UNISON

Group Members Anve Tom Antony Franklin Francis Pinto Nikhil Joseph Rohan Thomas Shinoj.K
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Module Leader Dr. N S Mahesh

MIG WELDING

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INTRODUCTION GMAW(Gas Metal Arc Welding) is commonly referred to as MIG (Metal Inert Gas) Welding .It is a widely used process for both ferrous and non ferrous materials. A small diameter wire is fed from a spool continuously, henceforth the process is also known as semiautomatic welding. This process can produce quick and neat weld over wide joint ranges.

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Classification of joining processes

TIG Welding MIG Welding SMA Welding FCA Welding

Plasma Arc Welding

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MIGW process
MIG welding is an semiautomatic process, in which a wire connected to a source of DC act as an electrode to join two pieces of metal as it is continuously passed through a welding gun. The power is supplied from source through the welding torch. While squeezing the trigger the current travels through the contact tip into the wire and makes it conductive. A flow of an shielding gas (inert) is also passed through the welding gun at the same time along the wire electrode. This inert gas act as a shield, keeping air borne contaminants away from the welding zone. The torch contact tip is the positive electrical connection and the negative electrical connection in the circuit comes from the welding machine transformer which has a direct contact with the work, also known as the earth clamp which completes the circuit.
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 When the electrode touches the work an arc is formed between electrode and work piece. The arc heats the metal parts until both melt and join together. The heat produced by the short circuit ,along with the inert gas melts the metal and allows them to mix together. As the heat is removed, the metal begins to cool and solidifies to form a new piece of fused metal.

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Equipments for MIG welding

DC power source Wire Feed Unit Torch Shielding gas supply Electrode

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DC Power Source
DC power sources are of transformer rectifier design, with a constant voltage power source. MIG welding is carried out on a DC electrode (welding wire) which is polarized positively. The DC parameters are
60-500A 16-40V 1-20kW

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Wire Feed Unit

The wire feed unit provides controlled supply of welding wire to the area to be welded According to the welding wire size and arc voltage provided, a constant rate of wire speed is required In MIG power source provides arc voltage control and wire feeder unit provides wire speed control The wire feed motor spindle has a feed roller fitted and another pressure roll, adjustable spring mounted to lightly grip the wire and push it up the length of the MIG torch
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Welding Torch
The welding torch delivers the wire and current from source to point at which welding is required. The shielder gas flows around outside of the liner . The torch can be either water cooled or air cooled Types of welding torch
Heavy duty (500A) Medium duty (400A) Light duty (250A)

Torch Angle
Angle between the torch and the work is very important since the welder only can see what's happening during the process. Angle depends on the type of joints being done
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 Techniques of holding torch

Fore hand welding Back hand welding

It is always advisable to good practice to weld from bottom to top to get good welding penetration.

1.Torch handle 2.Molded phenolic dielectric(white) and threaded metal nut insert(yellow) 3.Shielding gas nozzle 4.Contact tip 5.Nozzle output face

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SHIELDING GAS
The primary purpose of the shielding gas in MIG welding is to protect the molten weld metal and heat affected zone from oxidation and other contamination by the atmosphere Inert and Semi inert gases are used for MIG welding An inert gas is one whose atoms are very stable and will not react easily with atoms of other elements For nonferrous metals inert gases such as argon and helium are used For ferrous metals Carbon dioxide, argon +5-20% carbon dioxide, or argon +1-5% oxygen are used.

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Base metals and shielding gases

BASE METAL Carbon steels SHIELDING GAS 75% Ar, 25% CO2 Ar +25-50% CO2 CO2 ADVANTAGES Less than 1/8 in.(3.2mm) thick: high welding speed without melt through; minimum distortion and spatter. More than 1/8 in. (3.2mm) thick: minimum spatter, clean weld appearance, good puddle control in out of position welding. Deeper penetration and faster welding speeds. Minimum reactivity; excellent toughness, arc stability, wetting characteristics and bead contour; little spatter. Fair toughness; excellent arc stability, wetting characteristics and bead contour; little spatter No effect on corrosion resistance; small HAZ; no undercutting; minimum distortion Argon satisfactory on thin sections; argon helium mixtures preferred on thicker materials.

Low-alloy steel

60-70% He +25-35% Ar +4-5% CO2 75% Ar+25% CO2

Stainless steels

90%He + 7.5%Ar + 2.5%CO2 Aluminium,Copp Ar & Ar-He er, Magnesium, mixtures Nickel and their alloys

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ELECTRODE
Electrode selection is based on the combination of metal being welded, joint design and metal surface condition The electrode itself acts as the filler material for the weld,the filler material(electrode) is used to bond the two surfaces being welded together The selection greatly influence the mechanical property of weld and weld quality Mainly used electrode for MIG are copper alloy, bronze alloy, carbon steel, low alloy steels, nickel alloy

Thicker metals and complicated joint designs usually require filler wires that provide high ductility
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Advantages of MIG welding

MIG welding process has several advantages which account for its popularity and increased use in the industries. The continuous wire feed eliminates the need to change electrodes, increase the welding speed, quality of weld and overall control. Higher deposition rate than SMAW. Less operator skill is required. The gaseous shield protects the molten metal from the atmospheric gases eliminating the flux or slag, and keeping the spatter minimal. Because of the fast travel speed at which MIG welding can be done, there is a smaller heat-affected zone,which results in less grain growth, less distortion, and less loss of temper in the base metal. Both thick and thin metals can be welded successfully and economically. Less time is needed to prepare weld joints since the MIG welds are deep penetrating.
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Advantages of MIG welding

There is less smoke and fumes so operator environment is improved. Less post welding cleaning(no slag etc). Higher productivity. Extremely versatile and can weld a wide variety of metals and alloys. The weld visibility is generally good. The process can be operated by several ways including semi and fully automatic.

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Disadvantages of MIG welding

The MIG welding cannot be used in the vertical or overhead welding positions because of the high heat input and the fluidity of the weld puddle. The equipment is complex and higher initial setup cost. Higher maintenance cost due to extra electronic components. The setting of plant variables requires high skill level. Limited to draught free atmospheric condition.

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Type of weld joints

BUTT JOINT

EDGE JOINT

T JOINT

LAP JOINT

CORNER JOINT
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 BUTT JOINT
Is used when two piece of metal of the same thickness are joint along their length so that each is the extension of the other.

EDGE JOINT
The edges are welded together so that the two pieces remain parallel or nearly parallel but do not exceed 45. Generally used on thinner metals(less than 1/4 )

LAP JOINT
Used to fuse different thickness of metal together by overlapping them. This type of joints are stronger since the thickness is increased. May be used in addition to a butt joint to increase the overall strength of the section.

CORNER JOINT
When two materials come together at a right angle, a corner joint is applied to bond the two.

T JOINT
When one piece of metal to be welded is placed vertically on another piece lying horizontally, to form shape of an inverted T
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BUTT

T JOINT

CORNER EDGE LAP

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MIG welding defects

Porosity
The appearance of tiny bubbles on a weld bead as a result of gas entrapment

Undercut
A groove melted into the base metal at the weld toe or weld root that is left unfilled by weld metal.

Insufficient fusion
The lack of complete integration between the weld metal and ad joint weld beads.

Excessive melt
It occurs in a welding joint when weld metal no longer fuses the base metals being joined, rather weld metal falls through the weld joint or burns through

Cracks
It is a local discontinuity produced by a fracture which can arise from the stresses generated on cooling or acting on the structure.

Blow holes
It is comparatively bigger or isolated hole or cavity compared to porosity
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 WELD SPATTER
Small particles of materials that are expelled during the fusion of weld and the base metal.

BURN BACK
While welding a weld forms in the contact tip called burnback. It occurs when the wire is fed too slowly or the torch is held too close to the base metal

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Visual weld defects Incomplete penetration Incomplete fusion

Undercut Blow hole

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Visual weld defects

lumps formation (current variation )

not continuous (untrained welder)

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Visual weld defects

Weld Under cut

Weld Spatter & Burn through

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Welding defects: causes and remedies

S.No . Defects Causes Remedies

Porosity

1.GAS CONTAMINATION 2.ELECTRODE CONTAMINATION 3.WORK PIECE CONTAMINATION 4.ARC VOLTAGE TOO HIGH 5.TOO LONG STICK OUT 6.SHIELDING COVERAGE LOW

1.USE WELDING GRADE SHIELDING GAS 2.USE CLEAN DRY WIRE NOT RUSTED.

3.REMOVE,GREASE,OIL,MOISTURE,RUST, PAINT. USE DEOXIDISED WIRE 4.USE OPTIMUM ARC VOLTAGE

5.USE OPTIMUM STICK OUT 6.USES OPTIMUM GAS FLOW. CHECK LEAKS, DRAFTS, FANS, HEATER. REDUCE TRAVEL SPEED, NOZZLE TO JOB DISTANCE RIGHT ANGLE OF THE TORCH

1.VERY HIGH TRAVEL SPEED 2.VERY HIGH WELDING VOLTAGE 2 UNDERCUTT ING 3.VERY HIGH WELDING CURRENT 4.LESS DWELL AT SIDE WALL 5.GUN ANGLE.

1.USE OPTIMUM TRAVEL SPEED 2.USE OPTIMUM VOLTAGE 3.USE CORRECT WIRE SPEED 4.DWELL LONGER AT EDGES 5.USE THE CORRECT GUN ANGLE

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S.No.

Defects

Causes
1.IMPURITY IN WELD ZONE OF JOB 2.INSUFFICIENT HEAT INPUT 3.VERY LARGE WELD POOL

Remedies
1.CLEAN WELD AREA PRIOR TO WELDING 2.INCREASE CURRENT (WIRE FEED SPEED). REDUCE STICK OUT 3.REDUCE WEAVING TO GET A CONTROLLABLE WELD POOL 4.FOLLOW CORRECT TORCH ANGLE & TECHNIQUE

INSUFFICIENT FUSION

4.INCORRECT WELD TECHNIQUE 5.INCORRECT JOINT DESIGN 6.VERY HIGH TRAVEL SPEED 1.HIGH HEAT INPUT 4 Excess melt 2.JOINT PENETRATION NOT PROPER

5.HAVE THE OPTIMIUM JOINT DESIGN 6.USE OPTIMUM TRAVEL SPEED

1.REDUCE VOLTAGE AND CURRENT. INCREASE TRAVEL SPEED 2.INCREASE ROOT FACE. REDUCE ROOT OPENING

1. Excess current Spatters 5 1. Exccess voltage

1. Control current 2. Control voltage

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WELD TESTING

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Welding Symbols

Remark-1)Leg length should be 90%of the min.sheet thk

Leg length Direction of the Weld

No.of Welds

Weld length

Weld Spacing Weld Process No.(CO2 )

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SAFETY MEASURES
Wear welding gloves, helmet, leather apron, welding chaps, leather shoes, and other personal protective equipment to help prevent weld burns. Never weld with presence of flammables (matches, butane lighters, fuel stick, etc.) Never leave hot metal where others may touch it and be burned. Welding fumes should be ventilated away from the welder, not across the welder's face. Store inert gas cylinders in a cool, dry storage area. Do not lay the gun on the work or worktable. Wear a helmet with filter lens and cover plate while welding.

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THANK YOU

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