Cad Weld
Cad Weld
Cad Weld
Inspectors
Guide for
CADWELD ®
Electrical
Connections
This handbook is designed to
guide the person in the field with
the installation and inspection
of CADWELD® exothermic welds,
including CADWELD® EXOLON and
CADWELD® ONE SHOT styles.
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Contents
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The CADWELD® Process
Cover
Mold
Starting
Crucible
Material
CADWELD
Welding
Material
Steel Disk
Tap Hole
Weld Cavity
Cable
Ground Rod
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The CADWELD® process is applicable to materials
other than copper. Some of these materials are:
Common steel Brass Galvanized and
Chromax* Wrought iron bethanized steel
Everdur® Stainless steel Bronze
Steel rail Cor-Ten® Commercially
pure iron
Copper-clad steel Monel
Silicon bronze
Columbium Cast iron
Nichrome*
Niobium Kama*
Nichrome V*
*Resistance Heater Materials
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It’s Easy to Make
CADWELD® Connections
Detailed instructions and safety precautions are
provided with every CADWELD® mold. You must
read and understand all instructions before
making a connection.
1.
• Dry the mold and the conductors.
• Clean the conductors.
• Place cable ends in the mold.
2.
• Close the handles to lock the mold.
• Drop the metal disk into the mold.
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3.
• Dump the welding material into the mold.
• Sprinkle the starting material over the welding
material and onto the lip of the mold.
4.
• Close the cover and ignite.
• Open the mold after the metal solidifies.
• Remove slag from mold before next connection.
5.
• A completed CADWELD® connection.
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CADWELD® Quality Standards
All CADWELD® materials are produced to high
standards under stringent quality control. All
CADWELD connections are designed and tested
using CADWELD molds, welding materials, and
accessories.
Specifications for
CADWELD® Connections
All grounding system connections shall be made by
the CADWELD process. Connections shall include,
but not be limited to, all cable to cable splices,
T’s, X’s, etc.; all cable to ground rods, ground rod
splices, cable to steel and cast iron; and cable lug
terminations.
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CADWELD® Mold Inspection
Chip in mold
parting face
Chip in weld
cavity
Weld
cavity well Cable opening
defined worn
Good Replace
Cable Opening
• The conductor should fit snugly. A loose fit will
cause leakage.
• The opening should not be chipped or worn
Weld Cavity
• The cavity should be well defined.
• There should be no chips or gouges.
Tap Hole
• The tap hole should be well defined.
Disk Seat
• The seat should not be worn or chipped;
the disk must seat properly.
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Inspection of
CADWELD® Connections
General Indicators
Size
Strands showing
(below weld level)
Unacceptable
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Higher than normal
Normal
Minimum acceptable
Type VS
Minimum
acceptable
Type GT
Minimum
acceptable
Type SS
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Inspection of
CADWELD® Connections
General Indicators (continued)
Color
Surface Finish
Porosity
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Inspection of
CADWELD® Connections
Visual Inspection
Photographic Guides
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Inspection of
CADWELD® Connections
Photographic Guides
Good.
A solid weld with only minor surface imperfections.
Acceptable.
Fill is lower than normal, but still sufficient.
Acceptable.
A worn or incorrect mold was used, allowing
leakage around conductor. The fill in this connection
is sufficient to allow it as acceptable. Attention to
mold is required prior to making next connection.
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Acceptable.
The presence of water/moisture in conductor
strands or mold indicates that one or both were
not properly dried. Although the riser is porous,
the weld is solid. The degree of porosity is not
sufficient to reject this connection.
Reject.
Extreme amounts of slag on surface are caused by
welding material leaking past disk or complete lack
of disk. Inspect the condition of mold disk seat and
check disk positioning prior to making the next
connection.
Reject.
Excessive water in cable strands and/or mold.
Cable and mold must be dried by heating.
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Inspection of
CADWELD® Connections
Photographic Guides (continued)
Reject.
Light carbon traces on cable and connection are
evidence of oil on cable strands. Oily cables must
be cleaned with safety solvent.
Reject.
Heavy carbon coating on cable and connection is
evidence of large amounts of oil or grease on cable.
Cable must be cleaned with safety solvent.
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Reject.
Fill too low. Weld cavity was not filled over cable
strands. “Fins” indicate that the mold was not
closed tightly due to incorrect mold, incorrectly
adjusted handle clamp, or presence of foreign
material in mold parting line. Before making the
next connection, check the mold for each of the
above.
Reject.
Fill too low. Weld cavity was not filled over cable
strands. Absence of leakage indicates that welding
material size was incorrect (too small) or thru
conductor moved.
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Field Situation Guide
Most field difficulties can be overcome by checking
the following problems.
Problem A
The mold doesn’t close tightly.
Check for:
1. Adjustment of handle clamps.
2. Cables out of round or bent.
3. Dirt or slag in mold parting line.
4. Correct cable size.
NOTE: Use “C” clamp if necessary.
Problem B
The connection is covered with excessive slag.
Check for:
1. Welding material leaking past the disk,
caused by:
(a) Chipped graphite at tap hole.
(b) Disk moved when welding material was
dumped.
(c) Disk not properly seated.
(d) Disk was not installed.
NOTE: A small amount of slag on the surface
is not abnormal.
Problem C
Molten metal “spits” out of the crucible when
making a connection.
Remedy:
1. See Problem D.
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Problem D
The connection is porous
Check for:
1. Presence of moisture either in conductor or mold.
Remedy:
(a) Dry the conductor by wiping and heating.
(b) Heat mold with torch (to above 212°F) or by
igniting welding material in mold without any
conductors, taking care to prevent burns from
the hot material running out of the mold.
NOTE: Do not use the second method of heating if
the mold has wear plates.
Check for:
2. Other contaminants (oil, insulation, etc.) present
in conductors.
Remedy:
(a) Use a safety solvent to wash the conductor,
then dry it.
(b) If insulation is present between strands,
remove it.
Check for:
3. Mold packing material in weld cavity of mold.
Remedy:
(a) Always apply mold packing material to
conductor after mold is closed.
Problem E
The conductors do not weld
Check for:
1. Conductors were not properly cleaned and dried.
Remedy:
(a) Remove oxides with a wire brush. If heavily
oxidized, have fresh-cut conductor end and
use CADWELD® Heavy Duty molds.
(b) Dry conductors with a torch.
Check for:
2. Conductors not properly positioned in the mold.
Remedy:
(a) Check for proper gap or butting as required
(see the mold tag and read the instructions
packaged with mold).
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Field Situation Guide (continued)
Problem F
The welding material leaks around the
conductor.
Remedy:
1. Use packing material around the conductor after
the mold is closed.
2. Use molds with wear plates (which also act as
chill plates).
3. Check for the proper mold. Mold must be sized
for the cable being welded.
4. If the mold is excessively worn, replace with a
new mold.
Problem G
The connection has “fins”— metal is lost.
Check for:
1. Mold not completely closed.
2. Mold worn beyond useful life and needs
replacement.
Problem H
The cables pull out of the mold during welding.
Remedy:
1. Use a clamp (CADWELD® B-265) or other means
to prevent movement of conductors when
welding.
Problem I
Insufficient fill material to cover conductors
Check for:
1. Use of proper welding material size
(see mold tag).
2. Too large a gap between conductors
(see positioning instructions).
3. Mold leakage.
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Remedy:
(a) See Problem F.
(b) See Problem G.
(c) See Problem H.
4. Conductor movement.
Problem J
The riser is too high.
Check for:
1. Use of proper welding material size (see mold
tag).
2. Moisture in mold or conductor.
Remedy:
(a) See Problem D.
Problem K
The mold wears out quickly.
(Molds should produce an average of 50 connections.)
Remedy:
1. Use CADWELD® B-265 cable clamp for
hard-drawn copper or DSA Copperweld®.
2. Clean the mold with a soft brush, clean cloth,
or newspaper. DO NOT USE A WIRE BRUSH.
3. Use care in removing the mold from a finished
connection to prevent chipping of mold.
Problem L
When welding to steel, the weld does not
“stick” to the steel.
Remedy:
1. Clean the steel with a rasp or grinder to bright
metal. When grinding, use an ERICO approved
grinding wheel only. All mill scale, paint, and/or
other coating must be removed. Wire brushing
will NOT suffice. Grease must be removed with
safety solvent before cleaning.
2. Clean galvanized surfaces with a wire brush or
emery cloth. However, extra heavy galvanized
steel must be cleaned with a rasp.
3. If the steel is moist, heat with a torch (from the
back side if possible). Any carbon deposit from
the flame must be removed.
4. If conductors are not in proper position, check
the instruction sheet.
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Field Situation Guide (continued)
Problem M
When welding to ductile iron or cast iron, the
weld does not “stick” to the surface.
Remedy:
1. Remove all coatings before cleaning.
Higher
than
normal
Normal
Minimum
acceptable
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Field Situation Guide for
CADWELD® ONE SHOT
Applications
Below are typical field situations related to
CADWELD® ONE SHOT connections.
Problem A
Weld does not “stick” to ground rod.
Remedy:
1. Ground rod must be cleaned with a rasp to
bright metal. All scale and/or other coating must
be removed. Wire brushing will not suffice.
Grease must be removed with a safety solvent
before cleaning.
2. If conductors are moist, heat with a torch. Any
carbon deposit from the flame must be removed.
Problem B
Porous connections.
Remedy:
1. Dry the conductors by heating with a torch.
Problem C
Discolored, blackened connections.
Remedy:
1. Remove insulation and clean oil from conductor
with a safety solvent. Then, dry surfaces before
welding.
Problem D
Welding material leaks.
Remedy:
1. CADWELD ONE SHOT mold is wrong size.
See catalog.
Problem E
Insufficient fill metal.
Remedy:
1. Conductor not properly positioned in CADWELD
ONE SHOT mold.
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WARNING
ERICO products shall be installed and used only as indicated in ERICO’s product instruction
sheets and training materials. Instruction sheets are available at www.erico.com and from
your ERICO customer service representative. Improper installation, misuse, misapplication
or other failure to completely follow ERICO’s instructions and warnings may cause product
malfunction, property damage, serious bodily injury and death.
WARRANTY
ERICO products are warranted to be free from defects in material and workmanship at the
time of shipment. NO OTHER WARRANTY, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED (INCLUDING
ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE), SHALL
EXIST IN CONNECTION WITH THE SALE OR USE OF ANY ERICO PRODUCTS. Claims for
errors, shortages, defects or nonconformities ascertainable upon inspection must be made
in writing within 5 days after Buyer’s receipt of products. All other claims must be made in
writing to ERICO within 6 months from the date of shipment or transport. Products claimed
to be nonconforming or defective must, upon ERICO’s prior written approval in accordance
with its standard terms and procedures governing returns, promptly be returned to ERICO for
inspection. Claims not made as provided above and within the applicable time period will be
barred. ERICO shall in no event be responsible if the products have not been stored or used
in accordance with its specifications and recommended procedures. ERICO will, at its option,
either repair or replace nonconforming or defective products for which it is responsible or
return the purchase price to the Buyer. THE FOREGOING STATES BUYER’S EXCLUSIVE REMEDY
FOR ANY BREACH OF ERICO WARRANTY AND FOR ANY CLAIM, WHETHER SOUNDING IN
CONTRACT, TORT OR NEGLIGENCE, FOR LOSS OR INJURY CAUSED BY THE SALE OR USE OF
ANY PRODUCT.
LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
ERICO excludes all liability except such liability that is directly attributable to the willful or
gross negligence of ERICO’s employees. Should ERICO be held liable its liability shall in no
event exceed the total purchase price under the contract. ERICO SHALL IN NO EVENT BE
RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY LOSS OF BUSINESS OR PROFITS, DOWNTIME OR DELAY, LABOR,
REPAIR OR MATERIAL COSTS OR ANY SIMILAR OR DISSIMILAR CONSEQUENTIAL LOSS OR
DAMAGE INCURRED BY BUYER.
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All rights reserved.
CADDY, CADWELD, CRITEC, ERICO, ERITECH, ERIFLEX, and LENTON are registered
trademarks of ERICO International Corporation.
PH: 800-248-9353
FAX: 800-677-8131
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