Section E - Repair & maintenance types

This section includes a diverse range of consumables for many repair and maintenance applications, including
cast iron, dissimilar welding and hardfacing. There is also a selection of non-ferrous solid wires for copper base
alloys. The final selection of products covers mild steel TIG wires and some specialist mild steel electrodes.

Consumables for welding Cast Irons

The welding of cast irons has been notoriously called a 'black-art'. Individual castings of equivalent types can
vary in response to welding, and so do the details of procedure considered critical by experienced practitioners.
Most castings are produced to net shape, so welding is usually for repair and maintenance rather than
fabrication. Structural load-bearing use is typically compressive, not critically tensile.
The two commonest types of cast iron have around 3%C and 2%Si. Flake graphite grey iron varies in quality and
impurity content, with relatively low strength and ductility. Spheroidal graphite (SG), nodular or ductile iron
is treated with magnesium, has fewer impurities, superior mechanical properties, and more reliable weldability.
Electrodes based on pure nickel and nickel-iron alloys are most widely used. Electrode flux coverings are of
basic type plus graphite to give a weld deposit deoxidised and saturated with carbon. This mimics some of the
characteristics of cast iron but is non-hardenable and easily machined. Recommended welding techniques are
given on relevant data sheets.
Another group, high alloy austenitic irons (Ni-Resist types) are also produced in flake and SG grades.
Electrodes of the NiFe type are used because matching weld metal is too hard. Preheat of 300-350C is
required for the flake graphite grades, but for the SG grades buttering at low temperatures is preferred to
avoid HAZ hot cracking.
Martensitic cast iron (Ni-Hard types) and the various white irons are generally considered too crack-sensitive
or brittle to be welded satisfactorily.

Data Specifications
Alloy Process Product
Sheet AWS BS EN / BS EN ISO
MMA CI Soft Flow Ni ENi-CI E C Ni-CI 1
E-10 Ni Cast Iron
TIG/MIG Nickel 2Ti ERNi-1 S Ni 20 6 1
CI Special Cast NiFe ENiFe-CI E C NiFe-CI 1
MMA
E-11 NiFe Cast Iron CI Met NiFe ENiFe-CI E C NiFe-CI 1
MIG 55NiFe -- S C NiFe-1

Palm House at Kew Gardens. Repaired with Cast Iron MMA

 Dissimilar welding consumables

Transition welds between dissimilar materials are often necessary, requiring weld metal compatible with
dilution by these materials to provide satisfactory service properties. Weld metal dissimilar to the base
material may also enable a safer or simplified welding procedure to be used, such as in armour welding.
Dissimilar weld metal is almost always applied when buttering, cladding or surfacing. The metallurgy of
dissimilar metal welds is a large and complex subject, considering the variety of possible combinations of
industrial alloys and service conditions as a whole.

Data Specifications
Alloy Process Product
Sheet AWS BS EN / EN ISO
MMA Armet 1 E308Mo-16 E 20 10 3 R
Armour
E-20 Supercore 20.9.3 E308MoT0-1/4 T 20 10 3 R
plate FCW
Supercore 20.9.3P E308MoT1-1/4 T 20 10 3 P
Metmax 307R E307-26 E 18 9 Mn Mo R
MMA
E-21 307 19.9.6Mn (E307-16) (E18 8 Mn R)
MIG 19.9.6Mn (ER307) 18 8 Mn
MMA 29.9 Super R (E312-17) E 29 9 R
E-22 312
TIG/MIG/SAW 312S94 ER312 29 9

Metrode Armet 1 and Supercore 20.9.3 used in the

fabrication of tanks and armoured vehicles and approved
by the MOD in the UK.

The Challenger Armoured Repair & Recovery Vehicle

(CRARRV)

AS90 Braveheart self propelled howitzer

Challenger 2 main battle tank

 Copper and Copper Alloy wires

The non-ferrous alloys in the following section are primarily used for joining equivalent base materials,
although many are also used for surfacing. There are no MMA electrodes in this section; the gas shielded solid
wire TIG/MIG processes are preferred for high integrity work. Note the cupronickel consumables are in section
D, details can be found on data sheet D-70.

Data Specifications
Alloy Process Product
Sheet AWS BS EN / EN ISO
E-30 Copper TIG/MIG 100Cu ERCu S Cu 1898/CuSn1
E-31 Copper Silicon TIG 97CuSi ERCuSi-A S Cu 6560/CuSiMn 1
E-33 Bronze TIG 92CuSn (ERCuSn-C) S Cu 5210/CuSn8P
E-36 Al Bronze TIG/MIG 90CuAl ERCuAl-A2 S Cu 6180/CuAl10Fe
E-37 Ni Al Bronze TIG/MIG 80CuNiAl ERCuNiAl S Cu 6328/CuAl9Ni5Fe3Mn2

Consumables for surfacing and hardfacing

Hardfacing is just one aspect of surfacing in general. In principle, almost any electrode with the desired
properties can be chosen to modify the working surface of a base metal for improved service life or
performance.
Electrodes in this section are types recognised for their value to combat many forms of destructive wear found
in different working environments. Flexibility of electrode design allows overlay compositions unique to this
process, or similar to base materials for tool and component repairs.
The most suitable type for a given application can lead to conflicting choices. Often this is based (perhaps with
good reason) on previous experience, or even the simple judgement of 'harder is better'. This is rarely strictly
true because actual performance usually involves a combination of factors. These include response of the
particular weld composition and microstructure to size and density of abrasive (when present), impact,
corrosion, friction and heat. Weld metal cracking, the need for buffer layers and alloy cost are also relevant.
Brief details are given to help assess some of these questions.
Martensitic types offer the lowest cost-hardness ratio. These transformable steels air-harden roughly in
proportion to carbon and alloy level. Higher alloys include high speed and hot-work tool steels which may be
heat treated if used for tool repairs. If critical, cracking in martensitic types is easily controlled with preheat.
Lower hardness types are used for extensive build-up or intermediate layers.
Chromium carbide types resist extreme grinding abrasion, increasing with volume and type of carbides in the
high alloy matrix. With almost no ductility or response to heat treatment, build-up is limited by stress
cracking, although this may not be detrimental to service performance.
Cobalt base types are costly but excel at high temperatures in combination with aggressive wear or corrosion.
Increasing preheat with hardness and weld thickness is needed for the alloy order 6, 12 and 1, to control stress
cracking but none for the more ductile alloy 8, which also resists thermal shock and work-hardens strongly.
'Hadfield' non-stainless austenitic 13%Mn steels, show unique resistance to gouging and impact or coarse
particle abrasion. Others such as type 307 (data sheet E-21) could be classed as work-hardening types for
ambient temperatures.
Buffer or build-up layers are usually intermediate in alloying between base and capping layers. Hardness of a
martensitic type will be reduced if deposited on a stainless buffer (data sheets B-50, B-51, E-20, E-21 and E-22),
but would be ideal beneath chromium carbide and work-hardening types (and generally optional for cobalt
base).
 Data Specifications
Alloy Process Product
Sheet AWS BS EN / BS EN ISO
Nimrod C (ENiCrMo-5) ENi2
E-45 C MMA
Nimax C (ENiCrMo-5) ENi2
MMA Methard 350 -- (EFe1)
E-50 350
FCW Hardcore 350 -- TFe1
Methard 650 -- (EFe2)
MMA
E-51 650 Methard 650R -- (EFe2)
FCW Hardcore 650 -- TFe2
E-53 Tool steel MMA Methard 750TS EFe5-B EFe4
Methard 850 -- EFe14
MMA
Methard 950 -- EFe14
E-55 850/950
Hardcore 850 -- TFe15
FCW
Hardcore 950 -- TFe15
E-58 1050 MMA Methard 1050 -- EFe16
E-60 13%Mn MMA Workhard 13Mn EFeMn-B EFe9
E-65 Cobalt MMA Cobstel 6 ECoCr-A (ECo2)
E-66 Cobalt MMA Cobstel 8 ECoCr-E ECo1

Specialist range of mild steel consumables

The mild steel TIG wires and flux cored wire are used for general purpose mild steel fabrication, the other
consumables in this section have specialised applications. Ultramild is an E6018 type depositing soft and
ductile low hydrogen weld metal mainly for buffer layers. Nilsil is a modified E6013 type giving very low silicon
weld metal for welding galvanising baths.

Data Specifications
Alloy Process Product
Sheet AWS BS EN / BS EN ISO
ER70S-2 ER70S-2 A15
TIG ER70S-3 ER70S-3 (A17)
E-70 Mild steel
ER70S-6 ER70S-6 A18
FCW Metcore DWA50 E71T-1 T 422 PM1
E-71 Low strength mild steel MMA Ultramild E6018 --
E-72 Low silicon MMA Nilsil -- --

Pepsi Max Big One roller coaster, Blackpool, Fabricated with Metrode DWA50 flux cored wire