Welding Techniques Welding is the process of joining metals by melting the parts and then using a filler to form

a joint. It can be done using different energy sources, from a gas flame or electric arc to a laser or ultrasound. Welding is the most economical and efficient way to join metals permanently. It is the only way of joining two or more pieces of metal to make them act as a single piece. There are many ways to make a weld and many different kinds of welds. Some processes cause sparks and others do not even require extra heat. Welding can be done anywhere outdoors or indoors, underwater and in outer space. The history of joining metals goes back several millennia, called forge welding, with the earliest examples of welding from the Bronze Age and the Iron Age in Europe and the Middle East. The ancient Greek historian Herodotus states in The Histories of the 5th century BC that Glaucus of Chios "was the man who single-handedly invented ironwelding." Welding was used in the construction of the iron pillar in Delhi, India, erected about 310 AD and weighing 5.4 metric tons. The Middle Ages brought advances in forge welding, in which blacksmiths pounded heated metal repeatedly until bonding occurred. In 1540, Vannoccio Biringuccio published De la pirotechnia, which includes descriptions of the forging operation. Renaissance craftsmen were skilled in the process, and the industry continued to grow during the following centuries In 1881 a Russian inventor Nikolai Benardos created the first electric arc welding method known as carbon arc welding, using carbon electrodes. The advances in arc welding continued with the invention of metal electrodes in the late 1800s by a Russian, Nikolai Slavyanov (1888), and an American, C. L. Coffin (1890). Around 1900, A. P. Strohmenger released a coated metal electrode in Britain, which gave a more stable arc. In 1905 Russian scientist Vladimir Mitkevich proposed the usage of three-phase electric arc for welding Resistance welding was also developed during the final decades of the 19th century, with the first patents going to Elihu Thomson in 1885. Thermite welding was invented in 1893, and around that time another process, oxyfuel welding, became well established. At first, oxyfuel welding was one of the more popular welding methods due to its portability and relatively low cost. It was replaced with arc welding, as metal covering for the electrode that stabilize the arc and shield the base material from impurities continued to be developed. The 1958 breakthrough of electron beam welding, making deep and narrow welding possible through the concentrated heat source. The invention of the laser in 1960, laser beam welding debuted several decades later, and has proved to be especially useful in high-speed, automated welding. Electromagnetic pulse welding is industrially used since 1967. Friction stir welding was invented In 1991 by Wayne Thomas at The Welding

Institute and found high-quality applications all over the world. All of these four processes continue to be quite expensive due the high cost of the necessary equipment, and this has limited their applications. However, welding techniques depend upon the process of welding being selected. The first and foremost is the operating conditions of the welding. By this, we mean the parameters relating to: the welding current voltage the speed of arc travel the wire electrode extension. Since these four things can be varied over a long range, they are considered important adjustments in any welding process. At different types of welding activity their values should be recorded in order to reproduce the same performance. Welding current Voltage Speed of arc travel Wire electrode extension measurement of power being used in the welding process for which a power source meter or a separate ammeter can be used is the current voltage that sets the arc length. is the linear rate at which the arc moves along the work piece. It is expressed in inches or meters per minute. is also called stick-out, It is the distance between the electrical contact tip and the end of the wire electrode

Welding quality is directly affected by the torch position, the way it is held with respect to the weld joint. There are two techniques, one is called backhand and the other one is called forehand. In the backhand method the wire will feed opposite to the direction arc travel and in the forehand method it is in the same direction. The arc travel directions and torch positioning are also very important to get complete penetration of the welded article. Weld penetration is described as the distance the fusion line extends below the surface of the welded material. The degree of penetration depends upon the current. The first general welding technique that affects weld characteristics is torch position. This refers to the manner in which the torch is held with respect to the weld joint. The position is usually described from two directions the angle relative to the length of the weld and the angle relative to the plates. Backhand and forehand welding techniques.

The backhand method means the torch is positioned so that the wire is feeding opposite to the direction of arc travel. Filler metal is being fed into the weld metal previously deposited. For the forehand method, the torch is angled so that the electrode wire is fed in the same direction as arc travel. Now the filler metal is being deposited, for the most part, directly on the work piece. It should be noted that a change in welding direction is not required to facilitate forehand or backhand welding, only a reversal in the longitudinal torch positioning. Generally, operators find that the backhand technique yields a more stable arc and less spatter on the work piece. The angle relative to the plate for the fillet weld is usually 45 deg. However, for a beveled butt joint, this angle may only be a few degrees from the vertical to allow for proper wetting of the weld metal to the side wall. The second general welding technique that should be considered is that of arc travel direction when the welding must be performed in the vertical position. There are two methods with which this welding can be done vertical up and vertical down. Here the torch positioning is extremely important and welding should be performed only as shown. In either case, the arc must be kept on the puddles leading edge so as to insure complete weld penetration. This completes a definition of the factors which make up the controllable welding parameters and techniques. We shall now turn our attention to the manner in which each of these affect certain weld characteristics. Weld penetration is the distance that the fusion line extends below the surface of the material being welded. Weld penetration is directly related to welding current. An increase or decrease in the current will increase or decrease the weld penetration respectively. Torch position has a slightly greater effect than does welding voltage or arc travel speed. It can be seen that generally the forehand welding technique yields shallower penetration than does the backhand technique. Maximum weld penetration is achieved with a torch angle of 25 deg. and the backhand welding technique. However, beyond this degree of torch angle, arc instability and spatter will increase. For very thin materials or where low penetration is required, a forehand technique is generally used. Investigating about the different welding techniques I realize there are many welding processes depending the application and the resistance of each metal, determining the right process is crucial. Welding is dangerous for our eyes if we see the sparks directly for too much time, it might burn our eyes and cause serious eye damage. Buzzle (2012) Welding Tips and Techniques. http://www.buzzle.com/articles/welding-tipsand-techniques.html Wise (2012) What Is Welding?. http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-welding.htm

Hobart Institute Of Welding Technology (2010) What is welding? and what do welders do? http://www.welding.com/welding.asp http://www.esabna.com/EUWeb/MIG_handbook/592mig7_21.htm