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February 2008

CWA Toronto Chapter conference

Effect of Gas selection on arc stability, chemistry, mechanical properties and diff. H2 contents of FCAW, MCAW, GMAW weldmetals
Viwek Vaidya February 12th 2008

February 2008

The GMAW Set-up

Wire

Wire Feeder
Power Source Water Cooler (optional)

Regulator / Flow meter

Shielding Gas Welding Gun Work Ground Clamp Work piece (Base Material)

February 2008

FCAW, MCAW, GMAW Electrode wire

Contact tube

Gun Nozzle

Electrode stick out

Arc length

Shielding gas
Welding Arc

February 2008

Base metal

Observation of the welding arc

Video

of metal transfers in GMAW steel

Please note:

Members will receive above video by e-mail request. It include other processes as well. (SAW, SMAW, FCAW, GMAW, PULSE MIG) Thank You for Your Support!

February 2008

The functions of shielding gases are

Protect

the weld pool from atmosphere Provide a gas plasma - ionized gas Support metal transfer and bead wetting

February 2008

Thermal conductivity and plasma shape

Thermal Conductivity is the ease with which the gas will dissipate heat Argon has low thermal conductivity
It is used for superior R-Value windows

Helium has high thermal conductivity, CO2 also has high thermal conductivity than Argon

Argon

February 2008

Thermal conductivity and plasma shape : Globular transfer

Consider energy flow through He and CO2, both characterised with Higher thermal conductivity than Argon Narrow plasma column CO2 and Helium produce globular transfer cannot produce spray transfer!

February 2008

Penetration profiles

Argon has a finger nail penetration profile consistent with spray transfer CO2 and He have elliptical penetration consistent with the globular transfer

February 2008

Thermal conductivity and plasma shape : Spray Transfer

Low thermal conductivity Expanded plasma column Electron condensation heating

February 2008

Thermal conductivity and plasma shape : Spray Transfer

Wire melts in a fast fine droplet stream Wire end becomes pointed Spray transfer results in high deposition and good penetration Argon gives spray transfer!

February 2008

Penetration profiles

Argon has a finger nail penetration profile consistent with spray transfer CO2 and He have elliptical penetration consistent with the globular transfer

February 2008

Addition of Oxygen to argon increases arc speed by 20%

Introduction of oxygen through the contact tip in GMAW Aluminium

Dark deposited removed with rag

or by brushing or final degreasing

Annular gas: Argon + 1,5%O2

February 2008

+ 20 %

Annular gas: Argon + contact tip: +0,3 l/min O2

NICKEL BASE ALLOYS GMAW

Ar

Ar+ He+ CO2

Ar+% CO2

Ar+He+ % CO2

Ar+H2+ % CO2

Appearance of the weld and stability of the pulsed transfer greatly improved with

CO2 additions
February 2008

NICKEL BASE ALLOYS GMAW

Ar+ H2 + CO2 Influence of CO2 addition on the pulse transfer stability
D U peak

DU droplet detachment

Argon
February 2008

Argon+ CO2

NICKEL BASE ALLOYS GMAW

Influence of CO2 addition on Welding speed

45
Welding speed (cm/mn)

+26%

40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0
Ar transfer stability energy distribution & transfer stability +He+ CO2

+12%

+17%
stability of the pulse transfer

welding speed

+ CO2

+H2+ %CO2

February 2008

NICKEL BASE ALLOYS GMAW

Ar+ H2 + CO2
improvement in bead appearance

INCONEL 625

INCONEL 600

February 2008

GMAW Dual wire process

Automatic GMAW with dual wires: thickness: 1.5 - 6mm Carbon steel, stainless steels and aluminium alloys

2 wires connected at the same electrical potential

Each wire connected at the different electrical potential

Twin wire

Tandem Technique

February 2008

FCAW & MCAW wire cross section

Metal sheath - outer envelope

Joint

Metallic and non Metallic Fluxes & powders

February 2008

FCAW weld with slag formation

February 2008

Observation of the welding arc

Video

of Ar-CO2 systems - FCAW

To see above video, click here

February 2008

Improved weld profile with FCAW+GMAW combination, due to better wetting. Presence of oxidizing species through the FCAW wire

5/16 inch single pass fillet weld : 35 ipm dual wire as opposed to 16 ipm with single wire systems.
February 2008

GMAW chemistry variation with Ar-O2 mixes.

Wire Chemistry : C=0.1%, Si=0.9%, 1 0.9 0.8 0.7
Chemstry variations %

GMAW weldmetal chemistry

Wire Chemistry : C=0.1%, Si=0.9%, Mn=1.48%

Wire Chemistry : C=0.1%, Si=0.9%, Mn=1.48%

% Carbon % Silicon % Manganese

0.6 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 0 0% 2% 4% 6% 8% 10% Ar-O2 ( O2 in %) 12% 14% 16%

18%

20%

February 2008

GMAW chemistry variations : Ar-CO2 system

GMAW chemistry variation Ar-CO2
%Carbon 1.2 %Manganese %Silicon

0.8
% Mn, Si and C

Wire: Mn=1.25%, Si=0.73% C =0.08%,

0.6

0.4

0.2

0 0 5 10 15 20 % CO2 25 30 35 40

February 2008

Mechanical properties : 1% Ni MCAW all tests with same lot

Shielding gas UTS MPa YS MPa %E Impacts Cv J @ -51C

100% CO2
Argon +15% CO2 Argon+10% He + 15% CO2

554
613 616

497
577 557

30
32.5 30

71,62,64,49,69
75,62,68,82,45 61,72,95,92,79

February 2008

Classification of metal cored and FCAW wires in Canada and US

METAL CORED;

CSA W48-01/W48-06, CLASS E491C-6-H4/E491C-6M-H4 AWS A5.18-95/ASME SFA 5.18, Class E70C-6-H4/E70C-6M-H4

FLUX CORED

CSA W48-01/W48-06, Class E491T-1-H8/T-1M-H8, E491T-9H8/T-9M-H8 AWS A5.20-95/ASME SFA 5.20, Class E71T-1-H8/T-1M-H8, E71T-9-H8/T-9M-H8 CSA W48-01/W48-06, Class E492T-9-H8/T-9M-H8 AWS A5.20-95/ASME SFA 5.20, Class E70T-1-H8/T-1M-H8, E70T-9-H8/T-9M-H8

February 2008

Weldmetal chemistries E491 C6-H4

Shielding gas
Ar+2%O2 Ar+5%O2 Ar+10%CO2 Ar+25%CO2 Ar+4%O2+ 5%CO2 CSA W48

Oxidation potential 2% 5% 5% 12.5% 6.5%

= %O2 + % CO2

% Carbon 0.06 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.04 N/R

% Manganese 1.13 1 1.37 1.3 1.25 1.75 max

% Silicon 0.56 0.47 0.77 0.66 0.67 0.90 max

February 2008

Weldmetal mechanical property variation E491 C6-H4

Shielding gas UTS MPa YS Mpa %E Impacts Cv J @ -30C

Ar+2%O2
Ar+5%O2 Ar+10%CO2 Ar+25%CO2 Ar+4%O2+ 5%CO2 CSA W48

514
499 542 514 533
500 min

450
430 467 435 456 410 min

27.5
29 29 25.5 30 22 min

78
77 92 112 58 27

February 2008

Carbon pick up in stainless steel weld deposits Ar-CO2

Carbon pick up - GMAW : Ar-CO2
30%

25%

Wire Carbon = 0.012%

20%

%CO2 in Ar

15%

Series1

10%

5%

0% 0 0.01 0.02 0.03 % Carbon in deposit 0.04 0.05 0.06

February 2008

FCAW wire storage conditions and worm tracking

February 2008

FCAW wire storage conditions and worm tracking

February 2008

Typical FCAW/MCAW wire cross sections

Wire closing seam configuration

February 2008

FCAW wires Hydrogen pick up susceptibility

FCAW wires - Hydrogen pick up
wire A 30 wire B

25

Diffusible H2 : ml/100g

20

15

10

0 As received Exposure condition Exposed to 80'F/80%RH for 1 week

February 2008

Variation of diffusible hydrogen content and shielding gases

Parameters Wire dia. Amps Volts E.S.O 100% CO2 1/16" 299 28.5 3/4" Argon+15%CO2 Argon + 5% CO2 1/16" 312 28.5 3/4" 1/16" 323 27.5 3/4"

Diffusible Hydrogen
R.H/Temp

7.5ml/100g
45%/22.6'C

9.5ml/100g
45%/22.6'C

10.4ml/100g
45%/22.6'C

February 2008

Diffusible Hydrogen variation with oxidation potential

Diffusible hydrogen content variation with Oxidiation potential
GMAW 12 MCAW FCAW

Gas
Diffusible hydrogen: ml/100g deposited weldmetal

Oxidation Potential 0% 2% 2.5% 7.5% 10 % 50%

10

100% Argon Ar-2% O2 Ar-5% CO2 Ar-15% CO2 Ar-20% CO2 100% CO2

0 0 10 20 30 Oxidation potential O2% + 0.5*CO2% 40 50 60

February 2008

FCAW/diffusible hydrogen and electrical stick out

Wire A 1.2mm dia. 230 amps 26 volts 14 ipm

Wire A 1.2mm dia. 230 amps 26 volts 14 ipm

Wire B 1.6mm dia. 285 amps 28 volts 14 ipm ESO 10 mm 10.0ml/100g

Wire B 1.6mm dia. 285 amps 28 volts 14 ipm

ESO 10mm
8.1ml/100g

ESO 20mm
5.5ml/100g

ESO 20 mm
9.0ml/100g

February 2008

FCAW wire storage conditions and worm tracking

To

avoid worm tracking and porosity store the wire properly Use shielding gas with higher oxidation potential Reduce welding amperage Weld with a longer stick out to preheat the wire Discard two layers of the spool and retry If possible recondition the wire not generally recommended

February 2008

Deleterious effect of Nitrogen on impact energy: carbon steels

120 Impact: Joules at -40'C 100

Energy: Cv Joules at -40'C

80

60

40

20

0 0 50 100 150 Weldmetal N2 content, ppm 200 250 300

February 2008

Nitrogen additions to shielding gas for Duplex stainless

Up to 2 % additions of N2 advantageous for duplex stainless steel GMAW welding:

Reduction of 10-15% ferrite improving ferrite/austenite balance 10% improvement in strength Better performance against pitting corrosion

Beyond 6% Nitrogen in the gas will produces weld porosity..

February 2008

Choice of Shielding gases

Too

many to choose from Too complex for users Too complex for producers ALMIG ALTIG ALFLUX

February 2008

Conclusions

Video imaging of the welding arc shows that progressive increase in oxidation potential of the shielding gas, stabilizes the arc for GMAW welds in stainless and mild steel welds Fumes also increase with increasing CO2 content of the shielding gases Addition of 1-2% Oxygen to Argon seems to improve arc stability and arc speeds for Aluminum GMAW process Micro additions of CO2 to Argon + H2 or Argon+He mixtures improves stability of the GMAW welding of Inconel 625 alloys GMAW, FCAW, MCAW deposits in mild steel loose strength and alloying elements with increasing oxidation potential of the shielding gases Increasing CO2 content of the shielding gas may contribute to increased pick up of carbon in extra low carbon stainless steels GMAW deposits.

February 2008

Conclusions - continued

Diffusible hydrogen of a FCAW weld deposit increases with higher levels of Argon contents in the shielding gas Improper storage of FCAW consumable can result in substantial increase in diffusible hydrogen content, causing worm tracking porosity. Some remedies have been suggested An addition of up to 2% Nitrogen to an Argon+Helium+CO2 mixture shows improved control on ferrite content of the weldmetal, about 10% increase in strength and improved pitting corrosion resistance in case of duplex stainless steel GMAW welds.

February 2008

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank the research staff at the Air Liquide World Headquarters in Paris for providing guidance and stimulating discussions while the manuscripts were being drawn up. Thanks are also due to technical experts at Air Liquide Canada and data obtained from the certification center in Boucherville. Photographic support came from several CAP Audit reports, performed at various customer locations in Canada. Dr. Christian Bonnet, Dr. P. Rouault, Mr. J. M. Fortain, Mr. Pierre Geoffroy, Mr. Joe Smith and Mr. Jean Venne provided valuable technical support for this paper and are being recognized for their contribution.

February 2008

Thank you!

February 2008