46

Welding Engineering

•• Excellent for root passes

•• Provides the option for autogenous welding with some applications

Limitations:
•• Requires very high welder skill
•• Low weld metal deposition rates
•• Sensitive to drafty conditions
•• Possibility for tungsten inclusions in weld
•• Arc starting system adds cost

2.5  Plasma Arc Welding

Plasma Arc Welding (PAW) is an arc welding process that is similar to GTAW, but the nozzle
incorporates an additional feature known as a constricting nozzle (Figure 2.41). The constrict-
ing nozzle directs a flow of gas through an orifice that separates the work piece from the tung-
sten electrode. The orifice gas is ionized to form the arc, which, due to the small orifice
opening, is much more columnar shaped and higher in energy density than a GTAW arc. The
outer gas nozzle carries additional shielding gas and performs the same function as a GTAW
nozzle. A comparison of the PAW torch and the GTAW torch is shown in Figure 2.42. Note
the much greater depth‐to‐width ratio of the weld zone produced with PAW.
PAW was developed commercially by the Union Carbide Linde Division in the 1960s. It saw
little use until the 1970s through 1990s, and is still not as widely used as competing processes, such
as GTAW. Industry sectors where it is used include aerospace, automotive, medical, tube mills, and
electrical. Filler metal may or may not be used, and the equipment is more expensive than other arc
welding equipment. Because the electrode is contained within the constricting nozzle and is farther
from the work piece, it is less susceptible to contamination than the electrode used for GTAW. The
electrodes and filler metals used are the same as those used with GTAW. Argon and argon–helium
blends are the most common gasses for both the orifice gas and the shielding gas.

Orifice gas
Copyright © 2015. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

Electrode

Shielding gas
Constricting nozzle

Outer gas nozzle Plenum chamber

Throat length Electrode setback

Orifice diameter
Torch standoff Work

Figure 2.41  Plasma Arc Welding (Source: Reproduced by permission of American Welding Society,
©Welding Handbook)

Phillips, David H.. Welding Engineering : An Introduction, John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2015. ProQuest Ebook Central,
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 Arc Welding Processes 47

GTAW vs. PAW

Shielding –
– Orifice
gas
Electrode gas

Shielding
gas

Shielding
gas nozzle Shielding
gas nozzle

Arc Work- Arc plasma

piece
+ +

Figure 2.42  Comparison of gas tungsten and Plasma Arc Welding processes (Source: Reproduced by
permission of American Welding Society, ©Welding Handbook)

Cathode (–)
Constricted arc
Nonconstricted arc 3/16 in. (4.8 mm)
40 ft3/h argon Diameter orifice
200 A 40 ft3/h argon
15 V 200 A
Copyright © 2015. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

30 V

Anode (+)

Temperature, °K

100 000–14 000 18 000–24 000

14 000–18 000 24 000–Up

Figure 2.43  Effect of arc constriction (Source: Welding Essentials, Second Edition)

Figure 2.43 provides evidence of the advantage of arc constriction, which is depicted on the right
side of the figure. A restricted arc contains a much hotter core that extends for a longer distance than
a standard GTAW arc, which tends to rapidly flare out from the electrode losing energy density.
The greater energy density and columnar shape of the constricted arc allows for keyhole mode

Phillips, David H.. Welding Engineering : An Introduction, John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2015. ProQuest Ebook Central,
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 48 Welding Engineering

Melting
Bead Weld pool

Travel
direction
Keyhole

Figure 2.44  Keyhole mode welding (Source: Reproduced by permission of American Welding Society,
©Welding Handbook)

welding (Figure 2.44), which can produce single pass welds of much greater thickness, at faster
speeds, and at lower overall heat input compared to GTAW. As indicated in the figure, this mode of
welding involves the formation of a hole that usually traverses all the way through the joint. The
molten weld metal swirls around the hole and solidifies at the trailing edge as the weld is moved
along the joint. Although this mode of welding offers the advantages mentioned, it is very difficult
to accomplish manually. This fact, combined with the relatively bulky torch, dictates that the
majority of the applications for this process are mechanized.
There are two PAW modes—transferred and nontransferred (Figure 2.45). With the trans-
ferred mode, the arc is formed between the electrode and the work. This results in the greatest
Copyright © 2015. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

arc plasma energy density and weld penetration, and therefore, is by far the most common
mode used in the industry. In nontransferred PAW, the arc forms between the electrode and
the base of the constricting nozzle (which has a wider opening), resulting in an arc that has
much lower energy density. This method is useful for welding very thin work pieces when
much lower heating is needed. It can also be used for cutting of nonconductive materials.
DCEN (pulsed or nonpulsed) is used most often with PAW, but square wave AC may be used
for aluminum and magnesium in order to take advantage of the cleaning action from the positive
half of the cycle. Typical current ranges are similar to GTAW—less than 1 A up to 500 A. Due
to much longer arc lengths, it is not surprising that PAW arc voltages tend to be much higher
than GTAW arc voltages, often exceeding 30 V. PAW arcs are initiated by a pilot arc established
between the electrode and the copper alloy constricting nozzle. Pilot arcs typically use high‐
frequency currents that are generated by an additional power source integrated into the system.
Compared to the GTAW process, PAW offers the following advantages and limitations:

Advantages:
•• Higher energy density plasma column provides for greater penetration, faster welding speeds,
and less overall heat into the part

Phillips, David H.. Welding Engineering : An Introduction, John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2015. ProQuest Ebook Central,
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Created from ebookcentraldemo on 2018-06-03 20:05:31.