I Where process==0.55, Vp=voltage during welding, I= current during welding Eutilized=m1C(T1-Tamb)+m2C(T2-Tamb)+m1L+m2L Where, m1= Rate of melting of mass of bass material (we are considering m1=0 in our experiment) m2= Rate of melting of mass of electrode used, C= Specific heat (622 J/Kg K for steel) T1,T2= Melting temperature for base material and electrode ( 1800 K for steel) Tamb= Ambient temperature ( 300 K) melt=Eutilized/Ein Cross sectional area of the weld= * *w*(h+p)+/4 Where , w, h, p are width, height and penetration of the weld.

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Table for melt efficiency (melt) and cross sectional area of weld
S.no. Cross sectional area (mm2) 26.43535 12.12089 36.5686 Ein (J/s) 1057.1 1222.65 1188 Eutilized (J/s) 50.88394 75.77953 121.236 melt

1 2 3

0.048135 0.06198 0.10205

Graphs width Vs Current

10 8 Width(mm) 6 4 2 0 122 124 126 128 130 132 134 136

Current(A)

Height Vs Current
3.5 3 Height (mm) 2.5 2 1.5

1
0.5 0 122 124 126 128 130 132 134 136 Current (A)

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Penetration Vs Current
2.5 Penetration (mm) 2 1.5 1 0.5 0 122 124 126 128 130 132 134 136 Current (A)

Area Vs Current
40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 122 124 126 128 130 132 134 136

Area (mm2)

Current (A)

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melt Vs Current
0.12 0.1 Meltiing efficiency 0.08 0.06 0.04 0.02

0
122 124 126 128 130 132 134 136 Current (A)

Advantages of TIG
Gas tungsten arc welding is the most popular method for welding aluminum stainless steels, and nickel-base alloys. It produces top quality welds in almost all metals and alloys used by industry. The process provides more precise control of the weld than any other arc welding process, because the arc heat and filler metal are independently controlled. Visibility is excellent because no smoke or fumes are produced during welding, and there is no slag or spatter that must be cleaned between passes or on a completed weld. TIG welding also has reduced distortion in the weld joint because of the concentrated heat source. The gas tungsten arc welding process is very good for joining thin base metals because of excellent control of heat input. Because the electrode is non-consumable, the process can be used to weld by fusion alone without the addition of filler metal. It is especially useful for joining aluminum and magnesium which form refractory oxides, and also for the reactive metals like titanium and zirconium, which dissolve oxygen and nitrogen and become brittle if exposed to air while melting. In very critical service applications or for very expensive metals or parts, the materials should be carefully cleaned of surface dirt, grease, and oxides before welding.

Disadvantages
TIG welding is expensive because the arc travel speed and weld metal deposition rates are lower than with some other methods. The process is slower than consumable electrode arc welding processes. Transfer of molten tungsten from the electrode to the weld causes contamination. The resulting tungsten inclusion is hard and brittle. Page 6

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Exposure of the hot filler rod to air using improper welding techniques causes weld metal contamination. Inert gases for shielding and tungsten electrode costs add to the total cost of welding compared to other processes. Argon and helium used for shielding the arc are relatively expensive. Equipment costs are greater than that for other processes, such as shielded metal arc welding, which require less precise controls.

Possible Errors
Voltage was not constant.

Conclusion
Effect of voltage and current was studied on weld geometry and efficiency. Average weld efficiency was 0.0701 No possible conclusion was drawn from the graph.

-Vrushiket Patil(09003044) Mechanical Btech 2009 Date: 2 / 9 / 2011

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