GAS METAL ARC

WELDING

 GAS METAL ARC welding (GMAW) is an arc welding process that uses an
arc between a continuous filler metal electrode and the weld pool. The process
is used with shielding from an externally supplied gas and without the
application of pressure.

USES AND ADVANTAGES

THE USES OF the process are, of course, dictated by its advantages, the most
important of which are the following:
(1) It is the only consumable electrode process that can be used to weld all
commercial metals and alloys.
(2) GMAW overcomes the restriction of limited electrode length encountered with
shielded metal arc welding.
(3) Welding can be done in all positions, a feature not found in submerged arc
welding.

(4) Deposition rates are significantly higher than those obtained with shielded
metal arc welding.
(5) Welding speeds are higher than those with shielded metal arc welding
because of the continuous electrode feed and higher filler metal deposition
rates.
(6) Because the wire feed is continuous, long welds can be deposited without
stops and starts.
(7) When spray transfer is used, deeper penetration is possible than with
shielded metal arc welding, which may permit the use of smaller size fillet
welds for equivalent strengths.
(8) Minimal post weld cleaning is required due to the absence of a heavy slag.
LIMITATIONS
AS WITH ANY welding process, there are certain limitations which restrict
the use of gas metal arc welding. Some of these are the following:
(1) The welding equipment is more complex, more costly, and less portable
than that for SMAM.
(2) GMAW is more difficult to use in hard-to-reach places because the welding
gun is larger than a shielded

 metal arc welding holder, and the welding gun must be close to the joint,

between 3/8 and 3/4 in. (10 and 19 mm), to ensure that the weld metal is
properly shielded,
(3) The welding arc must be protected against air drafts that will disperse the

shielding gas. This limits outdoor applications unless protective shields are
placed around the welding area.
(4) Relatively high levels of radiated heat and arc intensity can result in

operator resistance to the process.

PRINCIPAL OF OPRATION

PROCESS VARIABLES
THE FOLLOWING ARE some of the variables that affect
weld penetration, bead geometry and overall weld quality:
(1) Welding current (electrode feed speed)
(2) Polarity
(3) Arc voltage (arc length)
(4) Travel speed
(5) Electrode extension
(6) Electrode orientation (trail or lead angle)
(7) Weld joint position
(8) Electrode diameter
(9) Shielding gas composition and flow rate

Welding Current
WHEN ALL OTHER variables are held constant, the welding amperage varies with

the electrode feed speed or melting rate in a nonlinear relation. As the electrode
feed speed is varied, the welding amperage will vary in a like manner if a
constant-voltage power source is used.

With all other variables held constant, an increase in welding current (electrode feed
speed) will result in the following:
(1) An increase in the depth and width of the weld

(2) An increase in the deposition rate

(3) An increase in the size of the weld bead

Arc Voltage (Arc Length)

Arc voltage and arc length are terms that are often used
interchangeably. It should be pointed out, however, that they are
different even though they are related. With GMAW, arc length is a
critical variable that must be care-fully controlled.

With all variables held constant, arc voltage is directly related to

arc length. Even though the arc length is the variable of interest
and the variable that should be controlled, the voltage is more
easily monitored. Because of this, and the normal requirement that
the arc voltage be specified in the welding procedure, it is the term
that is more commonly used.

Possible corrective measures include the following:

If DC current is being used with the shielded metal-arc process especially at rates above 250 amps - a change to AC current may
eliminate problems
Hold as short an arc as possible to help the arc force counteract the arc
blow
Reduce the welding current - which may require a reduction in arc speed
Angle the electrode with the work opposite the direction of arc blow,
Make a heavy tack weld on both ends of the seam; apply frequent tack

welds along the seam, especially if the fitup is not tight

 Weld toward a heavy tack or toward a weld already made

Use a back-step welding technique,
Weld away from the workpiece connection to reduce back blow;

weld toward the workpiece connection to reduce forward blow

With processes where a heavy slag is involved, a small amount of
back blow may be desirable; to get this, weld toward the workpiece

connection
Wrap the work cable around the workpiece so that the current
returning to the power supply passes through it in such a direction
that

the

magnetic

field

set

will tend to neutralize the magnetic field causing the arc blow

up