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TIG welding and plasma welding belong to the group of the gas-shielded tungsten arc welding processes, Figure 4.1. In the gas-shielded tungsten arc welding processes mentioned in Figure 4.1, the arc burns between a non- consumable piece or, in plasma arc welding, between the tungsten electrode and a live copper electrode inside the torch. Exclusively inert gases (Ar, He) are used as shielding gases. The potential curve of the ideal arc, as shown in Figure
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Tungsten inert- Tungsten plasma gas welding welding with TIG electrode
Plasma arc Plasma arc Plasma welding with welding with arc welding non-transferred with transferred semi-transferred arc arc arc
4.2, can be divided into three characteristic sectors: 1.cathode- drop region 2.arc 3. anode-drop region In the cathode-drop region almost 50%
-4
Figure 4.1
l
K L U 20 V
+
A
of the total
A similarly high voltage drop occurs in the anode-drop region, here, however, over a length of 0.5 mm. The
10 0
A: anode spot (up to 4000 C) K: cathode spot (approx. 3600 C) L: arc column (4500-20000 C) l: arc length arc potential curve (example)
10
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0,5
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voltage drop on the remaining arc length is comparatively low. Main energy conversion occurs accordingly in the anode-drop and cathode-drop region. Figure 4.2
Figure 4.3 shows the potential distribution by the example of a real TIG arc under the influence of different shielding gases. UA and UK have different values, the potential curve in the
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arc is not exactly linear. There is no discernible expansion of the cathode-drop and anodedrop region.
20 Argon 60 A V UK = 6,5 V
25 4 mm 2
UARC
10
V
cathode
20 arc voltage
he lium
40 Helium 60 A UK = 6,5 V
15
4 2
n argo
UARC
20 anode UA = 6,1 V 0 1 2 3 4 mm 6
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10
10
cathode
50
100
150
200
250
350
weld current
XARC
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Figure 4.4
helium in comparison with argon is higher, arc voltage must necessarily be higher. The temperature distribubr-er4-05e.cdr
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mm
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arc length
mm
4. TIG Welding and Plasma Arc Welding In TIG welding just approximately 30% of the input electrical energy may be used for melting the base metal, Figure 4.6. Losses result from the arc radiation and heat dissipation in the workpiece and also from the heat conversion in the tungsten electrode.
R.I2 melting of wire radiation P = U.I welding direction
51
Figure 4.7 describes the process principle of TIG welding. Figure 4.8 explains by an example the code for a TIG welding wire, as stipulated in the drafts of the European Standardisations. A table with the chemical compositions of the filler materials is shown in Figure 4.9. According to Figure 4.10, a conventional
tungsten electrode electric contact shielding gas shielding gas nozzle welding power source
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Figure 4.6 TIG welding installation consists of a transformer, a set of rectifiers and a torch. For most applications an electrode with a negative polarity is used. However, for welding of aluminium, alternating current must be
workpiece
used. For arc ignition a high-frequency high voltage is superimposed and causes ionisation between electrode and workpiece.
arc
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Figure 4.7
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W 46 3 W2
chemical composition table rods and wires for tig-welding minimum impact energy value 47 J at -30 C minimum weld metal yield point: 460 N/mm2 identification letter for TIG-welding identification of filler rod as an individual product: W2
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torch for TIG welding is the tungsten electrode which is held in a collet inside the torch body, Figure 4.11. The hose package contains the supply lines for shielding gas and welding shielding
Designation of a Tungsten Innert Gas Welding Wire to EN 1668
The is
mostly made of ceramic. Manually operated torches for TIG welding which are used for high amperages
Figure 4.8
as well as machine torches for long duty cycles are water-cooled. In order to keep the influence of torch distance variations on the current intensity and thus on the penetration depth as low as possible, power sources used for TIG welding always have a steeply dropping characteristic, Figure 4.12. The non-contact reignition of the A.C. TIG arc after a voltage zero crossover requires ionisation of the gap
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electrode-workpiece by high-frequent
high voltage pulses, FigChemical composition of filler rods and wires for TIG-welding
ure 4.13.
Figure 4.9
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53 When argon is used as a shielding gas, metals as, for example, aluminium and magnesium, also which
L1 L2 L3 N PE
mains
filter capacitor
_ O
have low melting points and simultaneously forming tight and high melting oxide skins, cannot be welded with a negative polarity
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~
St
rectifier transformer SC: scattering core for adjusting the characteristic curve
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+ O
= ~
selector switch
electrode.
With
positive polarity, however, a cleaning effect takes place which is caused by the impact of the positive
Figure 4.10
charged ions from the shielding gas atmosphere on the negative charged work surface, thus destroying the oxide skin due to their large cross-section. However, as a positive polarity
longer arc shorter arc R and U drop
R and U rise
torch cap with seal handle of the torch control switch control cable
I drops
I rises
voltage
shielding gas supply cooling water supply cooling water return with welding current cable
increasing
U
decreasing
current intensity
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decreasing
increasing
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Figure 4.11
Figure 4.12
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would cause thermal overload of the electrode, these materials are welded with alternating current. However, this has a disturbing side-effect. The electron emission and, consequently, the current flow are dependent on the temperature of the cathode. During the negative phase on the work surface the emission is, due to the lower melting temperature substantially lower than during the negative phase on the tungsten electrode. As a consequence, a positively connected electrode leads to lower welding current flows than this would be the case with a negatively connected electrode, Figure 4.14. A filter capacitor in the welding current circuit filters out the D.C. compovoltage reignition of the arc by voltage impulses
half-wave
components.
alternating current (square wave) for a faster zero cross-over, is duration and height of the phase com-
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adjustable. thermal
The stress
Figure 4.13
current a current a
cleaning effect
+ +
electrode polarity
time
time
Figure 4.15 shows that the thermal electrode load can be recognized from the shape of the electrode tip. While the normal-load negative connected electrode end has the shape of a pointed cone (point angle
+ + +
lower
time
- time
+ -
time
- time
stronger increasing
smaller
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Figure 4.14
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from a.c. welding (higher thermal load by positive half-waves).The tip of a thermally overloaded electrode is hemispherical and leads to a stronger spread of the arc and thus to wider welds with lower penetration.
materials: - steels, especially high-alloy steel - aluminium and aluminium alloys - copper and copper alloys - nickel and nickel alloys - titanium - circonium - tantalum workpiece thickness: - 0,5 - 5,0 mm weld types: - plain butt weld, V-type welds, flanged weld, fillet weld - all positions - surfacing application examples: - tube to tube sheet welding - orbital welding - root welding
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overloaded electrode
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Figure 4.15
Figure 4.16
All fusion weldable materials can be joined using the TIG process; from the economical point of view this applies especially to plate
shielding gas
orbital movement
360
thickness of less than 5 mm. The method is, moreover, predestined for
welding current
rise of current
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preheating
pulsing
current decay
overlap
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welding
root
passes
Figure 4.17
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For circumferential welding of fixed pipes, the TIG orbital welding method is applied. The welding torch moves orbitrally around the pipe, i.e., the pipe is welded in the positions flat, vertical down, overhead,
contact tube shielding gas plasma gas nozzle plasma gas filler material surface weld non-transferred arc workpiece welding power source tungsten electrode shielding gas nozzle
vertical-up and also interpass welding is applied. Moreover, a defect-free weld bead overlap must be achieved. Orbital welding installations are equipped with process operational controls which determine the appropriate process parameters, Figure 4.17. In plasma arc welding burns the arc between the
Ignition device
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Figure 4.18
tungsten electrode (- pole) and the plasma gas nozzle (+ pole) and is called the nontransferred arc, Figure 4.18. The non-transferred arc is mainly used for metal-spraying and for the welding of metal-foil strips. In plasma arc welding with transferred arc burns the arc between the tungsten electrode (pole) and the workpiece (+ pole) and is called the
contact tube shielding gas nozzle shielding gas plasma gas nozzle plasma gas welding power source Ignition device tungsten electrode
transferred
arc,
Figure
4.19. The plasma gas constricts the arc and leads to a more concentrated heat input than in TIG welding and allows thus the exploitation of the keyhole effect. Plasma arc welding with transferred arc is mainly used for welding of joints.
Figure 4.19
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contact tube shielding gas nozzle shielding gas conveying gas and welding filler (powder) plasma gas plasma gas nozzle surface weld
tungsten electrode
of
the variant
two is
This used
process for
microplasma
transferred arc
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workpiece
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The
plasma
welding
Figure 4.20
sides the water-cooled welding torch, a gas supply for plasma gas (Ar) and shielding gas (ArH2-mixture, Ar/He mixture or Ar); the gas supply is, in most cases, separated, Figure 4.21. The copper anode and the additional focusing gas flow constrict the plasma arc which leads,
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Figure 4.21
Figure 4.22
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4. TIG Welding and Plasma Arc Welding in comparison with TIG welding, to a more concentrated heat input and thus to deeper penetration. An arc that has been generated in this way burns more stable and is not easy to deflect, as, for example, at workpiece edges, Figure 4.21.
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Arc shapes of shielding gases: argon with 6,5% hydrogen helium 50% argon, 50% helium argon plasma gas: argon
The TIG arc is cone shaped or bell shaped, respecFigure 4.23 tively, and has an aperture angle of 45 . The plasma
arc length
arc, in comparison, burns highly concentrated with almost parallel flanks, Figure 4.22. The shielding gas used in plasma arc welding
plasma torch
exerts, due to its thermal conductivity, a decisive influence onto the arc configuration. The use of a mixture of argon with hydrogen
welding direction
weld (seam)
In plasma arc welding of plates thicker than 2.5mm the so-called keyhole effect is utilweld surface
ised, Figure 4.24. The plasma jet penetrates the material, forming a weld keyhole. During welding the plasma jet with the keyhole moves along the joint edges. Behind the
keyhole
root
the vapour pressure in the keyhole, the liquid metal flows back together and the weld bead is created.
Figure 4.24
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Very thin sheets and metal-foils can be welded using microplasma welding with amperages between 0.05 and 50 A. Figures 4.25 and 4.26 show these ples: application The examcircumferential
weld in a diaphragm disk with a wall thickness of 0.15mm and the joining of fine metal grids made of CrNi steel.
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Figure 4.25
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Figure 4.26
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