Gas Metal Arc and Flux Cored Arc Welding Principles: Chapter Objectives
Gas Metal Arc and Flux Cored Arc Welding Principles: Chapter Objectives
Gas Metal Arc and Flux Cored Arc Welding Principles: Chapter Objectives
656
Instead of the solid wire used for GMAW,
a tubular wire is used for FCAW. The outside
of the wire acts as the electrical conducting
sheath or the electrode and provides the bulk
of the weld bead forming metal, while the
core contains the flux and other ingredients.
Some of these electrodes generate suffi-
cient gas shielding and are thus referred to as
self-shielding (FCAW-S). They act much like
an SMAW coated electrode turned inside out.
Since they generate their own shielding, the
equipment is less complicated. A great deal
of smoke is produced due to their nature and
high deposition capability as compared to the
SMAW coated electrode. FCAW-S is favored
for work where the externally supplied shield-
ing gases may be blown away and where
Fig. 21-1 GMAW being performed on a carbon steel trailer frame. Note the smoke buildup is not an issue. A very com-
positioner, which is able to optimize the welding into flat and h orizontal positions. mon trade name applied to this type of elec-
Miller Electric Mfg. Co. trode in Innershield (the Lincoln Electric Co.).
Other flux cored electrodes require an
permits the welder to fine-tune the welding characteris- external shielding gas. These electrodes are referred to
tics for any desired condition. The inverter-type power as gas shielded (FCAW-G). They typically run on DCEP
sources expand the control over the short-circuiting mode and have very good penetration and fusion characteris-
of transfer and allow the pulse-spray mode of transfer as tics. They also tend to have greater welder appeal and
well. The introduction of carbon dioxide as a shielding produce less smoke than the FCAW-S type electrodes. A
gas extended the application of the process to a wide va- very common trade name for these type electrodes is Dual
riety of mild steels on an economical basis. Figure 21-1 Shield (ESAB Welding and Cutting).
shows shop application of the MIG/MAG process. Gas metal arc welding is similar to gas tungsten arc
The complete name for GMAW is gas metal arc weld- in some respects. For example, gas shields the weld area
ing. Slang and trade names are often applied, such as MIG in both processes. In gas metal arc welding, however, an
for metal inert gas (aluminum and magnesium are typical electrode filler wire or a consumable bare electrode wire
when only an inert gas is used) or MAG for metal active is used instead of a nonconsumable tungsten electrode.
gas [carbon steel and stainless-steel welding when carbon The wire is fed continuously into the weld by a wire-feed
dioxide (CO2) and/or oxygen (O2) is added to the inert gas]. mechanism through a torch or gun. The weld area is sur-
Some slang names relate more specifically to the part of rounded by a gas blanket to protect it from atmospheric
the process like CO2 or wire welding. Some typical trade contamination in GMAW and FCAW-G. GMAW is shown
names of various manufacturers of the weld equipment in Fig. 21-2, page 658, while FCAW-G and FCAW-S are
are Sigma Welding (ESAB), Millermatic Welding (Miller), shown in Fig. 21-3, page 658. With the FCAW-S process
STT (Lincoln), Regulated Metal Deposition (Miller), some shielding is provided by the vaporization of the core
Micro-wire Welding (Hobart), and Aircomatic Welding ingredients, keeping air from the immediate arc area. In
(Airco). The short-circuiting method of metal transfer is addition, scavengers combine with unwanted elements that
known by the trade name of Dipmatic, and buried arc CO2 would contaminate the weld pool. This along with the slag
welding is derived from the use of CO2 as a shielding gas. formers surround the weld from the air, Fig. 21-4, page 658.
A process similar to GMAW in that it uses much The basic system is shown in Fig. 21-5, page 659.
of the same equipment is the flux cored arc welding
(FCAW) process. This process started gaining indus- Advantages of Gas Metal Arc Welding
trial use in the 1950s for the express purpose of im- andFlux Cored Arc Welding
proved metallurgical properties derived from the flux Gas metal arc welding produces high quality welds at
and the slag that supports and shapes the weld bead. high speeds without the use of flux and limited postweld
With certain flux cored electrodes the need for an ex- cleaning. It is very desirable for both small jobs and high
ternal shielding gas is eliminated. production metal joining. It frequently replaces another
Gas Metal Arc and Flux Cored Arc Welding Principles Chapter 21 657
Bare Solid Wire
Welding Electrode
Shielding
Gas Inlet Electrical Current
Conductor
Direction of Travel
Contact Tip
Gas Nozzle
Consumable
Electrode Gaseous Shield
Arc
B
C D
A E Fig. 21-4 Welding with the flux cored arc welding process. The
welder is working on the longitudinal seam on the inside of a heat
exchanger. Miller Electric Mfg. Co.
ABase Metal DWeld Metal
BWeld Reinforcement EHeat-Affected Zone
CWeld Depth of Fusion
joining process such as riveting, brazing, silver-soldering,
or resistance welding. It may be used instead of the fol-
Fig. 21-2 Gas metal arc welding process (GMAW). Source: lowing fusion welding processes: oxyacetylene welding,
American Welding Society, Welding Handbook, 9th Edition, Volume 2, shielded metal arc welding, submerged arc welding, flux
page150, fig. 4.2 cored arc welding, and gas tungsten arc welding.
When selecting a welding process for a given job, the
welding method chosen is that which will do the best job
at the lowest cost. The decision is based upon a consider-
FCAW with FCAW with
ation of the costs of labor, equipment,
Self-Shielded Gas-Shielded electrodes and gas, material preparation,
Electrode Electrode actual arc time, and postweld cleaning as
well as the importance of weld soundness
Flux Cored and appearance. The following are a few
Electrode of the advantages of GMAW welding:
Shielding
Gas Welders who are proficient in the use
Contact Tip Flux Cored of other welding processes can be
Electrode
Direction Contact Tip Direction readily trained in the GMAW/FCAW
Insulated
Torch Body
of Travel of Travel processes. The equipment is simple
Gas Nozzle
Insulated
to set up, and control of the process is
Guide Tube incorporated into the welding equip-
Arc Self-Generated Arc Shielding ment. The welder must watch the
Slag Slag Gas
Gas Shielding angle of the torch relative to the work-
Weld Pool
Weld Pool piece, the speed of travel, electrode ex-
tension, and the gas-shielding pattern.
Welders can weld as fast as they are
able. One of the principal advantages
is the elimination of weld starting
Examples of Cross Sections of Flux and stopping due to the changing
Cored Arc Welding Electrode
of electrodes. This prevents weld
failures due to slag inclusions, cold
lapping, poor penetration, crater
cracking, and poor fusion, which
Fig. 21-3 Flux cored arc welding, both self-shielded and gas shielded. Adapted from may result from starting and stopping
Welding Handbook, 9/e. to change electrodes.
658 Chapter 21 Gas Metal Arc and Flux Cored Arc Welding Principles
Coolant System Power Cord
Regulator/
Flowmeter Shielding
Gas Cylinder
Gas
Hose Feeder/Contactor
Wire Control Cord
Feeder
Electrode Lead
Electrode Lead, Gas,
Gun Wire Liner, and Trigger
Lead
Work
Work Lead
Work Clamp
Fig. 21-5 Schematic diagram of a gas metal or flux cored arc installation. Source: Miller Electric Mfg. Co.
Gas Metal Arc and Flux Cored Arc Welding Principles Chapter 21 659
11/4 T The weld deposit made with work, the current automatically increases, and the wire
a stick electrode is wider and is burned off faster than it is fed until the correct arc
T more bowl-shaped than a de- length is reestablished. If the welder raises the gun too
posit made with the GMAW high over the work, the current automatically decreases
MAG/MIG
process, Fig. 21-7. The bead and the burnoff rate slows down allowing the constant
width-to-depth ratio is greater feed rate to shorten the arc to the correct length. Varying
21/2 T
in shielded metal arc weld- the electrode extension as just described is for short term
T
ing and the heat input is less. transient situations and should not be done long term.
Because of this characteristic, Electrode extension is an important variable, and the
Stick the speed of shielded metal arc length of electrode extension must be known and main-
welding is slower, and more tained. Incomplete penetration, incomplete fusion, and
Fig. 21-7 Weld bead heat is applied per linear inch porosity are likely to result if the electrode extension is
comparisons. of weld. Since there is a greater not kept in control.
volume of electrode deposited per linear inch of weld In GMAW, filler metal is transferred directly through
with the shielded metal arc process than the gas metal the welding arc. There are two basic types of metal trans-
arc process, the heat input is greater for stick electrodes. fer. In the open arc method the molten metal is separated
With gas metal arc welding there is greater penetra- from the welding electrode, moved across the arc gap, and
tion into the workpiece because there is higher current deposited as weld metal in the joint. In the short circuit
density at the electrode tip. The width of the normal method the weld metal is deposited by direct contact of
shielded metal arc weld deposit on -inch plate is about the welding electrode with the base metal.
2 to 3 times the thickness of the plate, whereas the
Open Arc Transfer There are several types of open arc
width of the gas metal arc bead is about 1 the thick-
ness of the plate when the weld is shielded with carbon transfer methods: spray transfer, rational spray and non-
dioxide. rational spray, globular transfer, pulsed-spray transfer,
The GMAW process is considered a low hydrogen pro- and buried arc transfer. The particular type of metal
cess. The welding gases used have a very low dew point transfer depends upon the electrode wire size, the shield-
and the wires (solid or metal cored) offer little opportu- ing gas, the welding current, and the arc voltage.
nity for moisture pickup. The deposited weld metal should Spray Transfer Spray transfer is a high heat method with
be free of hydrogen. This reduces underbead and micro- rapid deposition of weld metal. Spray describes the way in
cracking on low alloy steels and thick weldments. Under- which the molten metal is transferred to the work. Very fine
bead cracks usually occur in base metal just below the droplets of electrode metal are transferred rapidly through
weld metal and are caused by hydrogen absorption from the arc from the electrode to the workpiece. The droplets
the arc atmosphere. Low hydrogen processes like MIG/ are equal to or smaller than the diameter of the filler wire.
MAG produce sound welds on troublesome steels such as There is almost a constant spray of metal, Fig. 21-8.
high carbon and low alloy grades.
Consumable
Forms of Metal Transfer Electrode
Gas
In gas metal arc welding an electric arc is established Nozzle Contact Tube
between the metal being welded and a consumable wire
electrode that is fed continuously through the gun at a
controlled constant speed. At the same time a shielding
gas is fed through the gun into the weld zone to protect Arc
the molten weld pool. GMAW is a process that can be Droplet
applied semiautomatically, mechanically, automatically, Shielding Weld Pool
or robotically. Welding current and wire-feed speed Gas Oxide Film
are electrically interlocked so that the welding arc is
self-correcting.
The welder first sets the wire-feed speed (WFS) to
provide the correct amount of current and weld speed
for the job at hand. Once the WFS is set, the welder ad- Base Metal
justs the voltage to produce the correct arc length. Dur-
ing welding, if the welder holds the gun too close to the Fig. 21-8 Spray transfer.
660 Chapter 21 Gas Metal Arc and Flux Cored Arc Welding Principles
Table 21-1 Globular to Spray Transition Currents for Various Electrodes
Spray transfer is used with inert gas shields and, wire diameter, there is a certain minimum welding cur-
mostly with direct current, electrode positive polar- rent that must be exceeded to achieve spray transfer,
ity. The spray arc is almost spatter-free, provides deep Table 21-1.
weld penetration, and has self-regulating characteristics. Because of its high deposition rate, spray transfer is
Filler wire diameters for spray arc transfer are gener- recommended for materials that are 18 inch or thicker,
ally between 0.030 and 332 inch in diameter. For each stock requiring heavy, single or multipass welds, and for
Gas Metal Arc and Flux Cored Arc Welding Principles Chapter 21 661
any filler pass application where speed is advantageous.
Because of high arc stability, the high rate of metal trans-
fer, and the axial nature of the spray transfer, it can be
directed by the welder. Thus it is suitable for welding in
the vertical and overhead positions. This is true only on
certain metal like aluminum and magnesium. On steel Ball Forms on
and stainless steel the weld pools are too fluid to be used End of Electrode
effectively for anything other than flat or horizontal posi- Droplet Larger
tion welding. Than Wire Diameter
662 Chapter 21 Gas Metal Arc and Flux Cored Arc Welding Principles
D Arc
Amperage (Current)
Arc Bright Inner Cone
Electrode
Globule
A B C Spray
Time
Weld
Fig. 21-11 Output current waveform of the gas metal arc welding A B
pulse mode of transfer. (GMAW-P): A = peak current, B = back-
ground current, C = pulse width (time at peak), D = pulse frequency Fig. 21-12 An arc transferring metal by the (A) globular and
(pulses per second). Source: Miller Electric Mfg. Co. (B) continuous and pulsed-spray modes is applied in the vertical
welding position.
Gas Metal Arc and Flux Cored Arc Welding Principles Chapter 21 663