TIG Welding

Tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding became an overnight success in the 1940s for joining magnesium and aluminium. sing an inert gas shield instead of a slag to !rotect the weld!ool" the !rocess was a highl# attractive re!lacement for gas and manual metal arc welding. TIG has !la#ed a major role in the acce!tance of aluminium for high $ualit# welding and structural a!!lications.

Process characteristics
In the TIG !rocess the arc is formed between a !ointed tungsten electrode and the wor%!iece in an inert atmos!here of argon or helium. The small intense arc !rovided b# the !ointed electrode is ideal for high $ualit# and !recision welding. &ecause the electrode is not consumed during welding" the welder does not have to balance the heat in!ut from the arc as the metal is de!osited from the melting electrode. 'hen filler metal is re$uired" it must be added se!aratel# to the weld!ool.

Power source
TIG must be o!erated with a droo!ing" constant current !ower source ( either )* or +*. + constant current !ower source is essential to avoid e,cessivel# high currents being drawn when the electrode is short(circuited on to the wor%!iece surface. This could ha!!en either deliberatel# during arc starting or inadvertentl# during welding. If" as in -IG welding" a flat characteristic !ower source is used" an# contact with the wor%!iece surface would damage the electrode ti! or fuse the electrode to the wor%!iece surface. In )*" because arc heat is distributed a!!ro,imatel# one(third at the cathode (negative) and two(thirds at the anode (!ositive)" the electrode is alwa#s negative !olarit# to !revent overheating and melting. .owever" the alternative !ower source connection of )* electrode !ositive !olarit# has the advantage in that when the cathode is on the wor%!iece" the surface is cleaned of o,ide contamination. /or this reason" +* is used when welding materials with a tenacious surface o,ide film" such as aluminium.

Arc starting
The welding arc can be started b# scratching the surface" forming a short(circuit. It is onl# when the short(circuit is bro%en that the main welding current will flow. .owever" there is a ris% that the electrode ma# stic% to the surface and cause a tungsten inclusion in the weld. This ris% can be minimised using the 0lift arc0 techni$ue where the short(circuit is formed at a ver# low current level. The most common wa# of starting the TIG arc is to use ./ (.igh /re$uenc#). ./ consists of high voltage s!ar%s of several thousand volts which last for a few microseconds. The ./ s!ar%s will cause the electrode ( wor%!iece ga! to brea%

down or ionise. 1nce an electron2ion cloud is formed" current can flow from the !ower source. Note: As HF generates abnormally high electromagnetic emission (EM), welders should be aware that its use can cause interference especially in electronic e uipment! As EM emission can be airborne, li"e radio wa#es, or transmitted along power cables, care must be ta"en to a#oid interference with control systems and instruments in the #icinity of welding! ./ is also im!ortant in stabilising the +* arc3 in +*" electrode !olarit# is reversed at a fre$uenc# of about 40 times !er second" causing the arc to be e,tinguished at each !olarit# change. To ensure that the arc is reignited at each reversal of !olarit#" ./ s!ar%s are generated across the electrode2wor%!iece ga! to coincide with the beginning of each half(c#cle.

Electrodes
5lectrodes for )* welding are normall# !ure tungsten with 1 to 46 thoria to im!rove arc ignition. +lternative additives are lanthanum o,ide and cerium o,ide which are claimed to give su!erior !erformance (arc starting and lower electrode consum!tion). It is im!ortant to select the correct electrode diameter and ti! angle for the level of welding current. +s a rule" the lower the current the smaller the electrode diameter and ti! angle. In +* welding" as the electrode will be o!erating at a much higher tem!erature" tungsten with a 7irconia addition is used to reduce electrode erosion. It should be noted that because of the large amount of heat generated at the electrode" it is difficult to maintain a !ointed ti! and the end of the electrode assumes a s!herical or 0ball0 !rofile.

Shielding gas
8hielding gas is selected according to the material being welded. The following guidelines ma# hel!9 Argon ( the most commonl#(used shielding gas which can be used for welding a wide range of materials including steels" stainless steel" aluminium and titanium. Argon + 2 to 5% H2 ( the addition of h#drogen to argon will ma%e the gas slightl# reducing" assisting the !roduction of cleaner(loo%ing welds without surface o,idation. +s the arc is hotter and more constricted" it !ermits higher welding s!eeds. )isadvantages include ris% of h#drogen crac%ing in carbon steels and weld metal !orosit# in aluminium allo#s. Helium and helium/argon mi tures ( adding helium to argon will raise the tem!erature of the arc. This !romotes higher welding s!eeds and dee!er weld !enetration. )isadvantages of using helium or a helium2argon mi,ture is the high cost of gas and difficult# in starting the arc.

A!!lications

TIG is a!!lied in all industrial sectors but is es!eciall# suitable for high $ualit# welding. In manual welding" the relativel# small arc is ideal for thin sheet material or controlled !enetration (in the root run of !i!e welds). &ecause de!osition rate can be $uite low (using a se!arate filler rod) --+ or -IG ma# be !referable for thic%er material and for fill !asses in thic%(wall !i!e welds. TIG is also widel# a!!lied in mechanised s#stems either autogenousl# or with filler wire. .owever" several 0off the shelf0 s#stems are available for orbital welding of !i!es" used in the manufacture of chemical !lant or boilers. The s#stems re$uire no mani!ulative s%ill" but the o!erator must be well trained. &ecause the welder has less control over arc and weld!ool behaviour" careful attention must be !aid to edge !re!aration (machined rather than hand( !re!ared)" joint fit(u! and control of welding !arameters.