aws_wj_201501

PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN WELDING SOCIETY TO ADVANCE THE SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND APPLICATION OF WELDINGAND ALLIED JOINING AND CUTTING PROCESSES WORLDWIDE, INCLUDING BRAZING, SOLDERING, AND THERMAL SPRAYING

January 2015

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28 The Case for Using LowHydrogen Covered Electrodes Here is why low-hydrogen electrodes work so well for many applications — L. Byall

32 FABTECH 2014 Heats up Atlanta FABTECH was filled with events and products that appealed to just about everyone — A. Cullison et al.

40 Creating a LeakTight Aircraft Relay Switch Copper-nickel alloy and low-carbon steel were successfully joined for a reliable high-performance switch — R. Trillwood

JANUARY 2015 / WELDING JOURNAL 3

CONTENTS

1s Primary Chromium Carbide Fraction Control with Variable Polarity SAW The effect of the fraction of time in electrode positive was examined for AC hardfacing with chromium-carbide alloys — S. D. Borle et al.

8s Preliminary Investigation on RealTime Induction HeatingAssisted Underwater Wet Welding

A unique induction heating-assisted underwater wet welding process was investigated — H. T. Zhang et al.

16s Gas Metal Arc Welding of Magnesium Alloys: Oxide Films, High Crowns, and Fingers Gas metal arc welding using controlled short circuiting was studied as a means of limiting porosity in joining magnesium — X. Chai et al.

WELDING RESEARCH SUPPLEMENT

January 2015 • Volume 94 • Number 1

FEATURES

32

28

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voestalpine Böhler Weldingwww.voestalpine.com/welding

Welding Filler Metals for Lasting Connections

6 Editorial8 Press Time News10 News of the Industry14 Business Briefs16 International Update18 Stainless Q&A20 RWMA Q&A24 Product & Print Spotlight44 Coming Events

48 Certification Schedule50 Conferences52 Welding Workbook55 Society News56 Tech Topics75 Guide to AWS Services76 Personnel86 Classifieds88 Advertiser Index

OFFICERSPresident David LandonVermeer Mfg. Co.

Vice President David L. McQuaidD. L. McQuaid and Associates, Inc.

Vice President John R. BrayAffiliated Machinery, Inc.

Vice President Dale FloodTri Tool, Inc.

Treasurer Robert G. PaliJ. P. Nissen Co.

Executive Director Ray W. ShookAmerican Welding Society

DIRECTORST. Anderson (At Large), ITW Welding North AmericaU. Aschemeier (Dist. 7), Subsea Global SolutionsR. E. Brenner (Dist. 10), CnD Industries, Inc.D. J. Burgess (Dist. 8), Alstom PowerN. C. Cole (Past President), NCC EngineeringD. L. Doench (At Large), Hobart Bros. Co.T. A. Ferri (Dist. 1), Victor TechnologiesK. Fogleman (Dist. 16), ConsultantP. H. Gorman (Dist. 20), Sandia National LaboratoriesS. A. Harris (Dist. 4), Altec IndustriesK. L. Johnson (Dist. 19), Vigor ShipyardsJ. Knapp (Dist. 17), Gas and SupplyM. Krupnicki (Dist. 6), Mahany Welding SupplyT. J. Lienert (At Large), Los Alamos National LaboratoryS. Lindsey (Dist. 21), City of San DiegoD. E. Lynnes (Dist. 15), Lynnes Welding TrainingC. Matricardi (Dist. 5), Welding Solutions, Inc.S. P. Moran (At Large), Weir American HydroW. R. Polanin (At Large), Illinois Central CollegeW. A. Rice (Past President), OKI BeringR. L. Richwine (Dist. 14), Ivy Tech State CollegeD. J. Roland (Dist. 12), Airgas USA, LLC,

NorthCentral Region

R. W. Roth (At Large), RoMan Manufacturing, Inc.M. Sebergandio (Dist. 3), CNH AmericaK. E. Shatell (Dist. 22), Pacific Gas & Electric Co.M. Skiles (Dist. 9), ConsultantJ. Stoll (Dist. 18), The Bohler Welding Group U.S.H. W. Thompson (Dist. 2), UL, Inc.R. P. Wilcox (Dist. 11), ConsultantJ. A. Willard (Dist. 13), Kankakee Community College

WELDING JOURNALPublisher — Andrew CullisonEditorialEditorial Director Andrew CullisonEditor Mary Ruth JohnsenAssociate Editor Howard M. WoodwardAssociate Editor Kristin CampbellEditorial Asst./Peer Review Coor. Melissa GomezPublisher Emeritus Jeff Weber

Design and ProductionProduction Manager Zaida ChavezSr. Production Coordinator Brenda FloresManager of International Periodicals andElectronic Media Carlos Guzman

AdvertisingSr. Advertising Sales Exec. Sandra JorgensenSr. Advertising Sales Exec. Annette DelagrangeManager of Sales Operations Lea PanecaSr. Advertising Production Manager Frank Wilson

SubscriptionsSubscriptions Representative Danielle [email protected]

PUBLICATIONS, EXPOSITIONS, MARKETING COMMITTEED. L. Doench, Chair, Hobart Brothers Co.S. Bartholomew, Vice Chair, ESAB Welding

& Cutting Prod.J. D. Weber, Secretary, American Welding SocietyD. Brown, Weiler BrushT. Coco, Victor Technologies InternationalC. Coffey, Lincoln ElectricD. DeCorte, RoMan Mfg.S. Fyffe, Astaras, Inc.

D. Levin, AirgasR. Madden, HyperthermD. Marquard, IBEDA SuperflashJ. F. Saenger Jr., ConsultantS. Smith, WeldAid ProductsD. Wilson, Welldean EnterprisesJ. N. DuPont, Ex Off., Lehigh UniversityL. G. Kvidahl, Ex Off., Northrop Grumman

Ship SystemsD. J. Landon, Ex Off., Vermeer Mfg.S. P. Moran, Ex Off., Weir American HydroE. Norman, Ex Off., Southwest Area Career CenterR. G. Pali, Ex Off., J. P. Nissen Co.N. Scotchmer, Ex Off., Huys IndustriesR. W. Shook, Ex Off., American Welding Society

American Welding Society8669 NW 36 St., # 130, Miami, FL 331666672(305) 4439353 or (800) 4439353

On the cover: At the AWS U.S. InvitationalWeld Trials held during FABTECH 2014, CodyFojtik performs shielded metal arc welding.

Welding Journal (ISSN 00432296) is published monthly bythe American Welding Society for $120.00 per year in the UnitedStates and possessions, $160 per year in foreign countries: $7.50per single issue for domestic AWS members and $10.00 per singleissue for nonmembers and $14.00 single issue for international.American Welding Society is located at 8669 NW 36th St., # 130,Miami, FL 331666672; telephone (305) 4439353. Periodicalspostage paid in Miami, Fla., and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Welding Journal, 8669 NW36th St., # 130, Miami, FL 331666672. Canada Post: PublicationsMail Agreement #40612608 Canada Returns to be sent toBleuchip International, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2,Canada.

Readers of Welding Journal may make copies of articles forpersonal, archival, educational or research purposes, and whichare not for sale or resale. Permission is granted to quote from articles, provided customary acknowledgment of authors and sourcesis made. Starred (*) items excluded from copyright.

Copyright © 2015 by American Welding Society in bothprinted and electronic formats. The Society is not responsible forany statement made or opinion expressed herein. Data and information developed by the authors of specific articles are for informational purposes only and are not intended for use without independent, substantiating investigation on the part of potential users.

DEPARTMENTS

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Dr. Ken Ham of the Institute of CreationResearch has a quote I love. “It is not a mat-ter of whether one is biased or not. It is real-ly a question of which bias is the best biaswith which to be biased.” Everyone has theirown bias. Because I have the privilege ofleading the welding engineering team at Ver-meer Corp., I am biased toward manufactur-ing. It is the world in which I live; therefore,whenever I’m asked to give a presentation, Ialways try to do it from that perspective. Vermeer manufactures agriculture, con-struction, and industrial equipment thatprovide solutions for the forage, environ-mental, underground pipeline, and specialtyexcavation market segments. Because of thebreadth of our product line, we weld steelthat ranges from 16 gauge to 3 in. thick.Therefore, it is important for our welders tomaster multipass welds, the most commonbeing “a triple pass.” Here are my thoughtson another sort of triple pass. One of my favorite pastimes is watchingmovies. While I really enjoy the old Holly-wood classics, over the past few years, justlike millions of others around the world, an-other genre has captured my attention: su-perhero movies! The first thing that attractsme to superhero movies is the technologythe characters use. I have had the privilege of being a mem-ber of the American Welding Society formore than 30 years. When I first became amember of AWS, a career in welding wasconsidered to be “dark, dirty, and danger-ous.” That has changed over the years. To-day, the technology we use in manufactur-ing, and specifically in welding, is right outof a superhero movie. As the first pass ofthe torch, let me give you some examples. Autodarkening welding hoods are consid-ered commonplace today, but when youthink about it, the technology is reallyamazing. A protective lens that allows theuser to see clearly, then changes at thestrike of the arc to a dark shade to providethe protection required during the weldingprocess, is right out of a superhero movie. Another superhero technology commonin manufacturing today is the use of robot-ics. A recent article from the ManufacturingInstitute said 59% of manufacturers todayuse some sort of robotics in their operation. One of the most frequently shown tech-

nologies in superhero movies is the use ofhigh-intensity light to cut through steel andother materials. Manufacturing has donethat with lasers for years. While the technology is impressive, I be-lieve these movies appeal to us for anotherreason. They’re full of heroes, and we need he-roes in our lives. In her book Ordinary Heroes,Flavia Weeden tells us “Heroes walk among us.They appear without a sign, a voice, or asound to rescue those in need. From very faraway, they come to comfort, protect, andtouch the lives of known or unknown namesand faces.” In our second pass of the torch, Iwould like to acknowledge a few of my heroes. “Many heroes work behind the scenes tosustain our lives and protect our world. Theyknow that great things come from a series ofsmall actions.” My father, John Landon, wasa structural engineer for Chrysler Corp.Space Division. He taught me about life andwhat it is to be an engineer. “Some heroes wear uniforms, some donot. But the armor each of them wears isbuilt of integrity, mercy, and love. The pow-er of such a shield can never be pierced orbroken.” My brother, Tom Landon, managerof Welding Technology and QA with CB&I,introduced me to welding and a career inwelding engineering. “Our heroes face the world and are able tocontinue on when their bodies are morethan tired, because their spirits will not letthem take rest.” Bill Kielhorn was my weld-ing engineering professor at LeTourneauUniversity. He was not only a mentor inwelding engineering, but a mentor in life.Prof. Kielhorn taught me and countless oth-er welding engineers what it is to be a godlyman. Through my years at LeTourneau,there was one thing about him that alwaysimpressed me. He never missed a class. Infact, throughout his 45-year teaching career,Bill Kielhorn never missed a class. On the third and final pass of the torch, Iwant to ask you, who are you being a heroto? Whom are you mentoring? To whom areyou passing the gold nuggets you havelearned throughout life? The next time you take your child orgrandchild to a superhero movie, I inviteyou to take the time to share about the ex-citing technology used in our industry to-day. It is time to pass the torch!

EDITORIAL

A Triple Pass of the Torch


David J. LandonAWS President

“While the technology is impressive, Ibelieve (superhero)movies appeal to usfor another reason.They’re full of heroes,and we need heroesin our lives.”

WJ

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SelectArc Opens Facility in Troy, Ohio

Select-Arc, Inc., a manufacturer of welding electrodeproducts, has purchased the former RevWires building andis establishing its Troy, Ohio, operations there. The facility, located at 2015 W. Stanfield Rd., encompass-es 79,400 sq ft and will be utilized for manufacturing alongwith support functions in conjunction with company head-quarters in Fort Loramie, Ohio. The plant commenced operations in October. Also, thecompany has indicated it will require an additional 15–20new employees. Select-Arc President Dale Stager emphasized the deter-mining factor in purchasing the Troy operations was theneed “to better serve our customers to meet their growingelectrode product and service requirements.”

Investment of $140 Million to ExpandManufacturing at the Brooklyn Navy Yard New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio recently announcedan investment to transform the Brooklyn Navy Yard’s Build-ing 77 into a modern manufacturing facility generating3000 good-paying jobs. This $140 million venture from the city, Brooklyn NavyYard Development Corp., Brooklyn Borough President, andCity Council will be used to renovate the vacant building, ex-panding a project started under the previous administra-tion, and doubling the projected number of facility jobs. The 1 million-sq-ft building will be upgraded, includingthe installation of windows to convert underutilized ware-house space into open areas for active manufacturing andtechnology-based businesses. When completed, Building 77 will increase employmentat the Navy Yard by more than 40%. In addition, de Blasio mentioned that the city and Brook-lyn Navy Yard Development Corp. will expand the yard’sEmployment Center. “We are jump-starting a new wave of manufacturing andjob creation at the Navy Yard. It will mean more opportunityfor people in this community to not only secure a job, butalso get the skills and upward mobility they need to supporta family,” said de Blasio.

InSight Mars Lander Taking Shape Lockheed Martin, Denver, Colo., has started the assem-bly, test, and launch operations phase for NASA’s InSight

Mars lander spacecraft. This mission will record the first-ever measurements of the interior of the red planet, givingscientists detail into the evolution of Mars and other terres-trial planets. It’s scheduled to launch in March 2016. “The InSight mission is a mix of tried and true and newand exciting. The spacecraft has a lot of heritage fromPhoenix and even back to the Viking landers, but the sciencehas never been done before at Mars,” said Stu Spath, InSightprogram manager at Lockheed Martin Space Systems. The assembly, test, and launch operations is when as-sembly of the spacecraft starts, moves through environ-mental testing, and concludes with its launch. Technicianswill install subsystems such as avionics, power, telecomm,mechanisms, thermal systems, plus guidance, navigation,and control. Science instruments will also be delivered bymission partners to Lockheed Martin for spacecraft inte-gration.

Weiler Corp. Makes Multimillion DollarInvestment, Develops New Brand Identity Weiler Corp., Cresco, Pa., a provider of power brushes,abrasives, and maintenance products for surface condition-ing, recently revealed a multimillion dollar transformationto improve customer service and position the company forfuture growth. This initiative includes investment in a newbrand identity, facility expansion, increased staffing in keybusiness areas, as well as new training tools. Additionally, the company has redesigned its website atwww.weilercorp.com. Highlights include a simplified searchfunction, products segmented by industry and application,and a ‘Where to Buy’ section. “The transformation applies not just to our virtual space,but also extends into our physical office space, with a com-plete redesign and expansion of our offices to create a moreopen, collaborative working environment,” said Chris Weil-er, president/CEO. The change further includes a 60% increase in direct fieldsales support, providing market-based applications trainingin industry applications.

Shawsheen Valley Tech to Receive$250,000 Grant for Welding Equipment Greg Bialecki, secretary of Housing and Economic Devel-opment for Massachusetts, has announced a $250,000 capi-tal grant to Shawsheen Valley Technical High School. It willsupport purchasing equipment needed to expand theschool’s welding and metal fabrication program to help meeta critical need in advanced manufacturing and constructiontrades in Middlesex County. With new equipment, students will learn the fundamen-tals of metal fabrication along with joining technologies;demonstrate using hand/power tools; plus show proper me-chanical cutting operations, metalforming techniques, cut-ting/gouging processes, and welding/joining methods. Also, this grant supports a collaboration between Shaw-sheen and Keolis Commuter Services to train new workersfor maintaining and improving rail service throughout theregion.

PRESS TIME NEWS


WJ

A view of SelectArc’s building in Troy, Ohio.

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AWS Names 2014 Image of WeldingAward Winners

The American Welding Society (AWS) and WEMCO, anassociation of welding manufacturers, recently announcedthe recipients of the 12th Annual Image of Welding Awards.The following winners, detailed below, were honored at aceremony on November 12 during FABTECH in Atlanta, Ga. Individual — Justin W. Gordy, Houston, Tex. Cur-rently the youngest AWS Senior Certified Welding Inspectorin the world, Gordy has an associate’s degree in welding andinspection technology, and is an ASNT Level 3 Certified UTInspector. Along with his wife, Heather, they operate J-TECH Inspections. The ‘AWS Houston Section Justin GordySpirit of Welding Award’ is also in his honor. Educator — Kevin Carter, Petersburg, Ind. An AWSCertified Welding Inspector and Educator, Carter has been awelding instructor at Pike Central High School, Petersburg,Ind., for the past 32 years. He consistently places studentsin apprenticeships or employment. Among his students’achievements are 16 state SkillsUSA champions, 12 MidwestTeam Welding Competition first-place finishes, and seventop three finishes in the national SkillsUSA Championships. Educational Facility — Lynnes Welding Training,Fargo, N.Dak. Lynnes Welding Training, the vision of DaveLynnes, owner and CEO of the welding school, opened itsdoors in 2006 and educates postsecondary school adminis-trators, teachers, guidance counselors, and others in key po-sitions to provide career advice to students of all ages. Staffspeak to local schools and career fairs, plus make presenta-tions. They’ve also collaborated with the North Dakota BoyScouts to help host Welding Merit Badge clinics. Small Business — Tri Tool, Inc., Rancho Cordova,Calif. The company manufactures weld prep machiningequipment. In 1998, it started the Tri Tool, Inc., Sacramento

Section Named Scholarship in conjunction with the AWSFoundation, providing nearly $50,000 to local students. Re-cently, the company developed its “Pipeline of People” com-mittee to reach students in Northern California and Nevada.Also, it assisted in a local Eagle Scout project to build ramphandrails and guardrails for the Folsom Sport Complex. Large Business — CB&I, Plainfield, Ill. For more than125 years, CB&I has provided systems while maintaining afocus on safety and high standard of quality. Company em-ployees volunteer their time in health, education, and hu-man service organizations in their communities and acrossthe globe. The company also supports social economic andcultural development initiatives with many of their projects. Distributor — AWISCO, Maspeth, N.Y. Serving theNew York Metropolitan area since 1979, AWISCO is a dis-tributor of compressed gases, welding, safety, and industrialequipment and supplies. The company recently invited morethan 100 welding students and their teachers from the NewYork area as guests to its annual trade show. In addition, thecompany gives demonstrations and presentations at localschools, and has collaborated with Sussex Technical Schoolto organize and present workforce development awards. AWS Section — Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wis. TheMilwaukee Section typically gives more than $5000 in Sec-tion scholarships every year. Also, it gives away helmets,welding kits, and other equipment to students. With theAWS D16 Committee, the Section hosts a conference everyother year and has used the proceeds to start an endow-ment, giving out an additional $10,500 to welding engineer-ing students. It is also starting an effort to assist companiesin reaching potential welding-related employees. Media — Heesun Wee, CNBC. Heesun Wee is a featuresreporter and editor for CNBC.com where she covers a broadrange of topics. In February 2014, Wee wrote the CNBC.comarticle ‘American manufacturing and welding to women: Wewant you!’ highlighting the shortage of welders in the Unit-ed States and importance of attracting more women into theindustry. View the article at www.cnbc.com/id/101385929. Nominations for the 2015 awards, which will now beknown as the Excellence in Welding Awards, are open. A Vet-erans category has been added as well. For more details, visitwww.aws.org/w/a/awards/image.html.

Deadlines Approaching for OSHA’sHazard Communication Standard The phase-in dates required under the revised Occupa-tional Safety & Health Administration’s (OSHA) HazardCommunication Standard are as follows: Employers must comply with all new Hazard Communica-tion Standard requirements by June 1, 2015. By December 1,2015, chemical distributors must stop shipping containerswith non-GHS labels. In addition, for employers, the effective completion dateis June 1, 2016, for updating alternative workplace labelingand hazard communication program as necessary, and pro-viding additional employee training for newly identifiedphysical or health hazards. For more information, visit www.osha.gov/dsg/hazcom/effectivedates.html.

NEWS OF THE INDUSTRY


Pictured during FABTECH 2014 at the Image of Welding AwardsCeremony are (from left) Paul Fischer, AWS Milwaukee Section,AWS Section Award; Dave Lynnes, Lynnes Welding Training, Educational Facility Award; Lloyd Robinson, AWISCO, DistributorAward; Jerry Warren, CB&I, Large Business Award; George Wernette III, Tri Tool, Inc., Small Business Award; Kevin Carter, Educator Award; and (center) Justin Gordy, Individual Award.

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Changing Landscape in Troy, Ohio,Includes Hobart Brothers History

A recent article titled “Troy’s changing landscape” — byPatrick Kennedy, archivist at the Troy-Miami County PublicLibrary’s Local History Library in Ohio, for the Troy DailyNews — details several area transformations over the years,including demolition of the old Hobart Brothers’ factory. Hobart’s roots can be traced to 1904, although the com-pany was incorporated in 1917. During World War I, it oper-ated on West Water St. in the old brewery building. By 1925,that facility had been outgrown and the Henne Warehouseon West Main was utilized. Construction then started on anew, large factory next to the warehouse. The block’s land-scape changed again as houses were bought and razed/moved to other locations. The first classes of what’s now the Hobart Institute ofWelding Technology were held on the building’s third floor. As the years went on, Hobart’s factory expanded a fewtimes — crossing two whole blocks, which was encompassedbetween Adams, Water, Elm, and Main Streets — later tak-ing in the site on the north side of Water Street and con-structing the building later used by Troy Lumber Co. Also of note are the following factors: This Troy land-mark, originally constructed during 1923–25, covered500,000 sq ft and for a while served as home to the compa-ny offices; 1925 marked the construction year of the firstHobart arc welding machine; and welding equipment repre-sented the mainstay product but solid wire manufacturinglater took up space. ITW, which purchased Hobart BrothersCo. in 1996, will leave the property as a green space.

New Program Aims to ConnectVeterans with Industrial Sector Careers The Guns to Arcs Program is a start up nonprofit, 501c3organization founded and run by current and former mili-tary members. Its mission is to connect unemployed or un-deremployed veterans with knowledge and assets to pursuea career in the industrial sector, including welding. These


This historic photograph features the Main Street plant alongwith Hobart’s garage to the left side. (Image courtesy of The TroyHistorical Society and the Local History Library, Troy.)

For info, go to www.aws.org/adindex


soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines could revitalize thenation’s trade skill industry. Also, the program seeks industry support to cover tuitioncosts, and help spread the word to heroes who serve andprotect this country. For more details, visit the websitewww.guns2arcs.org.

Bluegrass Community and TechnicalCollege Offers Welder Helper Certificate A new Welder Helper Certificate will be offered for theSpring 2015 session of Bluegrass Community and TechnicalCollege’s Winchester-Clark County Campus in Kentucky.Starting January 12, 2015, students enrolled in this pro-gram will learn shielded metal arc welding. The classes will be held on Mondays and Wednesdays atthe Clark County Area Technology Center, 2748 BoonesboroRd., Winchester, Ky. The lecture and lab will be offered thenback-to-back with WLD 120 from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. andWLD 121 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. For more information, visitwww.bluegrass.kctcs.edu.

Coldwater Machine LaunchesSolid State Joining Center Coldwater Machine Co., Coldwater, Ohio, has established

its Solid State Joining Center, a business unit dedicated tothe development of technologies that address the challengesof joining lightweight and dissimilar materials. Located inthe same building as its parent company, the unit includes aweld development lab that features five friction welding sys-tems for testing and low-volume production. In addition, the center has developed friction spin weldsystems and is expanding production systems for the newerfriction spot weld technology.

Industry Notes• The U.S. Department of Commerce has awarded$100,000 to the University of South Alabama and Mo-bile Area Chamber of Commerce to implement goals inthe region’s application to become a manufacturing com-munity. Lynne Chronister, USA vice president for researchand economic development, added that the grant moneywill be used to hire a coordinator and enhance the GulfCoast’s pipeline for workforce development.

• ThyssenKrupp Stahl-Service-Center has added to itscapabilities. A new blanking line at the Mannheim, Ger-many, steel service center offers options for producingsmall blanks. It cuts 0.4- to 3-mm-thick slit strip intolengths 200–2500 mm and widths 80–650 mm.

• Superior Tube, Collegeville, Pa., is certified to AS9100,




having been assessed by the independent certification or-ganization, Det Norske Veritas. Based on the ISO 9001series of quality management systems, AS9100 provides aglobally harmonized standard for the aerospace industry.• Futuris Automotive opened a 160,000-sq-ft manufac-turing facility/design center in Newark, Calif. It will featurea design and craftsmanship studio as well as testing, vali-dation, and quality centers; is expected to grow quickly tocirca 400 employees; and will initially be equipped to man-ufacture product offerings, including welded seat frames.

• Herr-Voss Stamco recently cohosted a complimentaryslitting seminar at the Detroit Metro Airport Marriott ti-tled “The Latest Technologies in Slitting Automotive Mate-rials.” Presentations covered many topics, including slittinghigh-strength steel. More than 115 people attended.

• A check for $20,000 has been presented to Austin Poly-technical Academy, Chicago, Ill., by IMTS – The Inter-national Manufacturing Technology Show and GIEMedia to advance the school’s mission of preparing stu-dents for manufacturing/engineering careers. The moneywas raised by the Miles for Manufacturing 5K Run/Walk.

• Chrysler Group LLC’s Indiana Transmission Plant II hasbeen awarded bronze status for its results in implementingWorld Class Manufacturing. This plant produces the five-speed transmission for various models in the company’sportfolio and received the title just over four years afteradopting the operating system following a two-day audit.


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ADJUSTABLEWELD GACATAT. NO. 3

For equal

AUTO W.W.S. TYPE GAGECATAT. NO. 6ToTo Check the Permissible ToTolerance of Convexity With the

ABLE FILLETAGAGES

and unequal

VARIOUSAND ALIGNMENTAVAILABLECATAT. NO.Single Purpose

CATAT. NO.V-WACAlso customon request.

ARIOUS OTHER WELDINGALIGNMENT DEVICES

AILABLENO. 2

Purpose HI-LO Gage

NO. 5Undercrcut Gage

custom gages manufactured request.

legged filletMeasuressizes plus

CAMBRIDGECATAT. NO.

Angle ofExcessDepthDepthFillet W

new, improved Auto Weld Size gage you can meet specification for butt and fillet type welds. Redesigned gage is pocket size, easy to use and has thumb screw adjustment replacing old, hard to operate rivet. Automatically shown convexity and concavity sizes have been predetermined in accordance with American Welding Society D1.1

SKEW-T WELDGAGE/CALCULATATORCATAT.T. NO. 9

Replaces all other sets of gages

fillet welds15 different weld

plus throat thickeness

CAMBRIDGE TYPE GAG4

of PreparationExcess Weld Metal

of Undercutof Pitting

Weld Throat Size

APPR

ROVED BY AAR

HI-LO® WELDINGCATAT. NO. 1For internal misalign in

77 P.P.P C.C FILLETFILLET TTYYPEPE GGAAGEAccurate

GEGAGAGES

in pipe

Fillet WFillet WOutside

W.W.T.T.P.P.S. TYPE GAGEMeasures .010 inch deepundercutCATAT. NO. 7TOLERANCES +.0005 inchesAmerican Welding SocietyStructural Welding Code D1.1,“Underrcut shall be no more than .010 inches (.25mm) deep when the weld is transverse to the primary stress in the part that is undercut.”

used to measure fillet or groove welds in skewed members at 90O

Handy compilation of math -ematical relationships between leg length, throats, skew angles and inspection dimensions.

Weld Throat SizeWeld Length

Outside Misalignment

P.P.O. BOX 218 STEVENSVILLE, MICHIGANPHONE: 269/465-5750 FAX: 269/465-6385

E-mail: [email protected]: www.galgage.comVisa & Mastercard

For internal misalign inwelds in addition to 6cal, required measurements.Patent No. 3,869,801

Accepted

MICHIGAN 49127269/465-6385

CATAT.T. NO. 8ALL EDGES DEBURREDALL LETTERS AND CHARACTERSLASER ETCHEDHANDY POCKET CASEThe G.A.L. Fillet Weld gage allows fast, accurate measurement of 11 fillet weld sizes: 1/8, 3/16, 1/4, 5/16, 3/8, 7/16, 1/2, 5/8, 3/4, 7/8, and 1 inch. Includes metric equivalents.Determine either concave or convex weld sizes.

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Amanda Manufacturing Breaks Groundin Ohio on Major Expansion

Amanda Manufacturing, a Deshler Group company in Lo-gan, Ohio, that specializes in metalforming, recently brokeground on a $5 million expansion and renovation of its facility. The 130,000-sq-ft building will expand by nearly 40%,with 54,880 additional square feet of manufacturing plantspace and a 14,000-sq-ft new office and facade improve-ment. This expansion, expected to be finished by spring2016, addresses growing international business and entryinto new products/services. Additionally, the company plans to add new technologyand machinery, including extra engineering and design serv-ices; tube forming; and increase the use of lightweight, high-strength steels. The office expansion will include a new fa-cade and office space for engineering and design teams, witha multimedia conference room. “Adding human resources is critical to our ability to posi-tion Amanda Manufacturing as an engineering- and design-driven manufacturing solutions provider for our global cus-tomers,” said Robert Gruschow, president of the companyand the Deshler Group. Job opportunities will be announced in early 2015. “We are looking for people with experience, but also areplanning to partner with our local universities and tradeschools to mentor, train, and recruit young talent fromOhio,” added Gruschow.

U.S. Cutting Tool Shipments up 4.6% The September U.S. cutting tool sales totaled $176.5 mil-lion, according to the U.S. Cutting Tool Institute and AMT –The Association for Manufacturing Technology. This total, as reported by companies participating in theCutting Tool Market Report (CTMR) collaboration, was up4.6% from August’s total and 7.7% from September 2013. These numbers, and all data in this report, are based onthe totals actually reported by the companies participatingin the CTMR program. The totals here represent about 80%of the U.S. market for cutting tools. “The 4.6% increase for September’s cutting tool ship-ments was not a surprise as the market’s expectations were

for a strong finish in 2014,” said Brad Lawton, chairman ofAMT’s cutting tool product group. “There is every indicationthat the momentum from the fall of 2014 is a harbinger ofcontinued growth in industrial production and cutting toolsales for 2015.” The CTMR is important because cutting tools are con-sumable products used to turn raw materials into intermedi-ate goods and intermediate goods into finished products.Also, given that tooling needs to be replaced relatively fre-quently, trends in U.S. cutting tool shipments are a goodmeasure of overall manufacturing activity.

Solar Atmospheres Expands Solar Atmospheres Southeast President Steve Prout andCorporate President Roger A. Jones recently revealed thesite selection process for its expansion into the southeasthas been completed. The division will be located at 108 Progressive Ct.,Greenville, S.C. This facility, operational in the near future,has 54,000-sq-ft of manufacturing space on 14 acres. “This is a major expansion for our companies with an in-vestment in excess of $15 million, including building, prop-erty, new vacuum furnaces, and a facility-wide closed-loopwater-cooling system to ensure continuous uptime for ourcustomers,” said Jones. Prout also noted the ability to find a facility with free-span construction, 40- and 30-ton bridge cranes with 24-ftclearances for processing large heat treat loads, and space tosupport future growth played a part in the decision. Currently, vacuum furnaces and support equipment arebeing scheduled for installation and startup. Furnace sizeswill range from those supporting small production lots anddevelopment work to a 24-ft car bottom furnace.

Lincoln Electric Acquires RealWeldSystems The Lincoln Electric Co., Cleveland, Ohio, has acquiredthe assets of the privately held live arc welding training sys-tem manufacturer, RealWeld Systems, Inc., and associatedintellectual property from EWI, Columbus, Ohio. Michael Mintun, senior vice president, North Americasales and marketing, noted the RealWeld Trainer™ systemoffers hands-on arc welding training and evaluation. “EWI developed RealWeld’s technology to advance weld-ing training and help establish industry-accepted credentialsfor welders,” added Henry Cialone, EWI president.

Bodycote, MessierBugattiDowty SignAgreement for Thermal Spray Coatings Bodycote, Macclesfield, UK, a large thermal processingservices provider, recently announced signing an eight-yearagreement with Messier-Bugatti-Dowty (Safran Group), aprovider of aircraft landing and braking systems. The company will provide thermal spray coating servicesfor major commercial and military airframe component pro-grams, including the Boeing 787 and Airbus A350.

BUSINESS BRIEFS


WJ

Amanda Manufacturing’s leadership team, along with Ohioelected officials, get moving on the $5 million expansion.

BB Jan 2015_Layout 1 12/10/14 3:43 PM Page 14


otc daihen_FP_TEMP 12/10/14 9:15 AM Page 15

Swiftships to Build Patrol Boats for Egyptian Navy

Swiftships, LLC,Morgan City, La., amanufacturer of water-crafts built of steel,aluminum, and fiber-glass, has been award-ed a contract for con-struction of six 35-mpatrol boats (PB) forthe Egyptian Navy(EN). The vessels arepart of an extension ofthe existing Build, Op-

erate, Transfer program that the Egyptian government andSwiftships set in place for coproducing four 28-m PBs from2010 to 2014. Build, Operate, Transfer allows for shipbuild-ing knowledge and expertise to be transferred to developingnations.

Technical evaluation performed by an Egyptian-government-designated committee determined the Swift-ship 35-m PB to have the best platform according to EN re-quirements. The six boats will be constructed at the Egypt-ian Ship Building and Repairs Company in Alexandria,Egypt.

Swiftships has built a total of 23 boats for the EgyptianNavy, including mine hunters, survey vessels, and steel andaluminum patrol boats. The 35-m PB hull and superstruc-ture are constructed of all-welded aluminum alloy. The hullincludes seven watertight bulkheads forming eight water-tight compartments. The boats can be refueled at sea usingside-by-side procedures, and run on diesel fuel.

Swiftships CEO Shehraze Shah said, “The participation ofSwiftships with a public entity and a strong financial armcan enhance the shipbuilding and ship repair trade. As a re-sult, infrastructure, modernization, and employment canflourish in the region in which coproduction is applied.”

DEKRA Aquires DNV GL Units

DEKRA, Stuttgart,Germany, a vehicle in-spection company, hastaken over the plant in-tegrity, nondestructivetesting, and mi-croscopy operationsfrom DNV GL, Høvik,Norway, an interna-tional classification so-ciety, and is expandingits industrial opera-tions in The Nether-lands. The three units,employing together 24workers, operate underthe name DEKRA Ma-

terial Testing & Inspection in the new DEKRA buildings inArnhem, and are concerned with the inspection of capital-intensive and business-critical systems and materials. Cus-

tomers include petrochemical, industrial, and energy companies.

“The acquisition of these units is an important step inDEKRA’s global expansion strategy,” said Marcel Blinde,managing director, Service Unit Material and Inspection.“The acquisition is vital in terms of our presence in both Eu-rope and the Middle East as well as being an important addi-tion to our industrial testing operations in the laboratory inArnhem.”

SKS Welding Systems Expands into Turkey

The German SKSWelding SystemsGmbH, based inKaiserslautern, hasfounded a new sub-sidiary, SKS WeldingSystems MakinaSanayi ve Ticaret Ltd.Şirketi, to serve usersand investors inTurkey. Its Turkishsubsidiary will allowSKS to offer its cus-tomers professionaladvice, individual prod-ucts, and faster servicefor automated welding.

“With our Turkishsubsidiary, we are ex-panding our interna-

tional network and thus our customer proximity in impor-tant industrial countries. This ensures that our product de-velopments — specifically for robot-assisted arc weldingprocesses — and our technical support reach the users andin-country subsidiaries of our international customers onsite,” said SKS Managing Director Marcus Klein.

Solar Atmospheres Extends Contract with RTI Claro

Solar Atmospheresof Western Pa., a com-mercial heat-treatingcompany, announcedthat it has signed amemorandum of agree-ment with RTI Claro, abusiness unit of RTIInternational Metals,Inc., Laval, Que., Cana-da, to extend its con-tract for the vacuumstress relieving and flu-orescent liquid pene-trant inspection of the

Boeing 787 Dreamliner titanium seat track system until De-cember 2021. The company anticipates the agreement willinclude work on more than 1000 of the aircraft.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATE


WJ

The Swiftships 35m patrol boat isconstructed of allwelded aluminumalloy and its hull includes seven watertight bulkheads.

DEKRA’s newly acquired units willoperate in its 14,000m2 facility inArnhem, The Netherlands.

Serdar Arican (left), managing director of the newly founded Turkishsubsidiary of SKS Welding Systemswith Dieter Klein, founder of SKS.

Solar Atmospheres will continue tosupply its seat tracks for Boeing 787Dreamliner airplanes for anotherseven years.

Jan Intl Update_Layout 1 12/10/14 3:51 PM Page 16


koike aronson_FP_TEMP 12/10/14 9:14 AM Page 17

A: The July 2000 Stainless Q&A col-umn cautions against nitrogen (N2)purging with an open root for the rea-sons you note. However, your questionreminds me of an axiom emblazonedon the base of an ancient Riehle ten-sile testing machine in the Universityof Wisconsin–Madison MechanicalEngineering Laboratory that im-pressed me when I saw it as a studentduring the 1960s, “One test is worth athousand expert opinions.” At the time of the July 2000 Stain-less Q&A column, I was not aware ofpublished data that were relevant tothe open root N2 purging question, butI cautioned against N2 use because ofthe possibility of reducing the ferritecontent to the extent that primaryaustenite solidification would result,with its potential for solidificationcracking. More recently, Bergquist et al. (Ref.1) examined exactly this situation inwelding 304L stainless steel pipe withER308L and manual GTAW. The testpipe was 150 mm (6 in.) diameter with

13 mm (½ in.) wall thickness. Theyused a 70-deg included angle jointpreparation with a 1.5-mm (1⁄16-in.)root face and a 3-mm (1⁄8-in.) rootopening, maintained by tack welds, forall of their tests. Purging was begun 10min before welding, and a purgingflow rate of 10 L/min (21 ft3/h) wascontinued during welding. For comparison, separate weldswere made with 100% argon (Ar) and100% N2. A third backing gas, 90% N2–10% hydrogen (H2) was also consid-ered, but that is not discussed hereinbecause it was not part of the questionraised. Figure 1 shows a partially complet-ed root pass from that work so thatthe openness of the root can be easilyappreciated. After welding, the FerriteNumber (FN) was measured on thelightly ground root bead surface andthe full chemical composition, includ-ing N2 content, of the root bead wasdetermined. Table 1 lists the chemicalcomposition results and FN with thethree backing gases for the root pass

only of each test condition. There was a repeat weld with Arpurging and a repeat with N2 purgingto assess reproducibility, and the indi-vidual data are included in Table 1. In addition to the measured FN (av-erage of eight readings), the FN I cal-culated using the WRC-1992 diagramand the reported root pass composi-tions is included in Table 1 for com-parison with the measured FN for eachroot pass. Some variation in chromium (Cr)and nickel (Ni) can be observed inTable 1. Part of that is likely due tovarying dilution (the pipe compositionis not the same as the filler metal com-position) and part of that may be at-tributable to variability of chemicalanalysis. But the important point to benoticed from Table 1 is that the rootpass N2 content is about 0.06% whenAr purging is used, and the root passN2 content is about 0.11% when N2purging is used. These results are quiteconsistent. So a N2 pickup in the rootof about 0.05% can be attributed to

STAINLESS Q&A


BY DAMIAN J. KOTECKI

Q: We make a lot of open rootpipe joints in 304L and 316Lstainless steel using gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) for theroot and first fill pass withER308L or ER316L filler metalas appropriate. We might finishwith GTAW or with anotherprocess. Root purging has always been done here with argon (Ar), but a cost reductionby purging with nitrogen (N2)has been proposed. I am concerned that N2 purging with anopen root will lead to N2 pickupin the root pass, loss of ferrite,and solidification cracking. Ischanging to N2 purging a goodidea? Fig. 1 — Partially completed gas tungsten arc welded open root pass.

Table 1 — Root Pass Composition, Measured FN, and Calculated FN

Test Weld Purge Gas Composition (wt%) Measured FN WRC1992 FNC Cr Ni Mo Cu N

First Argon 0.011 19.1 9.6 0.27 0.19 0.063 8.6 9.1Second Argon 0.012 19.4 10.0 0.10 0.14 0.060 6.9 8.2First Nitrogen 0.014 19.7 9.6 0.20 0.16 0.110 4.4 7.4Second Nitrogen 0.011 19.3 10.2 0.10 0.13 0.110 2.9 3.8

KOTECKI January_Layout 1 12/11/14 8:43 AM Page 18


use of N2 for purging gas under theconditions of these tests. The drop in ferrite content from Arpurging to N2 purging in this instancedid not result in primary austenite so-lidification or solidification cracking.Bergquist et al. (Ref. 1) used color etch-ing metallography to establish that thesolidification mode was primary ferritein the N2-purged root pass in all cases.However, they noted that the use ofthe N2 purging could have changed thesolidification mode from primary fer-rite with Ar purging to primary austen-ite with N2 purging if the compositionof the filler metal and/or base metalwere less favorable (lower Cr contentand/or higher Ni content). The WRC-1992 diagram indicates the solidifica-tion mode would change to primaryaustenite for the weld compositionsproduced if the calculated FN droppedto less than about 2. So it is clear that a drop in root passweld metal ferrite content can be ex-pected if N2 purging is substituted forAr purging. This is not hypothetical. Whether or not the ferrite contentwill drop to a sufficiently low level asto indicate primary austenite solidifi-cation and the potential for solidifica-tion cracking will depend upon thecompositions and ferrite potentials ofthe base metal and of the filler metal,the dilution in the root pass (normallythe ferrite potential, as indicated bythe WRC-1992 diagram, is lower forcommercial base metals such as 304Lor 316L than it is for nominallymatching filler metals such as ER308Lor ER316L), and the extent of N2 pick-up. The N2 pickup in the root pass islikely to increase if higher purging gasflow rates are used, other things beingequal, because more N2 will be pushedthrough the open root into the arcwhere the diatomic N2 molecule can bebroken into monotonic N ions thatdissolve readily into the weld pool. Bergquist et al. (Ref. 1) recommendthat, before deciding to employ N2purging for such welds, one shouldcheck the compositions of the basemetal and filler metal on the WRC-1992 diagram, then consider what thepickup of N2 will do to the weld ferritecontent and solidification mode. Given that a N2 pickup of about0.05% seems likely, one can then shiftthe calculated root pass ferrite contentaccording to that amount and observeif primary ferrite solidification, theoptimum solidification mode for re-

sistance to solidification cracking, canstill be expected. Nitrogen purging isnot without risk, and I agree withtheir recommendation.

Reference

1. Bergquist, E.-L., Huhtala, T., andKarlsson, L. 2011. The effect of purg-ing gas on 308L TIG root-pass ferritecontent. Welding in the World, V55, N3-4, pp. 57–64. International Instituteof Welding, Paris, France.

DAMIAN J. KOTECKI is president, DamianKotecki Welding Consultants, Inc., a memberof the A5D Subcommittee on Stainless SteelFiller Metals, D1K Subcommittee on Stainless Steel Structural Welding, WRC Subcommittee on Welding Stainless Steels andNickelBase Alloys, past chair of A5 Committee on Filler Metals and Allied Materials, andAWS president (2005–2006). Send questionsto [email protected], or mail toDr. Kotecki, c/o Welding Journal Dept., 8669NW 36 St., # 130, Miami, FL 33166.

WJ


KOTECKI January_Layout 1 12/11/14 8:44 AM Page 19

A: Dual-phase (DP) steels are classi-fied as “advanced high-strength steels(AHSS)” by the World Steel Associa-tion (www.worldsteel.org) to distin-guish them from the conventionalhigh-strength steels (HSS). The HSStypes include high-strength, low-alloysteels and carbon-manganese steels oftensile strengths up to 440 MPa. Themicrostructure of DP steels consists ofmartensite in a matrix of ferrite.Martensite is a hard and brittle phasewhereas ferrite is a soft and ductilephase. Therefore, due to the presenceof these two phases (hence the namedual-phase steels), these steels can of-fer high strength without compromis-ing on elongation — Fig. 1. Theamount of martensite in the steel canvary from about 10% (for 590 MPastrength level) up to about 45% (for980 MPa level). Due to the combina-tion they offer of high strength andhigh elongation, DP steels are becom-ing increasingly used in automotivebody-in-white applications. These steels are available both inthe coated (galvanized/galvannealed)condition as well as uncoated (or coldrolled) condition and in commerciallyavailable tensile strengths rangingfrom 500 to 1180 MPa. They are typi-cally alloyed with manganese, chromi-um, molybdenum, and silicon toachieve the desired strength level.Coated versions of DP steels generallycontain less than 0.1 wt-% silicon toprevent problems with coatingadhesion. Some of the characteristics of dual-phase steels include the following:• They achieve strengthening through

a phase transformation, namely thetransformation of austenite tomartensite.

• Depending on the strength level,they contain 10 to 45% martensitein a soft ferrite matrix.

• To achieve higher strength, moremartensite is required in the steel.Therefore, as the strength of thesteel increases, the amount ofmartensite in the steel increases.

• They possess high strength with highelongation when compared to con-ventional HSS.

• They are bake hardenable (strain ag-ing at elevated temperature). Bakehardening provides an increase instrength after the paint bake cyclethat welded automotive bodiesundergo.

Resistance Spot Welding of DP Steels Dual-phase steels are readily weld-able using the resistance spot weldingprocess. To successfully weld DP steels,the World Steel Association offers thefollowing general guidelines for select-ing welding parameters:• Increase the electrode force by 20%

(compared to those used for similarthickness low-carbon steels) or moredepending on yield strength.

• Increase the weld time as appropri-ate.

• Use a multipulse welding schedule(several pulses of welding current asopposed to a single pulse).

• Use larger tip sizes than those usedfor similar thickness low-carbonsteels.

• Keep the acceptable minimum weldsize higher than that used for low-carbon steels.

Dual-phase steels require less cur-

rent to weld compared to low-carbonor conventional HSLA steels becausethey have higher electrical resistivity.This results from the fact that DPsteels contain more alloying elementsthan low-strength steels that increasebase material resistivity. Therefore,welding current for DP steel should bereduced to avoid overheating and weldexpulsion (loss of molten metal). Gen-erally, DP steels require about 20%higher electrode forces compared tolow-strength steels of similarthickness. Dual-phase steels have tighter weldwindows (welding parameters thatgive acceptable welds) compared tomild or low-strength steels. However,these welding windows are largeenough that welds of acceptable quali-ty can be easily obtained over a rangeof parameters. AWS specificationD8.9M:2012, Recommended Practicesfor Test Methods for Evaluating the Re-sistance Spot Welding Behavior of Auto-motive Sheet Steel Materials, providesstarting weld schedules to weld DPsteels. Using these starting schedules,you can develop appropriate weldschedules to weld your parts. Depend-ing upon your customer’s require-ments, you may have to perform weldquality tests, which typically includeweld tensile tests and metallographicevaluations, to verify the weld sched-ules selected produce welds of accept-able quality. Another factor to keep in mindwhen welding DP steels is to avoidweld metal expulsion. Weld metal ex-

RWMA Q&A


BY MURALI TUMULURU

Q: Our fabricating shop manufactures resistance spot welded partsfor various industries. We are interested in bidding for jobs that gointo automotive assemblies. Theparts we can fabricate have to bewelded from 590 dualphase steel.We have no prior experience welding dualphase steels. What aredualphase steels and what can youtell us about how to weld them?

Fig. 1 — Plot of strength and ductility (elongation) relationship for dualphase steels.Also shown for comparison are the relationships for lowcarbon, highstrength, lowalloy (HSLA), and carbonmanganese (CMn) steels.

RWMA Q&A January 2015_Layout 1 12/11/14 8:43 AM Page 20

pulsion (ejection of molten weld met-al) occurs when the welding current isexcessive for a given weld time. Expul-sion results in loss of weld metal andsmaller weld size. Weld expulsion,therefore, results in loss of load-bearing area and lower weld strength. To determine expulsion currentrange for a given thickness of DP steel,

the welding current ranges should befirst determined. The procedure fordetermining weld current ranges isprovided in D8.9. Basically, weldingcurrent range defines the useful weld-ing current range over which welds ofacceptable size can be produced. Thecurrent range is the difference be-tween the current that produces ex-

pulsion and the current that providesa certain minimum weld size. In theautomotive industry, it is common todefine the minimum weld size as 4√t,where t is the nominal thickness of thesteel being welded. Figure 2 shows thewelding current ranges for various DPsteels. Select a welding current foryour application that is about 200 Alower than the expulsion current. Byselecting suitable welding parameters,you should be able to obtain accept-able weld quality.

Reference

1. Tumuluru, M. 2006. Resistancespot welding of coated high-strengthdual-phase steels. Welding Journal85(8): 31–37.


WJ

MURALI TUMULURU is research consultant –Materials Joining, United States Steel Corp.,Research and Technology Center, Munhall,Pa. Send your comments and questions toMurali Tumuluru c/o Welding Journal, 8669 NW 36 St., # 130, Miami, FL 33166, orvia email at [email protected].

Fig. 2 — Welding current range plot for three dualphase steels (Ref. 1).

or [email protected]

Call 866.879.9144


Call 866.879.9144


RWMA Q&A January 2015_Layout 1 12/11/14 8:43 AM Page 21

Where is the welding industry headed?

The CEO of Lincoln knows. Economist Alan Beaulieu knows.

Head to WEMCO’s annual meeting

or be left behind.Non-member executives are encouraged to participate.

aws wemco convention spread_FP_TEMP 12/9/14 10:15 AM Page 22

An Association of Welding Manufacturers

The WEMCO Annual Meeting is filled withunparalleled networking opportunities andenlightening presentations. Renowned economist

Alan Beaulieu of the Institute for Trend Research willagain be our keynote speaker. Network with additionalspeakers such as Lincoln Electric CEO Chris Mapesand Industrial Distribution Magazine’s Jack Keough.

Non-members are welcome to attend andexperience the full benefits of networkingwith your industry peers!

2015 Annual MeetingFeb. 25–27

Vinoy Renaissance Resort & Golf ClubSt. Petersburg, Fla.

Register at www.wemco.org. For more information, please contact Keila DeMoraes at

[email protected] or 800-443-9353, ext. 444

Chris MapesChairman, President, and CEO

Lincoln ElectricChris Mapes was appointed chairman of Lincoln Electric in December 2013, and presidentand chief executive officer in 2012. Previously, Chris was Lincoln’s chief operating officer,the position he was appointed to when he joined the company in 2011. He was electedto the Lincoln Board in 2010 while serving as executive vice president of A.O. SmithCorporation and president of its electrical products unit. Prior to his career at A.O. Smith,Chris was president, motor sales and marketing of Regal Beloit Corporation and had alsoserved as president of the Global OEM Business Group of Superior Essex, Inc.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Alan BeaulieuEconomist and President

Institute for Trend ResearchOne of the country’s most informed economists, Alan Beaulieu is a principal of ITREconomics, where he serves as president. He is co-author of Make Your Move, a bookon how to increase profits through business cycle changes. He is senior economic advisorto the NSW, chief forecaster for the European Power Train Distributors Association, andchief economist for HARDI. Pronouncements from the Institute for Trend Research and/orMr. Beaulieu have appeared in/on the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, USA Today,Knight Ridder News Services, Business Week, Associated Press, Washington Times, CBSRadio, CNN Radio, Sirius talk radio, KABC, NPR affiliate WLRN, and other outlets.

Dave MarquardDirector of Product Management

Integral Ad ScienceDave Marquard is director of product management for an NYC-based advertisingtechnology startup. For 15 years, he has held leadership roles in product management,engineering, and marketing at internet technology and enterprise software firms suchas Google, IBM, and Lombardi Software. Dave was an endowed scholar in engineeringat Duke University, earning degrees in electrical engineering and computer science. Asan undergrad, he was a teaching assistant in the Department of Computer Science atDuke for three years. Later, he returned to Duke’s Fuqua School of Business for an MBA.

Jack KeoughContributing Editor and Associate Publisher

Industrial Distribution MagazineJack Keough has been researching and writing about the distribution/manufacturing sec-tor for 30 years. He has served as contributing editor and associate publisher for IndustrialDistribution Magazine of Madison, Wis. for 26 of those years. Jack is also the presidentof his marketing and consulting firm, Keough Business Communications, and contributingeditor for Electrical Distributor magazine and its website. He has written extensivelyabout distribution management, sales and technology issues that have changed industrialdistribution in the past three decades.

MEET THE SPEAKERS

Theme: Welding Industry Consolidation and Globalization

aws wemco convention spread_FP_TEMP 12/9/14 10:16 AM Page 23

Portable SMAW MachineStarts Without Sticking

Weighing 18 lb, the MiniArc®161LTS is a portable, 115- or 230-V,single-phase machine for GTAW andSMAW, plus is able to use 6010 elec-trodes easily. The Automatic PrimarySelect function configures to the pri-mary input supplied. When welding inDC mode, the machine ranges from 5to 160 A. A fixed hot start functionalso allows the operator to strike anarc without the electrode sticking tothe plate.

ESAB Welding & Cutting Productswww.esabna.com(800) 3722123

Covered Electrode IncreasesOperator Control

The company’s 610 electrode, newto its line of AWS E6010 covered elec-trodes, features a concentric designthat provides greater operator controland ensures even coating along its en-tire length and consistent arc perform-ance. Designed for use in pipe weldingapplications, construction and ship-building, maintenance welding, andgeneral-purpose fabrication, the elec-trode can be used in all welding posi-tions. It also features quick arc start-

ing, good downhill capabilities, andprovides an easy weld lay-in andsmooth bead appearance with a lightslag for quick and easy cleanup. Theelectrode, available in 1⁄8- or 5⁄32-in. diam-eters in a 50-lb can, offers tensilestrengths in the range of 78,000lb/in.2 and yield strengths of approxi-mately 65,000 lb/in.2 It also providesCharpy V-notch impact values in therange of 45 ft-lb at –20°F to minimizecracking in low temperatures.

Hobart Brothers Co.www.hobartbrothers.com(800) 4241543

SMA Welding Glove Made withDurable Split Cowhide

The 730 Maximus™ welding glove isdesigned to improve comfort and re-duce fatigue for shielded metal arc andpipeline welders. The glove features agrain pigskin palm for dexterity withdurable split cowhide on the middleand index fingers to make active wear

PRODUCT & PRINT SPOTLIGHT


For info, go to www.aws.org/adindexFor info, go to www.aws.org/adindex

P and P JAN 2015_Layout 1 12/11/14 2:36 PM Page 24


areas last longer. The palm is linedwith CushionCore™ to block heat,while the back is lined to the cuff withinsulating wool.

Revco Industries, Inc.www.revcoindustries.com(800) 5273826

App Provides Alloy Informationfor Brazing and Soldering

Brazing and Soldering SelectionGuide, the company’s new mobile appfor Apple® and Android devices, makesit easy to find the right alloy for thejob. The app eliminates the need toflip through catalogs and phone books

when trying tofind materialsfor your projectby providing allof the compa-ny’s alloy infor-mation and alist of nearbydistributors.The app fea-tures integratedalloy informa-tion, whichmeans no wait-ing around forInternet access,

and how-to videos with importantsafety information and lessons onproper brazing and soldering tech-niques.

Harris Products Groupwww.harrisproductsgroup.com(800) 7334043

Industrial Torch LineFeatures Two Styles

The Detroiter (pictured on display

at FABTECH 2014) is a heavy-duty, V-style straight cutting torch designed tocut through metals from 1⁄8 to 12 in.thick with the appropriate tips. Itcomes in lengths of 17, 21, and 36 in.,plus can be used with multiple fuel gas-es. The Enforcer is a medium-duty oxy-fuel torch that can be used for cutting,welding, brazing, and heating. Prior todeveloping these products, the compa-ny was known as Cobra Torches, Inc.

Detroit Torch and Mfg. Co.www.detroittorch.com(866) 8757066

Dust Collector Offers MobilePoint of Source Extraction

The company’s new portable explo-




sion-proof dust collector features itsFRV DS2-EX series portable vacuumsand NA35 series portable immersionseparation vacuums joined with an ex-clusive point of source extractionswing arm system. Designed to safelycollect airborne combustible dusts,gases, and smoke emitted during man-ufacturing processes, the dust collec-tor allows for a full range of mobilityon the work floor. It is available in upto 500 ft3/min and is compliant toNFPA standards, OSHA’s combustibledust initiative CPL-03-00-008, andcertified to Class 1, Division 1 and 2,Group D and Class II, Division 1 and 2,Groups F and G requirements for usein hazardous locations.

Ruwacwww.ruwac.com(413) 5324030

Grinding Wheel Contains aStrong Disc Base/Backing

Designed for demanding grindingjobs in a range of industry metal fabri-cation shops, the XCAVATOR grindingwheel delivers heavy-duty perform-ance and the highest level removal ratein the company’s line of grindingwheel products. Tested on hard mate-rials — including tungsten carbide,tempered steel, Inconel®, Hardox®,and boron steel — the wheels feature astrong disc base/backing and companypatented UHR multilayer manufactur-

ing technology to prevent edge flak-ing. Free of contaminants such as iron,sulfur, and chlorine, the product issafe to use on surfaces such as stain-less steel.

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While mechanized welding isseen as the future for a num-ber of applications, shielded

metal arc welding (SMAW) in combi-nation with low-hydrogen electrodesoften can prove to be the best choice.Low-hydrogen electrodes are the logi-cal choice for a variety of welding ap-plications. Following is a look at whatlow-hydrogen electrodes are and whythey work so well.

Low-Moisture Coating =Hydrogen Control During welding, the arc and its re-sultant heat release hydrogen from themoisture in the coating, the surround-ing atmosphere, and from substanceson the base material, among othersources. Of course, moisture at timesis a good thing — without it, formingand extruding are not possible. But,sometimes you can have too much of agood thing. Less moisture in the elec-trode coating reduces the opportunityfor diffusible hydrogen to be depositedinto the weld metal, which can resultin weld failure from hydrogen-inducedcracking, also known as hydrogen em-brittlement or cold cracking. Low-hydrogen electrodes, mostsimply defined, are SMAW consum-ables that contain less than 0.6% coat-ing moisture — compared to 4 to 6%moisture in traditional cellulosic elec-trode coatings. AWS A5.1/A5.1M:2012, Specifica-

tion for Carbon Steel Electrodes forShielded Metal Arc Welding, states thatlow-hydrogen electrodes must havecoating moisture levels of less than0.6% when tested at 1800°F, but manylow-hydrogen electrodes carry muchlower moisture levels. The lower mois-ture levels correspond to relativelylower diffusible hydrogen levels in thedeposited weld metal. Typical AWS classifications forSMAW electrodes include EXX15-x,EXX16-x, EXXX18-x, and Exx28-x. Dif-fusible hydrogen levels, measured inmaximum milliliters of hydrogen per100 g of weld deposit, are often listedas optional supplemental designators

at the end of the AWS classification for the electrode. For example, a low-hydrogen electrode may be tested, perthe A5.1 specification, as measuringno more than 8 mL/100 g. Therefore,the electrode would carry a designa-tion of H8. Low-hydrogen electrodestypically measure 16 mL/100 g or less,with H8 and H4 as common designa-tors. An example of a full AWS classifi-cation is E7018 H4. Certain low-hydrogen electrodesare manufactured with special mois-ture-resistant coatings. These elec-trodes can be identified by the addi-tion of an “R” to their classificationnumber. AWS defines the guidelinesfor testing electrodes to carry this des-ignation. Low-hydrogen electrodeshaving the ‘R’ designator generally ex-hibit extended shelf lives and room-airexposure times, and improved resist-ance to weld defects such as porosityand hydrogen-induced cracking. Generally, the exposure time toroom air for low-hydrogen electrodesis limited to approximately four hours,while electrodes with the ‘R’ designa-tor can potentially be exposed for anentire work shift, up to nine hours. There is a limit to how long low-hydrogen electrodes can be exposed toroom air before the coatings pick uphydrogen from condensation and canno longer be considered “low hydro-gen.” As a result, it is a recommendedpractice to store the electrodes in anair-tight container at an elevated tem-perature to prevent condensation. A


The Case for Using Low-Hydrogen Covered ElectrodesWith its versatility, ease of use, and capabilityto reduce harmful hydrogen diffusion in theweld deposit, the low-hydrogen coveredelectrode is a wise choice

BY LISA BYALL

Fig. 1 — Low-hydrogen electrodes shouldbe stored in a rod oven (100° to 300°F) tobake out and prevent moisture pickup inthe coatings.

Lincoln feature _Layout 1 12/10/14 1:54 PM Page 28


rod oven (Fig. 1) is commonly used toproperly store low-hydrogen elec-trodes. Electrodes may even require re-baking under strict guidelines if thestock was exposed to the environmentfor a prolonged time.

A Variety of Applications The low-hydrogen class of elec-trodes is the most widely used forSMAW. Common applications includewelding thick metal sections, re-strained joints, and making criticalwelds for bridge and building con-struction, offshore, and power genera-tion — Fig. 2. Low-hydrogen elec-trodes are also growing in use for non-

traditional applications to provide anadditional safety measure against welddefects. There are many reasons contribut-ing to this widespread use. Most no-tably, shielded metal arc is consideredthe easiest welding method to learnand employ. In comparison, semiauto-matic wire electrode welding demandsmore extensive training and higherinitial capital investment. Low-hydro-gen covered electrodes also provide asmooth low-spatter arc that simplifieswelder training. These versatile electrodes can beused to weld virtually anything. Con-sider process piping fabrication — Fig.3. An alternate choice may be mecha-

nized wire electrode welding. However,given the potential for inconsistentfitup and constricted space, mecha-nized welding generally is not a goodoption. Manual shielded metal arcwelding, on the other hand, allows forflexibility in tackling highs and lowson the pipe weld joint and other poor-fitup issues. Covered electrodes can be“bent” to permit welding pipe in con-fined spaces — Fig. 4. Often, in theseapplications, a manual welder canmaintain a level of productivity thatmatches the mechanized processes. Another benefit of SMAW is itsportability. The covered electrodeeliminates the need for externalshielding gases. When welding is performed outdoors or in difficult-to-access spaces, the transport, footprint,and care required for shielding gas bot-tles is not a concern — Fig. 5. The AWS E7018 electrode is themost popular low-hydrogen coveredelectrode type in use today. It featurescertain characteristics that separate itfrom other classes. This class of cov-ered electrode is an ideal choice for all-position welding, with the exceptionof downhill welds. They offer smooth,quiet arc characteristics with low spat-ter levels and easy slag removal, mak-ing E7018 a desirable electrode to useby welders of all skill levels. They pro-vide weld deposits with medium pene-tration levels, ensuring good fusion tothe base metal. Another benefit, madepossible with the addition of iron pow-der in the coating, is a relatively highdeposition rate. The robust depositionrate can make covered electrode weld-ing cost effective for a wider range ofapplications. Finally, under most con-ditions, these low-hydrogen electrodesprovide good arc starting and restrik-ing capabilities. These start and re-strike characteristics minimize start-ing and striking porosity.

Defense against Cracking But why should you specificallychoose low-hydrogen electrodes? Theanswer is simple: To avoid cracking. Low-hydrogen covered electrodesare ideal for use in crack-sensitive ap-plications since they reduce the risk ofhydrogen-induced cracking. This phenomenon occurs when ele-vated levels of hydrogen, which is nat-urally soluble or diffusible in liquidmetal, becomes trapped in the hard-ened, highly stressed weld material or

Fig. 2 — View of an I-95 corridor bridge interchange. The AWS D1.5, Bridge Welding Code,and other agency codes specify the use of low-hydrogen electrodes or diffusible hydrogenlevels.

Fig. 3 — Covered electrodes can be a good choice for welding pipe in the field.

Lincoln feature _Layout 1 12/10/14 1:55 PM Page 29

heat-affected zone (HAZ). The trappedhydrogen seeks an escape route andeventually produces voids and cracksin the substrate, ultimately leading tofailures of the welded material. This isespecially true for higher-strengthsteels, which are more susceptible tocracking due to their higher carboncontent. Today, engineers specify higher-strength steels for a greater number ofapplications. Often, a part can bemade from a lighter-weight, thinnermetal if the material’s strength ishigher. These thinner materials com-monly have lower transport costs anda reduced volume of weld metal withfewer weld passes — and all of the as-sociated reductions in labor expenses.In addition, higher strength steels,correctly used, can hold up well to en-vironmental and force stresses. Most importantly, weld or HAZcracking in high-strength, high-carbon-content steels resulting fromtrapped hydrogen is an unacceptabledefect that requires gouging out theweld and rewelding — adding signifi-cant cost. Eliminating one variablethat can contribute to cracking, byspecifying low-hydrogen electrodes,can provide a safety margin in someapplications. Battling diffusible hydro-gen levels in higher-strength steels has led to a marked rise in use of low-hydrogen electrodes.

Welding Codes RecognizeLow-Hydrogen Benefits Various welding codes specify theuse of low-hydrogen covered elec-trodes. Codes and specifications canrefer to hydrogen control by either re-quiring low-hydrogen covered elec-trodes or by placing specific limits ondiffusible hydrogen.

The AWS D1.1/D1.1M:2010, Struc-tural Welding Code — Steel, for exam-ple, includes several provisions thatuse hydrogen designators, such as H8,and AWS D1.8/D1.8M:2009, Structur-al Welding Code —Seismic Supplement,specifies the use of low-hydrogen electrodes when using the SMAWprocess for Demand Critical welds. Ad-ditionally, the Fracture Control Plan ofAASHTO/AWS D1.5M/D1.5:2010,Bridge Welding Code, requires the fol-lowing electrode specs for weldingfracture-critical members: H16, H8, orH4 when the minimum specified yieldstrength is 50 ksi or less; and H8 orH4 when the minimum specified yieldstrength is greater the 50 ksi. Other agencies, such as the U.S.military and the American Bureau of Shipping, have also set limits on diffusible-hydrogen levels. Both uselimits of 15, 10, and 5 mL/100 g, andthe military specification has a stricterlimit of 2 mL/100 g, or H2, for certainapplications. The engineer of record can overridethese codes to make them more re-strictive, but not less. And if the appli-cable code does not call out for low-hydrogen weld deposits, the engineerof record can issue that requirement toprovide a safety margin. Codes and engineers recognize thevalue and importance of low-hydrogencovered electrodes, which is why theseconsumables are, and will remain, apopular choice.


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Fig. 4 — Some welders bend electrodes tofacilitate welding in tight spaces. Caremust be taken to use electrodes that re-sist cracking and loss of coating.

Fig. 5 — Covered electrodes are favoredfor critical welding in tight spaces sincethey eliminate the need for separateshielding gas equipment.

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FABTECH 2014 Heats up Atlanta

The American Welding Society and its showpartners packed so many products, professionaldevelopment opportunities, and technical talksinto this year’s FABTECH that the show spreadover all three halls of the Georgia World Con-gress Center in Atlanta. The show, which tookplace November 11–13, set records for aFABTECH Atlanta event with 1477 exhibitorsoccupying more than 550,000 sq ft of exhibitspace and drawing in 30,250 attendees. Thewelding portion alone drew 456 exhibitorsshowcasing their wares in 191,706 sq ft ofspace. The event — the largest annual metalform-ing, fabricating, welding, and finishing event inNorth America — is sponsored by SME; Ameri-can Welding Society; Fabricators & Manufactur-ers Association, International; Precision Metal-forming Association; and Chemical Coaters As-sociation International.

This year’s exhibition offered a bustling show floor,high-profile keynote speakers, and abundantnetworking and educational opportunities

BY ANDREW CULLISON, KRISTIN CAMPBELL,

CARLOS GUZMAN, AND MARY RUTH JOHNSEN

Cullison feature January 2015_Layout 1 12/11/14 10:34 AM Page 32


AWS Annual BusinessMeeting

President Dean Wilson called the95th annual business meeting to orderNovember 10. William Pate, presidentand CEO, Atlanta Convention & Visi-tors Bureau, welcomed AWS and itspartners and related how the city hasbeen a building zone since 2010.Among the projects he mentionedwere the new College Football Hall ofFame, which hosted a FABTECH in-dustry event later in the week; theCenter for Civil and Human Rights; anupscale shopping center in Atlanta’sBuckhead neighborhood; an electricstreetcar system; and two new sportsstadiums that will open in 2017. He

related how important welding andmanufacturing were to those projectsand thanked AWS for continuing tovisit Atlanta. President Wilson related the Soci-ety’s successes over the past year andhow he had focused on continuous im-provement during his term. He men-tioned the Society’s stated mission of“advancing the science, technology,and application of welding and alliedjoining and cutting processes” and saidthis year AWS had informally added“advancing the people of welding” toits mission.

He related the establishment ofAWS Weld Link, stackable credentialsto help people earn more over their ca-reers and that will take them fromtheir first hire through to retirement.Through Weld Link, he said, “Intelli-gent, user-friendly career developmentwill be just a click away. Weld Link willtell users what jobs they are suitablefor because of their knowledge, skills,and interests, and also send job info topeople who may not have seen theposting.” Incoming President Dave Landon(Fig. 1), who leads the welding engi-neering group at Vermeer Corp. in Pel-la, Iowa, talked about his interest inmanufacturing, and his penchant forsuperhero movies. “What attracts us to superheromovies?” he asked. “For me it’s thetechnology, the toys they get to playwith.” He cited the advanced weldingtechnology he’s used or been exposedto during his career. He also discussedeveryone’s need for heroes in theirlives and mentioned many of the men-tors, including his father and brother,who sparked his interest in weldingand helped him throughout his career.He then challenged the audience to be-come mentors themselves. Landondiscusses this in more detail in his editorial on page 6 of this issue of Welding Journal.

Adams Lecture

John Goldak (Fig. 2) started hisAdams Lecture with the quip he wascondensing 44 years of experience into40 minutes. His lecture, titled “FourDecades of Research in DevelopingWeld Mechanics at Carleton Universi-ty,” highlighted some of the criticaljobs in which he had been a major par-ticipant. Goldak has a PhD in physicalmetallurgy and is a Distinguished Re-search Professor and Lifetime Emeri-tus Professor at Carleton. He is inter-nationally known and recognized forthe development of a heat source mod-el for arc welds known as the doubleellipsoid weld pool model. He is amember of the Canadian Academy ofEngineering, and founder of GoldakTechnologies, Inc., a software develop-er for analysis of welded structures. His lecture recounted the criticalsituation with a nuclear reactor inCanada that at the time was producing85% of the world’s medical isotopes.When a leak was detected in the reac-

tor vessel wall it had to be shut down,and Goldak was part of the team calledin to perform the computationalanalysis on six proposed weld repairs.Corrosion at the base of the vessel wallcaused the leak. The proposed repair entailed usingbacking strips and surfacing the areaopposite the corrosion sites. Completemockups were constructed to practicethe procedure and validate the repair.The procedure called for remote robot-ic welding. A finite element mesh ofthe reactor was performed, and a ther-mal analysis was taken for every mil-limeter of arc movement. The repairwas complicated further by the factthat the wall thicknesses at the corro-sion sites varied down to 1 mm. Ex-perts indicated this was one of themost complicated weld repairs theyhad ever seen. After extensive analysisof the corroded areas, thorough stressand metallurgical analysis, and repeat-ed practice, the repairs were successful. Goldak told of a repair of a subma-rine that was also experiencing leakingdue to corrosion. In this instance, thecorroded areas were ground down andweld surfacing was performed to buildup the area. Because the buildup re-quired multiple passes, it was criticalto predict distortion. Also, a thoroughsolidification analysis was done thatshowed the microstructure evolution,and predicted the stress-strain in theheat-affected zone. Examination ofthe repair showed a very close rela-tionship with the predicted results.

Fig. 1 — Incoming President David Landon emphasized his enthusiasmfor careers in welding and manufac-turing technology.

Fig. 2 — John Goldak presented theAdams Lecture.


Plummer Lecture

Leland Vetter has more than 34years’ experience in training, testing,and inspection. He has been an AWSmember for 32 years and is an AWSCertified Welding Inspector, CertifiedWelding Educator, and Certified Weld-ing Supervisor. His Plummer Lecture,“Training Welders for the Energy In-dustry — Training for the Way I DoIt,” was filled with advice foreducators. When he was growing up in NorthDakota, he was having a hard time inhigh school. A friend knew of a black-smithing job he thought would begood for Vetter. It would not onlyteach him work ethics, but would alsoget him out of school for a while.“That changed my life,” he said, forthat job turned him in the direction ofwelding. After studying welding andmachine tooling at the North DakotaState College of Science, he went on tothe oil fields in North Dakota, endingup in the famous Bakken oil basin do-ing repair welding on large equip-ment. From there, he knew mainte-nance and repair welding was going tobe the focus in his life. Early in his career he was given theopportunity to start a welding main-tenance and repair program at EasternWyoming College, in Torrington, Wyo.The facility that was provided to starthis program was not the best, andwhen he asked the president howmuch money had been allocated forthe program, he said $5000. Vettertold him it might take a little morethan that, and the president obliging-ly told him to go out and spend whatyou need to get going. “I ended upspending $125,000 that year,” saidVetter. “I have always taken pride in meet-ing with my students before they startin class,” said Vetter. “I want them toknow I am there to help them.” Butwhen class starts “You should set thetone immediately.” They should knowthe proper clothing to wear, the prop-er attitude to have, and the impor-tance of safety. If they didn’t want toconform, he would send them home.“I was tough on students, and they re-sponded,” he said. “After a while theycould see the purpose.” His classes al-ways taught the basics of being a pro-ductive worker: follow instructions,pay attention to details, stay on track,do what you are told, and buy in. He had a class on general welding


Robotic Arc Welding Competition Tests Programming Skills

This year, Atlanta welcomed the second Robotic Arc Welding Competition.Twelve contestants raced against the clock to answer as many of the 40 technicalquestions as possible in 20 min, and to accurately weld a pretacked steel coupon inless than 45 min. Wolf Robotics and Miller Welding Automation provided the robotic weldingcells for the competition, and Servo Robot served as the official judge of the weld-ed coupons. The competition format and structure are designed to emulate theexamination process and testing procedures that the American Welding Societyuses for actual Certified Robotic Arc Welder (CRAW) certification testing. Prizes for the top three finishers included an AWS duffel bag, an AWS t-shirt,and medal of recognition. The winner received a complimentary CRAW certifica-tion tuition covering training and examination at any Approved Test Center.

Tsukasa Ogihara (left), application en-gineer at Genesis Systems Group, wasthe winner of the 2nd AWS RoboticArc Welding Competition. Sam Audia(right), manufacturing engineer atRichardson Cooling Packages, claimedthe third position.

Justin Wenning, from The Ohio StateUniversity, claimed the second spot.

Contestants had 45 min to program the robot and weld a pretacked steel coupon.


New Products

Of course, the stars of FABTECHare the products on display. Followingare some that caught the eye of theWelding Journal editors. The Tweco® Velocity™ consum-able was a new introduction atFABTECH. Meant for medium- andheavy-duty gas metal arc welding withSpray Master® welding guns, this con-tact tip (Fig. 3) is uniquely designed todirect the shielding gas through thetip, thereby acting as a diffuser as wellas an electrical conduit. The gas flowsthrough ports in the tip, cooling it,and in the process extending its worklife. Its design also eliminates a sepa-

rate diffuser required in some systems,making for less parts and fewerthreaded parts to assemble. The hand-tightened nozzle holds in place thenonthreaded contact tip. The brassthreads on the nozzle mate with stain-less steel threads on the welding gunfor a tight grip. ESAB Welding andCutting Products, esabna.com/power-lineup The ENSIS3015 AJ fiber laser(Fig. 4) for cutting was a featuredproduct by Amada. It has a capabilitythat allows it to cut material of differ-ent thicknesses without requiring alens change. The beam passes througha control unit that adjusts it for opti-mal configuration depending onwhether the material is thin or thick.

that started off with oxyfuel welding,and then moved on to AC welding withshielded metal arc using 6011, 6013,and 7014. “A lot of people think theyknow how to weld, but if they don’tknow this, they don’t really knowwelding.” He also has a bit of advice forinstructors. “Learn how to weld well;not just average. When you demon-strate, bring the ‘wow’ factor to thestudent.” The first year of the program, in ad-dition to basic and advanced shieldedmetal arc welding, he has classes in in-spection, drafting (it teaches relation-ships, visualization, attention to de-tail, neatness), print reading, fluxcored arc welding, gas metal arc weld-ing, welding metallurgy, and generalmachine shop (it teaches the use ofhand tools, flatness, squareness, lay-out, measurement). In the second year, math and writ-ing are part of the studies. “I waited tointroduce these in the second year be-cause I knew in my studies if I hadstarted with these courses at first, Iwould have quit.” By the second yearthey have bought in to what it takes.Also included in the second year aregas tungsten arc welding, structuralwelding to D1.1, precision machinetooling (to understand what is occur-ring when making a cut, how to read acaliper), and pipe welding uphill with6010 and 7018, and downhill with6010 and 7010. A test is given using6010 with no grinding allowed. Heemphasizes your welding should begood enough that you don’t need togrind. “We are not a grinding school;we are a welding school. The whole

program is based on sound weld metal,” he said. Some of Vetter’s students havecompeted in SkillsUSA, but he states,“We are not a competition school. Allstudents are expected to perform atthis high level.” Those who have com-peted (some have gone on to the inter-national level) have done their prepa-ration after hours. Vetter believeseveryone should be doing his/her bestall the time. Vetter recently retired, but he,along with four other instructors, havebuilt the school into a regional power-house that last year instructed 100full-time students. He left the pro-gram in great shape, so much so that anew $24 million facility is on thedrawing boards.

Keynote Presentations

Cindi Marsiglio, Walmart’s vicepresident, U.S. manufacturing, pre-sented “Creating U.S. Jobs and Bring-ing Manufacturing Home.” During hertalk, she pointed out the company’scommitment to spend $250 billionover the next decade on U.S.-madeproducts. In addition, Marsiglio spokeof working with merchants and theirbusiness strategies, then going to sup-pliers; the company’s recent U.S. Man-ufacturing Summit and “Made in theU.S.A.” open call; reshoring progress;creating the Walmart U.S. Manufactur-ing Innovation Fund; and establishingthe Jobs in U.S. Manufacturing Portalat www.Walmart-jump.com. During aQ&A session, shortening the supplychain with U.S.-made products and

momentum in regard to electronicsmanufacturing returning to the Unit-ed States were discussed. The last day of FABTECH got start-ed with a stimulating presentationfrom Google for Work’s Head of Manu-facturing Mike Walton titled “Trans-forming your Manufacturing Businessfor the Digital Age.” Google for Work isdesigned to help businesses “bringtechnology to their business so peoplecan work together, from wherever.”Walton spoke about just that — howthe manufacturing sector in particularcould benefit from streamlining theirtechnology by using the latest Cloudstorage and data-sharing solutions,and even the use of devices such as theGoogle Glass that can, for example, in-tegrate augmented reality in trainingand manufacturing. Walton was ac-companied by Mike Burak, partner ofPricewaterhouseCoopers (an interna-tional consulting and accounting firm),which recently announced that it is“going Google.” Burak explained howthe use of Web and mobile apps con-tribute to streamlining their businessand enhancing communications withemployees, customers, and vendors allaround the world. They spoke abouthow these new tools are part of theirbusiness model, improving services, re-structuring supply chains, and opti-mizing data analysis — all of whichhelp businesses stay innovative. Al-though Google is just one of the com-panies offering these technologies tobusinesses, it is a good starting pointto see what’s available and which toolscan better help your operation (Googlefor Work, www.google.com/work).


Fig. 3 — The Tweco® Velocity™ con-tact tip directs the shielding gasthrough the tip, acting as a diffuser aswell as an electrical conduit.


This 2-kW machine can cut materialup to 1 in., as well as 1.0-mm sheetmetal. The mechanical and electricalcomponents are combined and housedin a single unit, thereby reducing itssize and the floor space required. Theunit has been designed for efficientenergy consumption. Amada NorthAmerica, Inc., www.amada.com

The E-WELD Nozzle from WalterSurface Technologies is a specially for-mulated antispatter compound — Fig.5. It prevents spatter adhesion to noz-zles for up to eight hours. It can beused for both semiautomatic and fullyautomatic gas metal arc welding, andit comes with an applicator that is de-signed to evenly coat the nozzle withthe ceramic-based liquid. A cloth rag isall that is needed to wipe off spatterafter welding. Gas flow is efficient andunobstructed when spatter buildup inthe nozzle is eliminated. Walter Sur-face Technologies, www.walter.com

The 2-kW direct diode laserTeraBlade 2000 from TeraDiode was

introduced at FABTECH. This modelcan cut a variety of metals up to 19mm thick. It is not sensitive to backreflection, making it capable of cuttingreflective metals such as aluminum,stainless steel, and brass. Its modulardesign gives a compact cabinet of 4 ftH × 3.1 ft W × 3 D. Panasonic is nowincorporating this model into its metalcutting systems. It has a wall plug effi-ciency of 40%. TeraDiode, www.tera-diode.com RoboVent® ICE integrates bothdust collection and air conditioning —Fig. 6. This patent-pending, integratedcooling equipment removes even ul-trafine dust from the air workersbreathe and reduces maintenancesince the air going through the coils isfilled to 99.99%. The Vortex systemoffers a proprietary design that createsa circular airflow pattern to captureand filter ambient air in a plant, noductwork required. If a ducted systemis the right selection for your applica-tion, the product may also be pairedwith the company’s Fusion 3 dust col-lector. RoboVent®, www.robovent.com

The FlexCutLaserTM is a preengi-neered robotic cell for laser cutting ap-plications — Fig. 7. The self-contained, palletized, and modular de-sign allows for cell transport, mini-mum setup time, and flexibility in alimited amount of floor space. Robot-Studio Cutting Powerpac enables fast,accurate offline programming whileRobotware Cutting software means op-timized motion control. Also, laser

configured IRB 4400 or IRB 2400 ro-bots are optimized for path perform-ance; the parallel arm design providesstiffness, plus minimizes resonanceand vibrations affecting the quality ofthe laser cutting process. ABB, Inc.,Robotics, www.abb.com/robotics

The HPRXD® short torch with in-tegrated lead has been developed in re-sponse to growth in the 3D market, asegment of which relates to pipe cut-ting — Fig. 8. The shorter length hasbeen achieved through removing thequick disconnect feature and replacingit with a straight torch design. Also,the main differences between thestandard HPRXD torches and the newproduct include the short torch being194 mm in length (but that will vary alittle based on consumable stackup);reduction in tin braid coverage fromlead wrap at the torch end; a change inthe coolant path supply line; and in-sertion of a pass-through connectionbox. Hypertherm, Inc., www.hyper-therm.com

At just 40 lb, the new LincolnPower Mig 210 MP multiprocess


Fig. 4 — This fiber laser from Amadacan cut material of different thick-nesses without the need for a lenschange.

Fig. 6 — RoboVent® ICE creates clean,cool air for the working environment.

Fig. 7 — The FlexCutLaserTM provides afast and accurate robotic laser cut-ting system.

Fig. 8 — The HPRXD® short torch of-fers a tight bend radius for use in 3Dapplications.

Fig. 5 — The E-WELD Nozzle preventsspatter adhesion to nozzles for up to8 h.


welding machine (Fig. 9) packs apunch with 210 A, the convenience ofdual voltage inputs (120 and 230 V),and the ability to weld using three dif-ferent processes: gas metal arc, flux-cored arc, or shielded metal arc. Tar-geted for the hobbyist, educator, smallcontractor, or small shop, the 210 MPfeatures push-and-turn digital con-trols and a color display screen thatmake setup and operation intuitive. Itwelds up to 3⁄8-in. mild or stainless steeland up to 3⁄16-in. aluminum. LincolnElectric, www.lincolnelectric.com

The TIG Brush Stainless SteelWeld Cleaning System uses a combi-nation of electricity, heat, and chem-istry to clean welds — Fig. 10. Its pro-prietary, conductive brush appliescleaning fluid to the work surface, pro-ducing an electrochemical cleaning ac-tion. The system removes detectableoxides from the weld zone and returnschromium content in the surface layerto original or better levels. Ensitech,www.tigbrush.com

The TruLaser Robot 5020 is anew laser welding system fromTRUMPF that features easy compo-nent compatibility, modular construc-tion, and turnkey installation — Fig.11. Its modular system can clampcomponents of different sizes andshapes, and several components canbe joined in a single processing stepdepending on the size of the work-piece. It’s able to share a laser sourcein a laser network, which provides aflexible and cost-effective entry intolaser welding. The standard model ofthe TruLaser Robot 5020 is fitted witha hand-operated turntable, with an op-tional automatic rotational turntableavailable. The operator is fully protect-ed from the laser beam and rotationalunit while loading and unloadingparts. The system only rotates whenthe internal sensor determines thearea is completely clear. The load-bearing capacity of the rotational unitis 1650 lb per side, allowing for severalcomponents to be welded simultane-ously. TRUMPF, www.us.trumpf.com

Optrel touts that its new weldcap™is soft where it needs to be for comfortand hard where necessary for tough-ness. The product combines a baseballcap with an autodarkening weldinghelmet (Fig. 12), and is designed forthe occasional or hobbyist welder, not heavy industrial use. It weighs less than 14 oz, and is made of flame-retardant material and plastic. It fea-

tures a well-defined nose cutout thatallows the goggle-style lens to beplaced closer to the eyes, giving thewelder a tighter fit and greater viewingarea. The user can remove the cap andwash it in a washing machine, as wellas purchase replacement caps. The hel-met lists for $189. Optrel, Inc.,www.optrel.com

Shops that want to implement ro-botic welding but do not have in-depthprogramming knowledge can utilizeKinetiq Teaching™. The sensor —developed by Robotiq in partnershipwith Yaskawa Motoman — allows theoperator to guide the robot tip byhand to each weld point for simplifiedteaching and faster setup times. Ateach weld point, the operator deter-mines the welding parameters througha touch screen interface, and thenwhen all the points are recorded, theoperator can play back the pro-grammed trajectory and modify it asnecessary. The icon-based pendant letsthe user intuitively program weldingprograms (for example, touching theturtle icon slows the robot down, therabbit speeds it up). The system is use-ful for small- and medium-sized shopswith high-mix and low-volume weld-ing applications. Robotiq, www.robot-iq.com, and Yaskawa Motoman,www.motoman.com Designed for the heavy equipmentmarket and as a replacement for thecompany’s Axcess™ line of machines,the Continuum™ 500 (Fig. 13) per-


Fig. 9 — The multiprocess Power Mig210 MP weighs 40 lb and can plug intoregular 120-V outlets, making it a goodoption for smaller jobs where portabil-ity is important.

Fig. 10 — The conductive brush of theTIG Brush system applies cleaning flu-id to the work surface, producing anelectrochemical cleaning action.Shown is the TBE-700 model.

Fig. 11 — The flexibility and componentcompatibility of the TruLaser Robot5020 allows the making of small pro-duction batches cost effective.

Fig. 12 — The weldcap™ combines abaseball cap hood with an autodark-ening welding lens.


forms semiautomatic gas metal arcwelding, and also offers improvedAccu-Pulse™, Regulated Metal Deposi-tion®, and high-deposition GMAW ca-pabilities. Features include a new in-verter-based power source, new wirefeeder design, and new drive roll sys-tem. It offers 500 A of welding powerat 100% duty cycle. An intuitive inter-face makes the system easier to set upand adjust. The LCD display showscomplete words, graphics, and numer-ic values, and it includes memory buttons that allow welders to quicklychange programs. Miller Electric Mfg. Co., www.millerwelds.com

See You Next Year

FABTECH returns to Chicago’s Mc-Cormick Place November 9–12. Formore information, visit www.fabtech-expo.com. Links there to Twitter,LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, and In-stagram will let you stay connected tothe show all year long.


WJ

Fig. 13 — The Continuum™ 500 offersa modular design and a control inter-face that can be located on the pow-er source, feeder, or remote operatorinterface.

Welders Spark Up the Competition at AWS U.S. Invitational Weld Trials

After an intense few days of competing, the top three finalists at the AWS U.S.Invitational Weld Trials held during FABTECH 2014 were revealed. They are listedbelow. A group shot of all the contestants is also shown. • Andrew Cardin from Sutton, Mass., is a graduate of Blackstone Valley Tech-nical High School. He also participated in the preselection process for the 2013WorldSkills Competition, finishing as runner up; worked multiple welding jobsover the past two years; and assists his father, as time permits, at his auto repairshop. • Josiah Mechaelsen from Melrose, Minn., trains at Alexandria Technical andCommunity College. He has been a welder at Minnesota Trapline Products, Inc.;competed in SkillsUSA welding competitions, coming in first at his local and statecompetition, then second at the national event in 2013; and served as a machinistat Melrose Metalworks, Inc. • Jacob Miller from Greers Ferry, Ark., graduated from West Side Schools andattends ASU-Heber Springs. His SkillsUSA involvement has led to accomplish-ments such as finishing in the top three in Arkansas in welding for the last threeyears. He works at Forge Point Industries. These welders will advance to the next stages with an AWS TeamUSA finalisttune-up and AWS/SkillsUSA TeamUSA finals. The winner will represent the Unit-ed States as its welding competitor at the 43rd WorldSkills Competition in SãoPaulo, Brazil, this August. Also, he will earn a $40,000, four-year scholarship fromthe AWS Foundation sponsored by Miller Electric Mfg. Co. The following three welders competed at the weld trials as well: Cody Fojtikfrom Grass Lake, Mich. (Washtenaw Community College); Isaiah Gaspar fromYuma, Ariz. (Arizona Western College); and Drew Swafford from Cedartown, Ga.(Georgia Northwestern Technical College). The event, held on the show floor, involved fabricating a pressure vessel; bothaluminum and stainless steel projects; 10-mm groove welds; 12-mm fillet welds;16-mm test plates; and 6-in., Schedule 40 pipe. The processes used were flux cored arc, gas shielded flux cored arc, gas metalarc, gas tungsten arc, and shielded metal arc welding. Grinding is only allowed on weld starts and stops, and on the face of the rootpass only or in the preparation of welding joints. Testing involved mostly visualinspection techniques, meeting tight acceptance criteria above what’s in weldingcodes, plus hydrostatically testing the pressure vessels to 1000 lb/in.2

In addition, three international welding competitors — Varaksa Aliaksandrof Belarus, Thomas Beardsley of the United Kingdom, and Zang Lihuan of the People’s Republic of China — were invited to compete alongside the U.S. contestants.

Posing for a group picture behind their finished pressure vessels are (from left)Thomas Beardsley, Drew Swafford, Andrew Cardin, Isaiah Gaspar, Varaksa Aliaksandr,Cody Fojtik, Jacob Miller, and Josiah Mechaelsen. (Not pictured is Zang Lihuan.)

ANDREW CULLISON ([email protected]) ispublisher, KRISTIN CAMPBELL is associateeditor, and MARY RUTH JOHNSEN is editor ofthe Welding Journal. CARLOS GUZMAN iseditor of Welding Journal en Español.



harris_FP_TEMP 12/10/14 9:10 AM Page 39

Pure metals and alloys have widelydifferent constituents, including ther-mal conductivity, strength, and vaporpressure. Welding dissimilar metals,therefore, creates challenges that arespecific to the nature of the combina-tion you are trying to weld. Over theyears, analysis of these combinationshas allowed tabulation of some results(Table 1).

Benefits of ElectronBeam Welding

Probably the greatest tonnage thatis electron beam welded today, and hasbeen for many years, is the continuousstrip welding of high-speed steel to alower grade steel for manufacturing bi-metal saw blades. In all probability, thehacksaw blade you buy at the hardwarestore is a bi-metal blade where theteeth are high-speed steel welded to alow-carbon, cheaper steel backing. In contrast, there are many smallervolumes of small precision compo-nents that rely on the fusion of dis-similar metals — the hermeticallysealed relay being just one of them. While traditional welding tech-niques can be used to join some dis-similar metals, a complicated projectwith heat-sensitive parts in close prox-imity to the weld requires a precisewelding tool, such as an electronbeam. This process can reduce stressand distortion and lower heat input. The beam provides greater control,reduced stresses, lower heat input, andreduced distortion as well as the abili-ty to melt one metal preferentially toensure optimum strength and reducedtendency for weld cracking.

Fabricating a Relay Switch

At Electron Beam Engineering, Inc.,an Anaheim, Calif., welding serviceprovider that specializes in such proj-ects, one task brought to the companyrequiring welding of dissimilar metalswas for a relay switch used in civilianand military aircraft — Fig. 1. Thispiece also had to meet class “A” weld-ing standards and be leak tight. Hermetically sealed relays are usedin a variety of applications and indus-tries. These high-performance electri-cal switches are protected from the ex-ternal environment, except from ex-cessive temperature exposure. In addi-tion, aerospace is a major consumerbecause this type of relay is not affect-ed by changes in atmospheric pres-sure, meaning they will operate at anyaltitude. They are compact, plug in,and if needed, can be interchanged forservicing or upgrade of the electricalcircuits that they control.

Working with a Copper-NickelCan, Low-Carbon SteelHeader

The materials selected for the relayswitch were a copper-nickel can andlow-carbon steel header. While theircharacteristics are widely different,with the high-energy density of thesmall focused spot obtained with electron beam welding, these differ-ences — especially in thermal conduc-tivity — are overcome and make thewelding a relatively simple productionprocess. The resulting alloy and low stresses


Creating a Leak-TightAircraft Relay SwitchHow welding dissimilar metals, includingcopper-nickel and low-carbon steel,brought this important piece to life

BY RICHARD TRILLWOOD

Fig. 1 — Making a relay switch, used in both civilian and military aircraft, required welding dissimilar metals.

Fig. 2 — Helium leak testing, as demon-strated above, takes place on the weldand other joints in the component.

Trillwood Layout_Layout 1 12/10/14 4:50 PM Page 40

are such that it maintains the integrityof the seal for both of the welds, andavoids damage to the close by glass-to-metal seals. The early problems withthis welding, however, were the appar-ent overheating of the adjacent glassseals and leakage at the bond betweenthe steel and glass. This came up aftersuccessfully welding production batch-es of parts without problems. An investigation revealed that thewelding conditions were identical toprevious batches, so a header and canfrom an early batch were welded with

no leakage. It was found that the head-er, although leak tight before welding,leaked after welding. Further investi-gation revealed a slightly inferiorglass-to-metal bond, which when cor-rected, solved the problem.

Performing Various Welding Processes In service, the welds experiencetemperature and atmospheric pressurechanges, and even a vacuum in spacewhile the seal ensures that the inter-

nals of the relay are maintained intheir own inert gas can. With use of more conventional arcwelding, such as gas tungsten arcwelding, the heat input and potentialfor seal damage is greatly magnified. In the case of the aerospace relay,the dissimilar metals were welded to-gether with a precise ratio at the weldspot that on analysis showed almost aone-to-one ratio of copper and steel,and a ductile joint with no cracking orleakage. Electron beam welding can help


Fig 1 — Alloy Weldability Using Electron Beam Welding Method

Material 1 Welded to Material 2 Notes

Al Alloy 6061 Al Alloy 4047 Al Alloy 6061 is a precipitation hardening aluminum alloy commonly used in the construction of aircraft structures, such as wings and fuselages, automotive parts, cans, and scuba tanks. Al Alloy 4047 is a nonheattreatable wrought alloy type with good corrosion resistance. It is a filler alloy with a higher silicon content that prevents cracking during welding to enable 6061 to be welded to itself.

Inconel® Copper The Inconel® alloys offer a superior combination of heat resistance, high temperature corrosion resistance, toughness, and strength for the most demanding applications.Copper has high thermal and electrical conductivities.

Kovar® Hastelloy® C22 Kovar® alloy, also known as ASTM F15, NILO® K, Pernifer 2918, Rodar, andDilvar P1, is a controlledexpansion alloy. It is a nickeliron alloy with 29%nickel, 17% cobalt, and the remaining balance is iron. Popular in hermetic sealing applications combined with ceramic or glass.Hastelloy® C22 is a versatile nickel chromiummolybdenumtungsten alloy with improved resistance to both uniformand localized corrosion as well as a variety of mixed industrial chemicals. The C22 alloy exhibits superior weldability with electron beam welding.

Kovar® SS 304L Kovar® alloy (see above information)304L has a higher chromium and lower carbon content. The lower carbonminimizes chromium carbide precipitation due to welding and itssusceptibility to intergranular corrosion. In many instances, it can be used in the aswelded condition.

Molybdenum Tungsten Molybdenum, commonly known as moly, has a wide variety of uses, especially those requiring materials that can withstand high stress,temperature ranges, and corrosive environments.Tungsten’s many alloys have numerous applications, most notably in incandescent light bulb filaments, Xray tubes (as both the filament andtarget), electrodes in gas tungsten arc welding, superalloys, and radiation shielding. Tungsten’s hardness and high density give it militaryapplications in penetrating projectiles. Both these metals are known as refractory or hightemperature metals.

Disclaimer. Some of these material combinations have only been electron beam welded on an experimental basis with variable results. The joint design for the weldplays an important part for successful electron beam welding results. It is therefore recommended that before chosing a dissimilar metal joint combination you consultwith a specialist at Electron Beam Engineering (EBE), Inc. This information is provided “as is” and EBE, Inc., makes no warranty of any kind with respect to the subjectmatter or accuracy of the information contained herein. EBE, Inc., specifically disclaims all warranties, expressed, implied or otherwise, including without limitation, allwarranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. In no event shall EBE, Inc., be liable for any special, incidental, indirect or consequential damages ofany kind or any damages whatsoever resulting from loss of use, data, profits, whether or not advised of the possibility of damage, and on any theory of liability, arisingout of or in connection with the use of the information contained herein. Specialty Metals Corp. owns the trademark names Brightray®, Inconel®, Incoloy®, Monel®, Nimonic®, and Nilo®. Haynes® International is the owner of trade names Hastelloy® and Stellite®, a trade name of Kennametal Stellite Co., invented by Haynes in the1900s. Note: This is a partial list only and a more comprehensive data chart is available by request.


control the mixture of the alloying inthe weld zone for optimum weld quali-ty, but there is still much trial and er-ror that takes place to perfect theprocess of welding dissimilar metals.

Employing Equipment toTest for Helium Leaks

All hermetic sealing jobs, includingthe relays, are fully tested to ensurethey are leak tight — Fig. 2. This is accomplished using a heliumleak detector to test not only the weldbut any other joints in the componentsuch as glass-to-metal, metal-to-metal,and ceramic seals; gaskets; “O” rings;and glued joints. The helium moleculeis so small it will find even the minut-est leak; that’s why helium-filled bal-loons deflate quickly as the heliumpermeates through the rubber balloon wall.

Two Methods WorthFollowing

There are several ways to use heli-um leak detector equipment, depend-ing on the component configuration.In the relay case, there are two types inproduction; one with a hole in the canand one without a hole.

Method A: The relay is evacuatedthrough the hole and is connected tothe helium detector. Helium is sprayedonto the part and any leakage is de-tected. After backfilling with inert gas,usually an argon/helium mix, thesmall hole is closed with a resistancewelded ball and, if thought necessary,Method B can be used as a final test.

Method B: The relay is fully sealedand a batch of relays are placed into apressurized helium container, usually

referred to as a “bomb test.” Aftersome hours, the relays are releasedfrom the helium “bomb” and loadedinto a vacuum container attached tothe detector. Any leakage of the heli-um that has seeped into the relay willbe detected. Since the leaking part or parts can-not be identified because it’s a batchprocess, they can either be retestedone at a time or a helium “sniffer” isused, which is also connected to theleak detector, and is operated to sniffaround the relays to locate the leaker.The percentage of leakers is very low,so retesting is not often required.


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RICHARD TRILLWOOD is CEO of Electron Beam Engineering, Inc.(www.ebeinc.com), Anaheim, Calif.

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AWS Dissimilar Materials Welding/Joining Workshop. Jan.25. The Blackwell Inn and Pfahl Conference Center, Colum-bus, Ohio. This workshop will bring together experts in thefield to share their insight and experience. Topics will in-clude process technology, materials, design, and modeling.

AWS 9th Shipbuilding Conference. April 7, 8. HamptonRoads, Va.

6th International Brazing & Soldering Conference. April19–22. Long Beach, Calif. Topics will include current re-search, practical and potential applications, and new devel-opments in these technologies. www.awo.aws.org/2015-ibsc.

AWS Cladding Conference. May 12, 13. Minneapolis, Minn.

AWS 2nd Welding Education, Skills & Certification Conference. July 14–16. Chattanooga State Community College,Chattanooga, Tenn.

AWS High Temperature Steels Conference. August TBA.Moraine Valley Community College, Chicago, Ill.

AWS 18th Annual Aluminum Conference. Sept. 22–24. SanDiego, Calif.

FABTECH 2015. Nov. 9–12. McCormick Place, Chicago, Ill.This exhibition is the largest event in North America dedi-cated to showcasing the full spectrum of metal forming, fab-ricating, tube and pipe, welding equipment, and myriadmanufacturing technologies. (800/305) 443-9353, ext. 264;www.fabtechexpo.com.

International Thermal Spray Conference colocated withAeroMat 2015 and Microstructural Characterization ofAerospace Materials and Coatings. May 11–14. Long BeachConvention & Entertainment Center, Long Beach, Calif.www.asminternational.org/web/itsc-2015.

INTERTECH 2015. May 19, 20. Downtown Marriott Indi-anapolis, Indianapolis, Ind. To feature developments and ap-plications for superabrasives in the automotive and other in-dustries. Sponsored by Industrial Diamond Assn. of Ameri-ca. www.intertechconference.com.

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International Conference on Power and Mechanical Engineering. Feb. 8, 9. Shanghai Olympic Club Hotel, Shanghai,China. www.icpme2015.org.

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For more information on AWS events: www.aws.org/w/a/conferences/index(800/305) 4439353, ext. 234, [email protected].

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

WJ

Coming Events Jan_Layout 1 12/11/14 1:56 PM Page 46


twi north america_FP_TEMP 12/10/14 9:16 AM Page 47

Certified Welding Inspector (CWI)

Location Seminar Dates Exam DateLong Beach, CA Feb. 8–13 Feb. 14New Orleans, LA Feb. 8-13 Feb. 14Seattle, WA Feb. 8–13 Feb. 14Waco, TX Feb. 8–13 Feb. 14Atlanta, GA Feb. 22–27 Feb. 28Milwaukee, WI Feb. 22–27 Feb. 28Miami, FL Exam only Feb. 26Mobile, AL Mar. 1–6 Mar. 7Houston, TX Mar. 1–6 Mar. 7Kansas City, MO Mar. 1–6 Mar. 7Norfolk, VA Mar. 1–6 Mar. 7Boston, MA Mar. 8–13 Mar. 14Indianapolis, IN Mar. 8–13 Mar. 14Portland, OR Mar. 8–13 Mar. 14Rochester, NY Exam only Mar. 14Edmonton, AB Canada Exam only Mar. 16Corpus Christi, TX Exam only Mar. 21Birmingham, AL Mar. 22–27 Mar. 28Chicago, IL Mar. 22–27 Mar. 28Dallas, TX Mar. 22–27 Mar. 28Miami, FL Mar. 22–27 Mar. 28Springfield, MO Mar. 22–27 Mar. 28York, PA Exam only Mar. 28Las Vegas, NV Mar. 29–Apr. 3 Apr. 4Minneapolis, MN Mar. 29–Apr. 3 Apr. 4Syracuse, NY Mar. 29–Apr. 3 Apr. 4St. Louis, MO Exam only Apr. 11Nashville, TN Apr. 12–17 Apr. 18New Orleans, LA Apr. 12–17 Apr. 18San Francisco, CA Apr. 12–17 Apr. 18Calgary, Canada Apr. 19–24 Apr. 25Perrysburg, OH Exam only Apr. 18Miami, FL Exam only Apr. 23Annapolis, MD Apr. 26–May 1 May 2Detroit, MI Apr. 26–May 1 May 2Cor-pus Christi, TX Apr. 26–May 1 May 2Albuquerque, NM May 3–8 May 9Fresno, CA May 3–8 May 9Miami, FL May 3–8 May 9Oklahoma City, OK May 3–8 May 9Corpus Christi, TX Exam only May 16Knoxville, TN Exam only May 23Birmingham, AL May 31–June 5 June 6Hutchinson, KS May 31–June 5 June 6Spokane, WA May 31–June 5 June 6Bakersfield, CA June 7–12 June 13Pittsburgh, PA June 7–12 June 13Beaumont, TX June 14–19 June 20Hartford, CT June 14–19 June 20Orlando, FL June 14–19 June 20Memphis, TN June 14–19 June 20Miami, FL Exam only June 25Corpus Christi, TX Exam only June 27Miami, FL Exam only July 16Cleveland, OH July 12–17 July 18

Certified Welding Educator (CWE)Seminar and exam are given at all sites listed under CertifiedWelding Inspector. Seminar attendees will not attend the CodeClinic portion of the seminar (usually the first two days).

Certified Welding Sales Representative (CWSR)CWSR exams will be given at CWI exam sites.

Certified Welding Supervisor (CWS)CWS exams are also given at all CWI exam sites.

Location Seminar Dates Exam DateNew Orleans, LA Mar. 30–Apr. 3 Apr. 4Minneapolis, MN July 13–17 July 18

9Year Recertification Seminar for CWI/SCWIFor current CWIs and SCWIs needing to meet education re-quirements without taking the exam. The exam can be tak-en at any site listed under Certified Welding Inspector.

Location Seminar DatesDenver, CO February 22–27Dallas, TX March 08–13Miami, FL March 22–27Sacramento, CA April 12–17Boston, MA April 25–May 1Charlotte, NC May 3–8Pittsburgh, PA May 31–June 5San Diego, CA July 19–24Miami, FL July 26–31Orlando, FL Aug. 1621

Certified Radiographic Interpreter (CRI)The CRI certification can be a stand-alone credential or canexempt you from your next 9-Year Recertification.

Location Seminar Dates Exam DateSeattle, WA Feb. 16–20 Feb. 21Houston, TX Mar. 30–Apr. 3 Apr. 5Las Vegas, NV May 4–8 May 9Cleveland, OH June 8–12 June 13Dallas, TX Aug. 17–21 Aug. 22

Certified Robotic Arc Welding (CRAW)

ABB, Inc., Auburn Hills, MI; (248) 391–8421OTC Daihen, Inc., Tipp City, OH; (937) 667-0800Lincoln Electric Co., Cleveland, OH; (216) 383-8542Genesis-Systems Group, Davenport, IA; (563) 445-5688Wolf Robotics, Fort Collins, CO; (970) 225-7736On request at MATC, Milwaukee, WI; (414) 297-6996

CERTIFICATION SCHEDULE


IMPORTANT: This schedule is subject to change without notice. Please verify your event dates with the Certification Dept. to confirm your course status before making travel plans. Applications are to be received at least sixweeks prior to the seminar/exam or exam. Applications received after thattime will be assessed a $250 Fast Track fee. Please verify application deadline dates by visiting our website www.aws.org/certification/docs/schedules.html. For information on AWS seminars and certification programs, orto register online, visit www.aws.org/certification or call (800/305) 4439353, ext. 273, for Certification; or ext. 455 for Seminars.

Certification Seminars, Code Clinics, and Examinations

Note: The 2015 schedule for all certifications is posted online atwww.aws.org/w/a/registrations/prices_schedules.html.

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Dissimilar Materials Welding/Joining WorkshopJanuary 25Columbus, Ohio

The joining of dissimilar materials can present manychallenges across a number of industry sectors including au-tomotive, petrochemical, power generation, medical prod-ucts, and microelectronics. Designed to describe the state ofthe art in dissimilar joining, the workshop will bring togeth-er experts to share their insight and experience. Topics willinclude process technology, materials, design, and modeling.In addition to the technical presentations, the workshop willfeature a panel discussion that will provide attendees theopportunity to discuss their dissimilar joining problemswith the experts. A tour of the welding laboratories at TheOhio State University and EWI is included.

9th Shipbuilding ConferenceApril 7, 8Hampton Roads, Va.

The technical program will feature presentations on addi-tive manufacturing, automation, new filler materials, andNDE. Presenters will discuss a newly developed welding elec-trode that upon cooling does not shrink, which will help re-

duce distortion effects and perhaps negate the need for weldtoe peening required for fatigue life extension. The latest inaluminum welding will also be discussed. Several presenterswill highlight new methods for automating the welding op-erations in shipyards. Computed radiography will be dis-cussed as well as the use of artificial intelligence as appliedto NDE. Keynote speaker Johnnie DeLoach, head of the Materials Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center,Carderock Division, will kick off the conference.

International Brazing and Soldering Conference (IBSC)April 19–22Long Beach, Calif.

Now in its sixth iteration, the IBSC remains the premierevent for the brazing and soldering community. For years,the IBSC has provided professionals, scientists, and engi-neers involved in the research, development, and applica-tion of brazing and soldering, a unique networking and idea-exchange forum. This three-day conference providescutting-edge education and technical programming for the brazing and soldering community, as well as peer-networking and exhibit program showcasing the latesttrends, products, processes, and techniques available.

Cladding ConferenceMay 12, 13Minneapolis, Minn.

2nd Welding Education, Skills & Certification ConferenceJuly 14–16Chattanooga, Tenn.

HighTemperature Steels ConferenceAugust (TBA)Chicago, Ill.

18th Annual Aluminum ConferenceSeptember 22–24San Diego, Calif.

CONFERENCES


For more information, please contact the AWS Conferences andSeminars Business Unit at (800) 4439353, ext. 234, or e[email protected]. You can also visit the Conference Departmentwebsite at www.aws.org/conferences for upcomingconferences and registration information.


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The shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) process uses anelectrical circuit that supports a welding arc to convert elec-tric line power or fuel into heat. The heat from the weldingarc is intense, extremely concentrated, and immediatelymelts a portion of the workpiece and the end of the elec-trode. The welder maintains the arc length by holding a con-sistent space between the electrode and the weld pool thatforms on the workpiece. As the arc is removed, the liquidfuses and the melt solidifies into continuous metal. The schematic in Fig. 1 shows how the power source isconnected into a circuit with the electrode and workpiece inseries. The welding cable used in the circuit, the electrodeholder, and the connection between the cable and the work-piece are also important elements of the circuit. The powersource has two distinct output terminals. From one termi-nal, a connection is made to the workpiece; from the other, aconnection is made to the electrode.

Process Advantages

A valuable advantage of SMAW is the large variety ofmetals and alloys the process is capable of welding. Proce-dures and electrodes are available to weld carbon and low-alloy steels, high-alloy steels, coated steels, tool and diesteels, stainless and heat-resisting steels, cast irons, copperand copper alloys, nickel, and cobalt alloys. Short welds common to the production of components orfinished products, maintenance and repair work, and fieldconstruction are important areas of application for SMAW. Other advantages of the process are as follows: 1) The equipment is relatively simple, inexpensive, andportable. 2) The SMAW electrode provides both the shielding andthe filler metal to make sound welds. 3) Auxiliary gas shielding or granular flux is not required. 4) The process is less sensitive to wind and draft than thegas shielded arc welding processes.

5) The dimensions of the SMAW electrodes are ideal forreaching into areas of limited access (electrodes can be bent,and with the aid of mirrors, applied in blind spots). 6) The process is suitable for most of the commonly usedmetals and alloys. 7) The process is flexible and can be applied to a varietyof joint configurations and welding positions. 8) Optimum results can be readily and reliably obtained.

Process Limitations Metals with low melting temperatures, such as lead, tin,zinc, and their alloys, are not welded with SMAW. Thesemetals have relatively low boiling points and the intenseheat of the SMAW arc immediately causes them to vaporizefrom the solid state. Because the shielding provided is notsufficiently inert to prevent contamination of the weld,SMAW is not suitable for reactive metals such as titanium,zirconium, tantalum, and niobium. The SMAW process yields lower deposition rates than thegas metal arc and flux cored arc welding processes becausethe maximum useful current is limited. Because coveredelectrodes are produced and used in discrete lengths thatconduct current from the moment the arc is initiated untilthe electrode is practically consumed, they are subject to re-sistance heating. The amount of heat converted by the elec-trode is a function of the amount of current, the resistanceof the core wire, and the welding time. If the electrode is too long or the current too high, theamount of heat generated within the SMAW electrode willbe excessive. After welding has begun, the temperature ofthe covering will eventually rise to a range that will causethe premature breakdown of the covering. That breakdown,in turn, triggers a deterioration of the arc characteristicsand reduces the level of shielding. Consequently, weldingmust stop before the electrode has been fully consumed.The amount of current that can be used is then limitedwithin a range that prevents the overheating of the elec-trode and the breakdown of the covering. The limited usefulcurrent results in generally lower deposition rates thanthose obtainable with gas metal arc or flux cored arc welding. Another drawback is stub loss. The stub is the grip end ofthe electrode that is discarded. Stub loss affects the deposi-tion efficiency, not the deposition rate. Longer stub lossestranslate directly into lower deposition efficiency. The operator factor (i.e., arc time as a percentage of thewelder’s total labor time) for SMAW is usually lower thanthat obtained with a continuous electrode process. When the weldment requires a large volume of filler met-al, the combination of low deposition rates and a lower oper-ator factor detracts from the use of the SMAW process. Inthese instances, the weld completion rate may be too slowand the weld cost relatively high.

WELDING WORKBOOK


WJ

DATASHEET 353

Excerpted from the Welding Handbook, 9th Edition, Volume 2, Welding Processes Part 1.

Shielded Metal Arc Welding: Advantages and Disadvantages

Fig. 1 — Elements of a typical welding circuit for shielded metalarc welding.

Welding Workbook January 2015_Layout 1 12/11/14 1:56 PM Page 52

aws educ shipbuilding conf_FP_TEMP 12/9/14 10:12 AM Page 53

The joining of dissimilar materials can present many challenges across a

number of industry sectors including automotive, petrochemical, power

generation, medical products and microelectronics. This workshop is designed to

describe the state-of-the art in dissimilar joining and will bring together experts

in the field to share their insight and experience. Topics will include process

technology, materials, design, and modeling. In addition to technical

presentations by experts from academia and industry, the workshop will feature

a panel discussion that will provide attendees the opportunity to ask the experts

about their dissimilar joining problems. The workshop will also feature a tour of

the welding laboratories at Ohio State University and Edison Welding Institute.

American Welding Society®

www.aws.org

DISSIMILAR MATERIAL WELDING /JOINING WORKSHOPJANUARY 26, 2015The Blackwell Inn and Conference Center atThe Ohio State University, Columbus, OH

Time Event/Speaker Subject

7:45-8:30 Registration & Continental Breakfast

8:30-8:45 John Lippold IntroductionsThe Ohio State University

8:45-9:30 John DuPont High Temperature Failure of Austenitic to Ferritic Lehigh University Dissimilar Metal Welds: Causes and Cures

9:30-10:15 Boian Alexandrov Dissimilar Metal Overlays for Oil and GasThe Ohio State University Application

10:15-10:30 Break

10:30-11:15 Steve McCracken Dissimilar Metal Joining in the Power Generation Electric Power Research Institute Industry

11:15-12:00 Joining Dissimilar Fe-based and Ni-based Antonio Ram r z The Ohio State University Materials by FSW

12:00-1:00 Lunch

1:00-1:45 Jerry Gould Application of Dissimilar Metals Joining in theEdison Welding Institute Automotive Industry

1:45-2:30 Glenn Daehn Impact Welding Technologies for Dissimilar The Ohio State University Materials

2:30-3:15 Tim Frech Dissimilar materials joining in the Edison Welding Institute medical and electronic industries

3:15-3:30 Break

3:30-4:15 Wei Zhang Dissimilar Metal Joint of Titanium to Stainless The Ohio State University Steel – Literature Assessment and Numerical

Modeling

4:15-5:15 John Lippold Panel DiscussionThe Ohio State University

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aws educ dissimilar metals_FP_TEMP 12/9/14 3:08 PM Page 54

Dist. 3 deputy director, and chairof the Lancaster Section. Michael Krupnicki was electedDist. 6 director succeeding Ken-neth Phy. He is owner and presi-dent of Mahany Welding Supply,

executive director of Rochester Arc + Flame Center, and has served as a CWI test site supervi-sor since 1992.


BY HOWARD WOODWARD — [email protected] SOCIETY NEWSNational and District Officers Elected for 2015

The AmericanWelding Society haselected national andDistrict officers toserve terms begin-ning Jan. 1, 2015. David Landon waselected president.Landon, a Senior Cer-tified Welding In-spector, is manager ofwelding engineeringand missions supportat Vermeer Mfg. Co., Pella, Iowa. He hasserved on many AWS technical committeesand as a Delegate to the IIW CommissionXIV, Welding Education and Training. David McQuaid was elected to serve athird term as a vice president. He heads D.L. McQuaid and Associates, Inc., and haschaired the AWS D1 Structural Weldingand the Technical Activities Committees.In 2009, McQuaid received the AmericanNational Standards Institute Finegan Stan-dards Medal for his contributions to indus-trial standards. John Bray was elected to serve a secondterm as a vice president. He is president ofAffiliated Machinery, Inc., a 25-year AWSmember, past Dist. 18 director, and a for-mer chairman of the Houston Section. Dale Flood was elected to serve his firstterm as a vice president. He is project man-ager, R&D, at Tri Tool, Inc., served as Dist.22 director, chaired the Sacramento ValleySection, and contributes to AWS D10 com-mittee standards for pipe and tube weld-ing. Flood holds five U.S. patents on weld-ing processes. Tony Anderson was elected a director-at-large. He is director of aluminum tech-nology at ITW Welding North America, anAWS CWI, CWE, and CWEng, a Fellow ofThe British Welding Institute, and chairsthe Aluminum Association Technical Advi-sory Committee for Welding. Debra L. Doench was elected a director-at-large. She is manager, marketing commu-nications, at Hobart Brothers Co., chairs theAWS Publications, Expositions, and Market-ing Committee (PEMCO), and serves on theGases and Welding Distributor Assn. (GAW-DA) Women in Welding Marketing and In-dustry Partnering Committees. Michael Sebergandio, a CWI, was electedDist. 3 director succeeding Michael Wis-wesser. He is a quality and reliability spe-cialist for CNH America, has served as

David Landonpresident

David McQuaidvice president

John Brayvice president

Dale Floodvice president

David LynnesDist. 15 director

John StollDist. 18 director

Samuel LindseyDist. 21 director

Michael KrupnickiDist. 6 director

Michael SkilesDist. 9 director

Daniel RolandDist. 12 director

Tony Andersondirectoratlarge

Debra Doenchdirectoratlarge

Michael SebergandioDist. 3 director

— continued on next page

Society News Jan 2015_Layout 1 12/10/14 4:25 PM Page 55

Michael Skiles was elected Dist. 9director succeding George Fairbanks.A retired senior account manager forAirgas, he has chaired the New Or-leans and Acadiana Sections and sitson the advisory committees for sixvo-tech schools. Daniel Roland was reelected Dist.12 director. An AWS CWI, he is quali-ty technical coordinator at Marinette

Marine Corp., and teaches weldingclasses at Northeast Wisconsin Tech-nical College. David Lynnes was reelected Dist.15 director. An AWS CWI and CWE,with the Northern Plains Section,Lynnes is part owner of Wild RiceMfg. Co. and Lynnes Training inNorth Dakota. John Stoll was elected Dist. 18 di-rector. He is industry segment man-

ager, power and petrochemical, tech-nical services at The Bohler WeldingGroup North America. An AWS LifeMember, he is active with the Hous-ton Section. Samuel Lindsey was elected Dist.21 director succeeding NanetteSamanich. He is a CWI and seniorbuilding inspector for the city of SanDiego, Calif., active with the SanDiego Section.


SOCIETY NEWS— continued from previous page

TECH TOPICS

Presented by the AWS D10 Com-mittee on Piping and Tubing, theWelding Summit Workshop (WSW),held Oct. 8, 9, at AWS World Head-quarters in Miami, Fla., featured heattreatment of pipe and nondestructiveevaluation (NDE). The event offeredan innovative approach to the typical“information push” seminars. Thespeakers intentionally framed theirtopics in interesting and assertiveways to provoke attendees to concuror argue with their statements basedon their positions and experiences inthe industry. The previous two workshopssparked meaningful debate and identi-fied key successes, roadblocks, and theareas that need attention to obtainquality welds, workforces, and inspec-tions. This year’s workshop identified,among other issues, that those in-volved in welding need to learn how to

“speak the language” of the “money”people, and in particular, more clearlyunderstand the welding process vari-ables and approaches that impact theeconomic aspects of a job, then be ableto better communicate their findings. The first day covered preheating,postweld heat treatment, heatingmethods, code applications, and theHeat Treatment Technician Qualifica-tions that are expected to be rolled outearly this year. Day two covered vari-ous forms of direct visual, surface, andvolumetric NDE. Areas for improvement, especiallyin selection and application, becamelively discussion topics. The WSWclosed with a presentation and discus-sion on welding economy. The speakers were William Newell(Euroweld, Ltd.), Mike Lang and ChrisGoocher (Fluor® Corp.), Gary Lewisand John Hainsworth (Superheat

FGH), Daniel Ciarlariello (AnalyticStress Relieving, Inc.), Scott Witkow-ski (Maverick Testing Labs), and JimByrne (Miller Electric Co.). Attending were Andy Mulroy, BruceStewart, Darrell D. Flinn, David L.Finch, David Schwam, Gustavo A. Ze-garra, Henry Skrzypek, Jason D. Beck-er, Jason M. Cosentino, Jim W. Harri-son, Kenneth Arnold, Mary C. Cook,Patrick T. Blume, Ramon Latorre, Ray-mond V. Knobbs, Skip Laubach,Stephen Gillman, Tim Griffin, Ulrich I.Lopes, Walter Pemberton, William D.Kashin, and Yong Yang. The next WSW is tentatively sched-uled for presentation in Houston, Tex.Its topics will feature welding economyand costs. For more information, con-tact Belkys Riveron-Raimundez, Edu-cation Services, [email protected].

D10 Committee’s Welding Summit Workshop Meets in Miami

Welding Summit Workshop attendees are shown Oct. 9 at AWS World Headquarters in Miami, Fla.



Standards for Public Review

The following revised standardswere submitted for public review withthe expiration dates shown. A draftcopy may be ordered from J. Rosario,ext. 308, [email protected].

AWS was approved as an accredit-ed standards-preparing organizationby the American National StandardsInstitute (ANSI) in 1979. AWS rules,as approved by ANSI, require that allstandards be open to public reviewfor comment during the approvalprocess.

B2.1-1/8-010:201X, StandardWelding Procedure Specification (SWPS)for Gas Tungsten Arc Welding of CarbonSteel (M-1/P-1) to Austenitic StainlessSteel (M-8/P-8), 18 through 10 Gauge,in the As-Welded Condition, with orwithout Backing. $124. 1/12/15.

B2.1-1/8-231:201X, StandardWelding Procedure Specification (SWPS)for Gas Tungsten Arc Welding with Con-sumable Insert Root Followed by Shield-ed Metal Arc Welding of Carbon Steel(M-1/P-1, Groups 1 or 2) to AusteniticStainless Steel (M-8/P-8, Group 1), 1⁄8inch [3 mm] through 11⁄2 inch [38 mm]Thick, IN309, ER309, and E309-15, -16, or -17, or IN309, E309(L), andE309(L)-15, -16, or -17, in the As-Weld-ed Condition, Primarily Pipe Applica-tions. $124. 1/12/15.

C2.20/C2.20M:201X, Specificationfor Thermal Spraying Zinc Anodes onSteel Reinforced Concrete. $30.12/29/14.

C2.21M/C2.21:201X, Specificationfor Thermal Spray Equipment Perform-ance Verification. $26. 12/29/14.

Technical Committee Meetings

All technical committee meetingsare open to the public. To attend, con-tact the staff member listed. Jan. 12, 13. D20 Committee onAdditive Manufacturing. Miami, Fla.C. Lewis, ext. 306; [email protected]. Jan. 14. International StandardsActivities Committee. Miami, Fla. A.Davis, ext. 466, [email protected]. Jan. 14. Technical Activities Com-mittee. Miami, Fla. A. Alonso, ext.299; [email protected]. Jan. 28. Committee on Personnel& Facilities Qualification. Miami, Fla.S. Hedrick, ext. 305; [email protected]. Feb. 10. D15 Committee on Rail-road Welding. Miami, Fla. J. Rosario,ext. 308, [email protected]. Feb. 10. D15A Subcommittee onCars and Locomotives. Miami, Fla. J.Rosario, ext. 308, [email protected]. Feb. 12. D3B Subcommittee onUnderwater Welding. New Orleans,La. B. McGrath, ext. 311; [email protected].

April 7–10. D1 Committee andSubcommittees on Structural Weld-ing. Miami, Fla. B. McGrath, ext. 311;[email protected].

Candidates Sought for MITMasubuchi Award

The Prof. Koichi Masubuchi award,with a $5000 honorarium, is presentedto one person, 40 or younger, who hasmade significant contributions to theadvancement of materials joiningthrough research and development.

Send a list of your candidate’s expe-rience, publications, honors, awards,and at least three letters of recommen-dation from fellow researchers to Prof.Todd Palmer, [email protected]. Thisaward is sponsored annually by theMassachusetts Institute of Technology,Dept. of Ocean Engineering.

SOCIETY NEWS

Members of the D10P Subcommittee on Local Heat Treatment of Pipework met Oct. 6 atAWS World Headquarters in Miami, Fla. Shown from left are D10 Vice Chair Bill Newelland D10P members John Hainsworth, Chair Dan Ciarlariello, and Gary Lewis.

D10 Committee Meets in Miami

Opportunities to Serve on Technical Committees Visit www.aws.org/technical/jointechcomm.html.

Oxyfuel gas welding and cutting(C4), Friction welding (C6), High-en-ergy beam welding and cutting (C7),Robotic and automatic welding(D16), Hybrid welding (C7D). C. Lewis, ext. 306, [email protected].

Magnesium alloy filler metals(A5L). R. Gupta, ext. 301,[email protected].

Thermal spraying (C2), Weldingiron castings (D11). J. Rosario, ext.308, [email protected].

Welding practices and proceduresfor austenitic steels (D10C), Alu-minum piping (D10H), Chromiummolybdenum steel piping (D10I),Welding of titanium piping (D10K),Purging and root pass welding(D10S), Low-carbon steel pipe(D10T), Orbital pipe welding (D10U),Duplex pipe welding (D10Y), Reactivealloys (G2D), Titanium and zirconiumfiller metals (A5K), and Committeeon Welding of Sheet Metal. J. Molin,ext. 304, [email protected].

Methods of weld inspection (B1),Resistance welding (C1), Resistancewelding equipment (J1), Automotive(D8), Cranes and presses (D14E), In-dustrial mill rolls (D14H). E. Abrams,ext. 307, [email protected].

Joining of plastics and compos-ites (G1), Mechanical testing of welds(B4), Safety and Health Committee. S. Hedrick, ext. 305, [email protected].

Contact the staff member listed for complete information. The Committee designation is shown in parentheses.


SOCIETY NEWS

Focus Group Meets to Enhance Value of AWS Student Membership

On Monday, Oct. 20, AWS staffmembers met with ten students andwelding instructor Tiffany Rivera atDel Mar College in Aransas Pass, Tex. The purpose of the focus group wasto get feedback on how the AmericanWelding Society can better work withstudents involved in hands-on welding

in their careers and to improve Stu-dent Member benefits. Three previous focus groups havebeen held with both hands-on weldingstudents as well as engineering stu-dents, to obtain similar information. Lee Kvidahl, AWS MembershipCommittee chair and a past AWS pres-

ident, facilitated the activity, assistedby Cassie Burrell, senior deputy execu-tive director, and Rhenda Kenny, di-rector, Member Services. Rivera alsoserves on the AWS Membership Com-mittee and is a member of the AWSDel Mar College/Craft Training CenterPartnership Student Chapter.

From left are Rhenda Kenny and Cassie Burrell. Welding instructor Tiffany Rivera (frontrow center) and Lee Kvidahl (far right) pose withDel Mar College welding students during their focus group workshop.

MEMBERSHIP ACTIVITIES

Shown at right are some of the AWS Committee members and guests Oct. 15 inCorpus Christi, Tex., prior to their businessmeeting. Members and others active withthe committee include Chair Lee Kvidahl,Vice Chair David Trees, Secretary RhendaKenny, Jim Appledorn, Mark Davidson,Dennis Eck, Dale Flood, Stewart Harris,Harland Thompson, John Bray, Dean Wilson, Cassie Burrell, Ellery Francisco, J.Jones, Bob Pali, Tiffany Rivera, Russ Norris, Bob Tabernik, and ex. officios Tom Biedermann, Debbie Doench, and Ray Shook.

Membership Committee Meets in Corpus Christi

AWS Silver Members RecognizedAt right, Daniel Galiher (left), Detroit Section membership chair, presents the Silver Member certificate to Michael Palkofor his 25 years of service to the Society.The presentation took place during theSheet Metal Welding Conference XVI.

At far right, Howard Woodward displayshis Silver Member certificate. During hiscareer at AWS headquarters, he hasserved many years as associate editor ofthe Welding Journal and three years assecretary to the A5 Committees on FillerMetals and Allied Materials.




New AWS SupportersSustaining Members

Philtek Services, LLC8100 N. Hwy. 81, Ste. #2Duncan, OK 73533Representative: Jason Phillipswww.philtekservices.com

Rob and Son Welding, LLC36285 Cane MarketDenham Springs, LA 70786Representative: Kaleb Robinsonhttp://robandsonwelding.com

Weatherford11909 Spencer Rd.Houston, TX 77041Representative: Matthew Palmerwww.weatherford.com

Affiliate Members

Affiliated Machinery, Inc.3008 S. Main St.Pearland, TX 77581

Emaresa S.A.Santa Adela 9901Santiago, Maipu, Chile

Highlands Welding Repair, Inc.5412 28th Ave. NWSeattle, WA 98107

NMI Industrial Holdings, Inc.8503 Weyand Ave.Sacramento, CA 95828

Naya for Engineering Services & TrainingAl-Waten St., Al Rashed Bldg.Basra, Iraq

T&C Stainless, Inc.1016 Progress StMount Vernon, MO 65712

Supporting Companies

Diamond Technical Services, LLC9152 Rte. 22Blairsville, PA 15717

Tark, Inc.420 Congress Park Dr.Dayton, OH 45459

Educational Institutions

Argo Community High School7329 W. 63 St.Summit, IL 60501

Botetourt Technical Education Center253 Poor Farm Rd.Fincastle, VA 24090

Brown Mackie College, Salina2106 S. 9th St., Salina, KS 67401

Cincinnati State Technical and C. C.10030 West Rd.Harrison, OH 45030

Colorado State University —District Energy6030 Campus DeliveryFort Collins, CO 80523

IWCGroup Tunisia SectionImm. Marakchi Rue De BagdadRoute, De Mahdia Km 05,Sfax 3000, Tunisia

Lake Technical College2001 Kurt St., Eustis, FL 32726

Libby Public Schools724 Louisiana Ave.Libby, MT 59923

PetrotechNirmal Arcade, EranhipalamCalicut, Kerala 673006, India

Salem High School400 Sparton DriveSalem, VA 24153

Universal Welding & FabricationTraining Centre Ltd.45 Evo Road, Gra Phase 2Port Harcourt, River State, Nigeria

Virginia Beach Technical and Career Education Center2925 N. Landing Rd.Virginia Beach, VA 23456

Welding Distributor

Weld Specialty Supply Corp.8929 N. 107th St.Milwaukee, WI 53224

Actions of Districts Council

On Nov. 9, after due consideration,Districts Council approved the char-ter of the following Student Chapters. Dist. 4: Tidewater C. C. and FloydCounty H. S. Dist. 15: TuscaloosaCounty School System Welding Tech-nology Program and Mesabi RangeCollege. Dist. 21: Santa Ana College.MESCAWS S. C. at Morelia TechnicalInstitute, Morelia, Mexico. Approved for disbandment wereDist. 3: Center of Applied Technoogy-North; Dist. 5: Aiken T. C., SavannahT. C.; Dist. 7: West VirginiaUniversity at Parkersburg; Dist. 10:Crawford County Area Vo-TechSchool and Northwestern Pennsylva-nia; Dist. 19: Linn-Benton C. C.; andDist. 21: Los Angeles Trade T. C.

Raffle Winners Announced

Everyone who joined the AmericanWelding Society or renewed their AWSmemberships for two years or more atthe FABTECH show in Atlanta, Ga., lastNovember, received an AWS pen, glasscoffee mug, mouse pad, and a dufflebag, and were entered into a raffle towin one of three $100 gift cards. Theraffle winners are: Blondel Senior, National Steel CarLtd., Hamilton, Ont., Canada Nehemias Burrion, Burox Engineer-ing, Davie, Fla. Fran Johnston, CTE, Applied Tech-nology, Phoenix, Ariz.

AWS Member CountsDecember 1, 2014

Sustaining.................................592Supporting ...............................351Educational...............................715Affiliate.....................................599Welding Distributor ...................55Total Corporate ......................2,312 Individual ...........................59,847Student + Transitional ...........11,014Total Members ..................70,861

SOCIETY NEWS



SOCIETY NEWSMemberGetaMember Update

Listed are the points members earnedin the campaign that ran from Jan. 1 toDec. 31, 2014. Five points and one pointare credited for each Individual and Stu-dent Member recruited, respectively.For campaign rules and a prize list, seepage 65 in this Welding Journal. Stand-ings as of Nov. 21. Call MembershipDept. (305) 443-9353, ext. 480, formore information.J. Morris, Mobile — 230M. Eiswirth, Mobile — 74D. Saunders, Lakeshore — 45M. Pelegrino, Chicago — 40D. Thompson, SW Virginia — 38C. Lariche, Cleveland — 35

G. Gammill, NE Mississippi — 34D. Box, Mobile — 33R. Barber, East Texas — 30 R. Richwine, Indiana — 29A. Stute, Madison-Beloit — 28D. Ebenhoe, Kern — 25D. Mandina, New Orleans — 25J. McKenzie, Detroit — 25R. Purvis, Sacramento — 25S. Siviski, Maine — 25E. Donaldson, Cumberland Valley — 24A. Theriot, New Orleans — 24S. Miner, San Francisco — 22R. Zabel, SE Nebraska — 22J. Foley, Pittsburgh — 21C. Bridwell, Ozark — 20S. Hodges, North Texas — 20D. Galiher, Detroit — 19D. Lynnes, Northern Plains — 19

R. Munns, Utah — 19M. Haggard, Inland Empire — 19J. Kline, Northern New York — 18G. Smith, Lehigh Valley — 17G. Deem, Columbia — 15R. Farquhar, Cleveland — 15C. Galbavy, Idaho/Montana — 15M. Trute, Atlanta — 15J. Tso, L.A./Inland Empire — 15J. Carney, West Michigan — 14R. Eckstein, Northwest — 14R. Polito, Spokane — 14J. Russell, Fox Valley — 14T. Zablocki, Pittsburgh — 14B. Cheatham, Columbia — 13S. Robeson, Cumberland Valley — 13C. Wolfman, Sacramento — 12R. Bubb, Philadelphia — 11C. Ortega, North Texas — 11

William Irrgang Memorial Award This award includes a $2500 hono-rarium to recognize the individualwho has done the most over the pastfive years to advance the science andtechnology of welding.

International Meritorious Certificate Award The award recognizes, in the broad-est terms, the honoree’s significantcontributions and service to the inter-national welding community.

National Meritorious Award The award includes a $2500 hono-rarium to recognize the recipient’sloyalty, good counsel, dedication toAWS affairs, and promotion of cordialrelations with industry and othertechnical organizations.

Honorary Membership Award This award recognizes an individualwho has eminence in the welding pro-fession or has made outstanding de-velopments in the field of welding arts.

George E. Willis Award The award is presented to an indi-vidual who has promoted the advance-ment of welding internationally by fos-tering cooperative participation in tech-nology transfer, standards rationali-zation, and promotion of industrialgoodwill for the Society.

Sustaining Company. As an AWSSustaining Company Member, yourcompany may have up to ten Individ-ual Members ($860 value) listed onits roster at no additional charge. Inaddition, you may choose the AWSStandards e-Library ($12,000 value)as the company’s primary benefit.

Supporting Company. Membersmay have up to five Individual Mem-bers ($430 value) listed under thecorporate umbrella.

Welding Distributor. Welding Dis-tributor Members receive up to five

Individual memberships (a $400 val-ue), in addition to a listing on theDistributor Locator Map on the AWSwebsite. This listing also provides ahyperlink that takes visitors directlyto your company’s website.

Educational Institution. Educa-tional Institution Members may haveup to three Individual Members($258 value) listed on the school’smember roster at no additionalcharge.

Affiliate Company. Affiliate Com-pany membership includes one Indi-

vidual Member ($86 value). The Individual Members included

in your company’s Corporate Mem-bership receive a subscription to theWelding Journal, published monthly,in addition to discounts on all AWSpublications, certification exams, ed-ucational seminars, and conferences.

For more information or to ob-tain AWS Corporate Member applica-tion forms, contact Member ServicesDept. (800/305) 443-9353, ext. 260,e-mail [email protected], or visit theAWS website www.aws.org/w/a/mem-bership/corp.html.

The deadline for nominating candidates for the following awards is December 31 prior to the year of the awards’ presen-tations. E-mail Wendy Sue Reeve at [email protected] or call (800/305) 443-9353, ext. 293.

Nominate Your Candidates for These WeldingRelated Awards

Benefits of AWS Corporate Membership Levels Updated



SECTION NEWS

LANCASTEROctober 28Activity: The Section’s board mem-bers met to plan for the coming year.Attending were Chairman Justin Hei-stand, incoming Dist. 3 director MikeSebergandio, Brian Gross, Mark Mal-one, and John Boyer.

LEHIGH VALLEYOctober 18Activity: The Section members dis-played their shooting skills at LehighValley Sporting Clays in Schnecksville,Pa.

District 4Stewart A. Harris, director(919) [email protected]

District 1Thomas Ferri, director(508) [email protected]

BOSTONNovember 3Speaker: David McQuaid, P.E., AWSvice presidentAffiliation: DL McQuaid and Associ-atesTopic: Problems encountered duringwelding in the fieldActivity: The event was held in Lex-ington, Mass.

CENTRAL MASSACHUSETTS/RHODE ISLANDOctober 1Activity: Wayne Cusano, a 30-yearAWS member and a senior welder,was cited in Rochester, Mass., for hiseight years of “dedication and com-mitment to the Metal Fabrication &Joining Technology Program Adviso-ry Committee at Old Colony RegionalVocational Technical High School.”Cusano, a senior welder at CTI Cryo-genics, was also instrumental in urg-ing the company to donate $10,000 inequipment to benefit the school’swelding students.

District 2Harland W. Thompson, director(631) [email protected]

District 3Michael Sebergandio, director(717) [email protected]

LANCASTER — From left are incoming Dist. 3 Director Mike Sebergandio, Brian Gross,Chair Justin Heistand, Mark Malone, and John Boyer.

BOSTON — Speaker Dave McQuaid(right), an AWS vice president, is shownwith Tom Ferri, Dist. 1 director.

CENTRAL MASS./RHODE ISLAND —Wayne Cusano displays his award.

LEHIGH VALLEY — From left are Vince Facchiano, Dino Forst, Dave Schnalzer, Dist. 3 Director Mike Wiswesser, Melanie Totenbier, JeffBuckley, Jeff Wiswesser, Joe Totenbier, and Jason Dieter.



SECTION NEWS

District 5Carl Matricardi, director(770) [email protected]

FLORIDA WEST COASTNovember 12Speaker: Corey Aurand, QC managerAffiliation: AZZ/SMSTopic: Weld repairs for a P91 headerActivity: Ray Monson received hisLife Member award for 35 years ofservice to the Society. The event washeld at Mimi’s Café in Brandon, Fla.

NORTH FLORIDAOctober 16Speakers: Steve Hinote, Frank YorkAffiliation: Otto Arc Systems, Inc.Topic: Orbital gas tungsten arc weld-ingActivity: The attendees receivedhands-on training welding stainlesssteel tube and pipe using the orbitalgas tungsten arc process. The eventwas held at Plumbers & PipefittersLocal Union #234 in Jacksonville, Fla.

District 6Michael Krupnicki, director(585) [email protected]

NORTHERN NEW YORKNovember 4Speakers: Chris Lanese, Mike Toich

Affiliation: Capital Region BOCES,welding instructorsTopic: Special features of the school’swelding programActivity: Following the talks, Laneseand Toich conducted a tour of the fa-cility located in Colonie, N.Y. Follow-

ing the tour, the Section membersmet with welding students to discussforming an AWS Student Chapter attheir school and plans for conductinga Boy Scout welding merit badgetraining program.

FLORIDA WEST COAST — Attendees are shown at the November program.

FLORIDA WEST COAST — At left in both photos, Chair Charles Crumpton III is shownwith speaker Corey Aurand (left photo) and with Life Member Ray Monson at right.

NORTH FLORIDA — Steve Hinote (farleft) coached members on applying theorbital GTAW process.

NORTHERN NEW YORK — Vice ChairCarter Cook (center) is shown with weld-ing instructors Mike Toich (left) and ChrisLanese.



District 7Uwe Aschemeier, director(786) [email protected]

PITTSBURGHSeptember 30Speaker: Ron Delsandro, pipe fabri-cation shop managerAffiliation: Chapman Corp.Topic: Welding in the natural gas in-dustryActivity: More than 60 members andguests participated in this programand plant tour, including Jody Dad-um, Fab Shop general foreman; KenBroadbent, Steamfitters UA Local449 business manager; Lou Rudi, QAmanager; Matt Wilson, Fab Shopforeman; Jack Trettle with MathesonTri-Gas; Chair George Kirk; Treasur-er Tom White; and John Menhart, aSection past chair.

District 8D. Joshua Burgess, director(931) [email protected]

CHATTANOOGAOctober 9Speaker: Ben Pletcher, technical direc-torAffiliation: Select Arc, Inc.Topic: Welding duplex and superdu-plex stainless steels Activity: The program was held at theKomatsu Manufacturing Operation inChattanooga, Tenn. Joshua Burgess,Dist. 8 director, attended the event.

NASHVILLENovember 13Speaker: Jim Hurley, sales representa-tiveAffiliation: TRUMPF

Topic: Laser welding instruments andtechnologyActivity: The event was held at WorldTesting, Inc., in Mt. Juliet, Tenn.

SECTION NEWS

PITTSBURGH — Shown at Chapman Corp. are (from left) Jody Dadum, Ken Broadbent, Chair George Kirk, presenter Ron Delsandro,Lou Rudi, Matt Wilson, Tom White, John Menhart, and Jack Trettle.

NASHVILLE — From left are Andy Afflick, Marion Brown, Mike Ray, Jonathan McDonald, James Donny Cook, John Kahl, Phil Evans,Ron McCrary, Daniel Stinson, Neil Lambert, James Terry Newton, Scott Bradley, Joey Lloyd, and speaker Jim Hurley.

CHATTANOOGA — From left are Dist. 8Director Josh Burgess, speaker BenPletcher, and Chair Thomas Atkinson.



SECTION NEWSSECTION NEWSDistrict 9Michael Skiles, director(337) [email protected]

ACADIANA andCENTRAL LOUISIANAOctober 15Speakers: Gary Wilson, Ricky DutyAffiliation: Cameron InternationalCorp.Topic: Weld Shop Manager Wilsonpresented a talk followed by Directorof Operations Duty who detailed thewelding processes used at the facility.The two then led a plant tour assistedby Candace Gerace, HR director. At-tending were Acadiana Section Chairand incoming Dist. 9 Director MikeSkiles and Don Sanders, CentralLouisiana Section chair.

Lawson State C. C. Student ChapterOctober 24Activity: Seventeen Chapter mem-bers, led by Advisor Roy Ledford,joined welding students from six col-leges to participate in the first annualWorkshop for postsecondary collegewelding students. The event was host-ed by Bob Kimbrell at Plumber andPipefitters Local 372 in Duncanville,Ala. Representatives from LincolnElectric, ESAB, United Association,and South-Central Pipe Trades pre-sented instruction on welding andcutting safety and processes.

MOBILEOctober 16Speaker: Bradley Byrne, U.S. Con-gressman, Alabama Dist. 1Topic: The need for skilled weldersActivity: Among the 83 attendeeswere 31 students representing sixarea schools. Scholarships were pre-sented to William Lee, Corey Bon-ham, Antoine Thurman, Sebe Chris-tian, Jerry Betts, Daryl Jackson, J. C.Galmiche, Tyler Miller, and BrittneyPierce.

November 6Speakers: Steve Day, Steve YeendAffiliation: OSHATopic: Common workplace accidentsActivity: William Lee, ChandlerHansen, and Hayden Richards, stu-

ACADIANA and CENTRAL LOUISIANA — From left are Candace Gerace, presentersGary Wilson and Ricky Duty, Acadiana Section Chair Mike Skiles, and Don Sanders, Cen-tral Louisiana Section chair.

Lawson State C. C. Student Chapter — From left are (kneeling) Ladarious Bledsoe, Ad-visor Roy Ledford, and Bernard Beal; (standing) DeMarcus Gates, Mason Lusker, Rush-ton Syphurs, Niya Jackson, Jerome Ambers, Maurice Davis, and Jason Fortenberry.

MOBILE — Upper photo: Pensacola State College attendees include (from left) WeldingCareer Coach Rafael Deliz, Andrew Cobb, Brandon Cobb, David McCall, Trent Wallace,Robert Jones, Gilbert Calderon, and Steve Moore, welding instructor. Above photo:Shown at the scholarship awards presentations are (from left) William Lee, Corey Bon-ham, Antoine Thurman, Sebe Christian, Scholarship Chair Jerry Betts, Crosby Latham III,Daryl Jackson, and J.C. Galmiche.


q New Member q Renewalq Mr. q Ms. q Mrs. q Dr. Please print • Duplicate this page as needed

Last Name:_______________________________________________________________________________

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� Who pays your dues?: q Company q Self-paid � Sex: q Male q Female� Education level: q High school diploma q Associate’s q Bachelor’s q Master’s q Doctoralq Check here if you learned of the Society through an AWS Member? Member’s name:_______________________Member’s # (if known):________q Check here if you would prefer not to receive email updates on AWS programs, new Member benefits, savings opportunities and events.

CONTACT INFORMATION

INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP

Type of Business (Check ONE only)A q Contract constructionB q Chemicals & allied productsC q Petroleum & coal industriesD q Primary metal industriesE q Fabricated metal productsF q Machinery except elect. (incl. gas welding)G q Electrical equip., supplies, electrodesH q Transportation equip. — air, aerospaceI q Transportation equip. — automotiveJ q Transportation equip. — boats, shipsK q Transportation equip. — railroadL q UtilitiesM q Welding distributors & retail tradeN q Misc. repair services (incl. welding shops)O q Educational Services (univ., libraries, schools)P q Engineering & architectural services (incl. assns.)Q q Misc. business services (incl. commercial labs)R q Government (federal, state, local)S q Other

Job Classification (Check ONE only)01 q President, owner, partner, officer02 q Manager, director, superintendent (or assistant)03 q Sales04 q Purchasing05 q Engineer — welding20 q Engineer — design21 q Engineer — manufacturing06 q Engineer — other10 q Architect designer12 q Metallurgist13 q Research & development22 q Quality control07 q Inspector, tester08 q Supervisor, foreman14 q Technician09 q Welder, welding or cutting operator11 q Consultant15 q Educator17 q Librarian16 q Student18 q Customer Service19 q Other

Technical Interests (Check all that apply)A q Ferrous metals B q AluminumC q Nonferrous metals except aluminumD q Advanced materials/IntermetallicsE q CeramicsF q High energy beam processesG q Arc weldingH q Brazing and solderingI q Resistance weldingJ q Thermal sprayK q CuttingL q NDTM q Safety and healthN q Bending and shearingO q Roll formingP q Stamping and punchingQ q AerospaceR q AutomotiveS q MachineryT q MarineU q Piping and tubingV q Pressure vessels and tanksW q Sheet metalX q StructuresY q OtherZ q Automation1 q Robotics2 q Computerization of Welding

è Please check each box that applies to the Membership or service you’d like, and then add the cost together to get your Total Payment.

q AWS INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP (One Year)......................................................................................................$86

AWS INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP (Two Years) SAVE $25 New Members Only....................................$147

q New Member Initiation Fee ...........................................................................................................................................$12

OPTIONS AVAILABLE TO AWS INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS ONLY: A.) OPTIONAL Book Selection (Choose from 25 titles; up to a $192 value; includes shipping & handling) q Individual Members in the U.S..................................................................................................................................$35

q Individual Members outside the U.S (includes International shipping)...........................................................................$85

ONLY ONE SELECTION PLEASE. For more book choices visit www.aws.org/membershipq Jefferson’s Welding Encyclopedia (CD-ROM only) q Design & Planning Manual for Cost-Effective Welding q Welding Metallurgy Welding Handbook Selections: q WH (9th Ed., Vol. 4) q WH (9th Ed., Vol. 3) q WH (9th Ed., Vol. 2) q WH (9th Ed., Vol. 1)Pocket Handbook Selections: q PHB-1 (Arc Welding Steel) q PHB-2 (Visual Inspection) q PHB-4 (GMAW / FCAW)

B.) OPTIONAL Welding Journal Hard Copy (for Members outside North America) q Individual Members outside North America (note: digital delivery of WJ is standard)..............................................$50

INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP TOTAL PAYMENT..................................................................................$_____________NOTE: Dues include $16.80 for Welding Journal subscription and $4.00 for the AWS Foundation.

PAYMENT INFORMATION

Payment can be made (in U.S. dollars) by check or money order (international or foreign), payable to the American Welding Society, or by charge card.

q Check q Money Order q AMEX q Diners Club q MasterCard q Visa q Discover q Other

CC#:____________ / ____________ / ____________ / ____________ Expiration Date (mm/yy) ________ / ________

Signature of Applicant:_________________________________________ Application Date:_______________________

OFFICE USE ONLY Check #:_______________________________ Account #____________________________________Source Code: WJ Date:_________________________________ Amount:_____________________________________

AWS MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

STUDENT MEMBERSHIPè Please choose your Student Membership option below.q AWS STUDENT MEMBERSHIP (One Year)...................................................................................................................$15 Digital delivery of Welding Journal magazine is standard for all Student Members.

q AWS STUDENT MEMBERSHIP (One Year)...................................................................................................................$35 Includes one-year Welding Journal hard copy subscription. Option available only to students in U.S., Canada & Mexico.

STUDENT MEMBERSHIP TOTAL PAYMENT......................................................................................$_____________

REV. 11/14

Join or Renew: Mail: Form with your payment, to AWS Call: Membership Department at (800) 443-9353, ext. 480

Fax: Completed form to (305) 443-5647 Online: www.aws.org/membership 8669 NW 36 St, # 130Miami, FL 33166-6672Telephone (800) 443-9353 FAX (305) 443-5647Visit our website: www.aws.org


SECTION NEWSdents at Locklin Tech Career Center,won the door prizes and raffle. ThisMobile Section meeting was held atThe Original Oyster House in SpanishFort, Ala.

NEW ORLEANSOctober 21Speaker: Matt Howerton, sales engi-neerAffiliation: The Lincoln Electric Co.Topic: Welding aluminumActivity: The Plumbers & Steamfit-ters UA Local 60 sponsored this eventat Landmark Hotel in Metairie, La.Representatives included BusinessManager Curtis Mezzic, Al Theriot,Neal Keller, Dana Colombo, Roy Ler-ille, and Vernon Delaune.

District 10Robert E. Brenner, director(330) 484-3650

CLEVELANDOctober 14Speaker: Mike Barrett, applicationengineerAffiliation: The Lincoln Electric Co.Topic: Arc welding stainless steelsActivity: The event was held atToscana Party Center in Cleveland,Ohio.

DRAKE WELLNovember 13Activity: The members met to discussupcoming events, including a weld-offon Dec. 5 at Pittsburgh Technical In-stitute, and a SkillsUSA event in Jan-uary. The meeting was held at TheCommons at Franklin in Franklin, Pa.

MAHONING VALLEYNovember 18Speaker: John Bossone, consultantAffiliation: Industrial Quality ServicesTopic: Introduction to nondestructivetestingActivity: Student Chapter ChairHomer Swanson and Vice Chair KeithMohney discussed upcoming Chapterevents. The program was held atColumbiana County Career Center inLisbon, Ohio.

NEW ORLEANS — From left are Neal Keller, D. J. Berger, Dana Colombo, Al Theriot,Roy Lerille, Chair Jimmy Goodson, and Vernon Delaune.

NEW ORLEANS — From left are ChairJimmy Goodson and Matt Howerton.

MAHONING VALLEY — From left areHomer Swanson, Chair Chuck Moore,and speaker John Bossone.

LAKESHORE — Chair Brian Strebe (left)is shown with speaker Stephen Berg.

CLEVELAND — Chair Paul Revolinsky(left) is shown with Mike Barrett.

MOBILE — At left, U.S. Congressman Bradley Byrne (center) poses with Ron Pierce(left) and Chair Michael Zoghby at the October program. At right, Vice Chair Clay Byron(left) is shown with speakers Steve Day (center) and Steve Yeend at the November event.

November 12Speaker: Brian Hrinko, instructorAffiliation: Plumbers and Steamfit-ters Local 47 Training FacilityTopic: Troubleshooting pipe weldingissuesActivity: The meeting was held at thetraining facility in Erie, Pa.

NORTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIAOctober 8Speaker: Elliot AshAffiliation: The Lincoln Electric Co.Topic: Aluminum gas metal arc weldingActivity: The program was held atCentral Tech High School in Erie, Pa.



SECTION NEWSSECTION NEWS

NORTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA — Upper photo: At the October program are (fromleft) Eric Speer, speaker Elliot Ash, Vice Chair Donna Bastian, and Marty Siddall. Abovephoto: Shown at the Nov. 12 meeting are (from left) Donna Bastian, speaker BrianHrinko, Chair Tom Kostreba, John Fehr, Jason Neff, Eric Speer, and Bob Snyder.

DETROIT — Attendees are shown at the Aluminum Welding seminar.

MADISON-BELOIT — Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch and Workforce Develop-ment Secretary Reggie Newson (center) learn about autodarkening helmets from BenNewcomb at the Manufacturing Day presentation.

District 11Robert P. Wilcox, director(734) [email protected]

DETROITOctober 21–24Tutorial speaker: Hongyan Zhang, as-soc. professor, University of ToledoTopic: Resistance spot welding of var-ious aluminum alloysConference speaker: Alan Taub, CTO,American Lightweight MaterialsManufacturing Innovation InstituteTopic: Challenges in manufacturing amultimaterial vehicleActivity: More than 130 attended theSection’s 16th Sheet Metal WeldingConference cosponsored by AdvancedLaser Application Workshop, EWI,and Resistance Welding Manufactur-ing Alliance. The tutorial was present-ed at R & E Automated Systems inMacomb, Mich.; the welding showand conference were held at School-craft College, VisTaTech Building, inLivonia, Mich. The Vendor DisplayNight event featured equipmentdemonstrations provided by Fronius,R & E Automated Systems, StanleyEngineered Fastening, and The Lin-coln Electric Co. Mike Palko receivedhis Silver Member certificate for 25years of service to the Society. Seephoto on page 58 of this issue.

District 12Daniel J. Roland, director(920) [email protected]

LAKESHOREOctober 9Speaker: Stephen BergAffiliation: Berg Engineering & SalesTopic: Phased array weld inspectionsThe program was held at Machut’sSupper Club in Two Rivers, Wis.

MADISONBELOITOctober 3Activity: The Section celebrated Na-tional Manufacturing Day at MadisonArea Technical College with guestsWisconsin Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefischand Reggie Newson, secretary, Dept.of Workforce Development. Previous-ly, Governor Scott Walker had decreed



SECTION NEWS

CHICAGO — Top photo: Welding contest participants are shown at Pipefitters LocalUnion 597 in October. Above (from left) John Hesseltine, Dolores and Bob Zimny, ErikPurkey, Pete Host, and Anghelina and Cliff Iftimie are shown at the board meeting.

MADISON-BELOIT — Sam Morrisoncoaches a student using the virtual arcwelding trainer equipment.

ST. LOUIS — John Haake (left, front) re-ceives a speaker gift from Chair MikeKamp at the October program.

INDIANA — Welder-to-be Lincoln Millerattended the Section meeting with hisaward-winning daddy, Josiah.

October as Manufacturing Month inthe state of Wisconsin. The state offi-cials visited the welding lab whereNewson donned leathers and hood todemonstrate his welding skills. The of-ficials talked with instructors SectionChair Tony Stute and Vice Chair BenNewcomb and students about the fu-ture of welding education.

October 22Activity: The Madison-Beloit Sectionmembers participated at the openhouse held at Madison Area TechnicalCollege in Madison, Wis. Highlightsincluded contests using the LincolnVRTEX® 360 virtual arc welding train-er, and tours of the college facilities.

District 13John Willard, director(815) [email protected]

CHICAGOOctober 25Activity: The Section hosted its fourthannual welding contest at PipefittersLocal Union 597 in Mokena, Ill., forhigh school and college students.

October 29Activity: The board members met atPapa Joe’s Restaurant in Orland Park,Ill., for a planning meeting. Attendingwere John Hesseltine, Dolores andBob Zimny, Erik Purkey, Pete Host,and Anghelina and Cliff Iftimie.

District 14Robert L. Richwine, director(765) [email protected]

INDIANAOctober 23Activity: Chair David Jackson emceedthe Section’s awards-presentationprogram. The awardees included EricCooper, David Leapley, past AWSPresident Dick Alley, Ricky Ferguson,Erin Fromson, Josiah Miller, TonyBrosio, Gary Dugger, Kyle Hutcheson,Bennie Flynn, and Dave Jackson.Chair David Jackson; John Bray, AWSvice president; and Bob Richwine,Dist. 14 director, participated.




ST. LOUIS — Attendees are shown during their tour of Hillsdale Fabricators in November.

IOWA — Section members are shown during their tour of Hagie Mfg. Co. in Clarion, Iowa.

INDIANA — From left are (seated) Eric Cooper, David Leapley, Dick Alley, Ricky Ferguson, and Erin Fromson; (standing) Josiah Miller,Tony Brosio, Gary Dugger, Kyle Hutcheson, Dist. 14 Director Bob Richwine, Bennie Flynn, Dave Jackson, and Vice President John Bray.

KANSAS CITY — From left are Chair TimGill, Curt Heinbeck, and Jeb Clement.

NORTH TEXAS — From left are Floyd Kiel, Chair Mike Beaton, Donnie Williams, Dist.17 Director Jerry Knapp, and Paul Stanglin.



TULSA — Chair Rich Howard (left in allphotos) is shown (top photo) Oct. 28with Travis Weber (center) and JerryKnapp, Dist. 17 director; (center photo)Nov. 1 with Travis Weber; and (bottomphoto) Nov. 18 with Mel Clifford.

BEAUMONT — Chair John McKeehan(right, both photos) is shown with (topphoto) Ray Shook, AWS executive direc-tor; and (bottom photo) Ruel Riggs.

ST. LOUISOctober 16Speaker: John HaakeAffiliation: Titanova Laser, ownerTopic: Laser beam weldingActivity: The program was held at CeeKay Supply in St. Louis, Mo.

November 6Activity: The St. Louis Section mem-bers toured Hillsdale Fabricators. Thepresenters were Larry Ingram andSteve Door, directors of estimatingand business development, respec-tively.

District 15David Lynnes, director(701) [email protected]

District 16Karl Fogleman, director(402) [email protected]

IOWANovember 18Activity: The Section toured HagieMfg. Co. in Clarion, Iowa, to study itslean manufacturing methods for pro-ducing agricultural machines. DavidLandon, AWS president, attended thetour.

KANSAS CITYOctober 16Activity: The Section toured PauloProducts Co. to study its metal heat-treating operations. Talks were pre-sented by Curt Heinbeck and JebClement.

District 17Jerry Knapp, director(918) [email protected]

CENTRAL ARKANSASOctober 15, 16Activity: Aaron Campbell and ViceChair Dennis Pickering attended theWelsco Welding Expo where they

hosted the Welding for the Strength ofAmerica video presentation and spoketo hundreds of students about weld-ing-related careers. The two-dayevent was held at Verizon Arena inNorth Little Rock, Ark.

NORTH TEXASOctober 21Speaker: Michael Beaton, SectionchairAffiliation: Trinity Industries, Inc.,Metals Laboratory, directorTopic: Grain structure of weldsActivity: The event was held atHumperdinck’s Restaurant and Brew-ery in Arlington, Tex.

TULSAOctober 28Speaker: Travis Weber, sales represen-tative, Section technical representa-tiveAffiliation: The Lincoln Electric Co.Topic: Welding stainless steelsActivity: The program was held atGolden Corral in Tulsa, Okla.

November 1Activity: The Tulsa Section held itsfirst annual Shoot for Scholarshipsouting, headed by Chair Rich Howardand Tech Rep Travis Weber.

November 18Activity: This Tulsa Section programaddressed advancements in pulsedgas metal arc waveform technology.Mel Clifford with OTC Daihen, andJoe Bagnaro and Andy Harris withAirgas, made presentations.

District 18John Stoll, director(713) [email protected]

BEAUMONTOctober 14Speaker: Ray Shook, AWS executivedirectorAffiliation: American Welding SocietyTopic: What’s new at AWSActivity: Ruel Riggs was recognizedfor 45 years of service to the Section.

SECTION NEWS


WELDING JOURNAL /JANUARY 201572


HOUSTON — From left are (standing) Jason Durant, Paul McGaughy, Derek Stelly, Ronnie Mercer, speaker Ray Shook, Mark Fahlgren,Nathan Sumrall, Steve Mize, Cody Morgan, Jeb Baker, John Husfeld, Kyle Robison, Dennis Eck, John Terrell, Marcus Rodriguez, GrantPeltier, and Brian Cavin, (seated) Barney Burks, Justin Gordy, Justin Kirby, Director-at-Large J. Jones, Vice President John Bray, TerryWells, and John Stoll, Dist. 18 director.

HOUSTON — Justin Gordy (left) andRay Shook, AWS executive director, areshown at the announcement of the firstannual Section Spirit of Welding Award.

ALBERTA — (Above) Chair MatthewYarmuch (left) is shown with speakerGarth Stapon; (below) Barry Patchettdisplays his Gold Member certificate sur-rounded by his engineering students.

BRITISH COLUMBIA — From left are Bernard Booth, Rachel Kennedy, Geordie Third,Ian Sherlock, Simmah Petersen, and Brad Moe.

HOUSTONOctober 15Speaker: Ray Shook, AWS executivedirectorAffiliation: American Welding SocietyTopic: What’s new at AWSActivity: Shook presented JustinGordy a letter in appreciation of hisservices. The first annual JustinGordy Spirit of Welding Award wasannounced to recognize a memberwho demonstrates consistent supportfor the Section’s activities during theprevious year.

District 19Ken Johnson, director(425) [email protected]

ALBERTASeptember 11Activity: The Section toured AZZWelding Services Int’l in Edmonton,Alb., Canada, conducted by DarrenBarborak. The facility performs over-haul and restoration of boilers,process towers, reactors, and pressurevessels.

November 6Speaker: Garth StaponAffiliation: PraxairTopic: Shielding gases to minimizehydrogen contamination of weldsActivity: Barry Patchett received hisGold Member certificate for 50 yearsof service to the Society. The eventwas held at the University of Alberta.



COLORADO — Attendees are shown at the Oct. 9 program (top) and Nov. 13 program (above).

COLORADO — From left are Lauren Bussey, Josh Heverman, past AWS President BobTeuscher, Herb Beaven, and Thompson Tindall.

Colorado School of Mines Student Chapter — Braving the 7°F weather are (from left) Ricky Watts, Rashed Alhajri, Minrui Gao, GrantBishop, Pedro Andrade, Jacob Windsor, Jon Watson, Lucas Preuler, Ryan Peck, Paige Stevens, Edwin Supple, Haley Lake, Juan Wei, Alli-son Loecke, Brittany Boefenkamp, Dan Deveraux, John Moore, Brian Rush, and Prof. Stephen Liu, advisor.

BRITISH COLUMBIAOctober 23Speaker: Kent HillmanAffiliation: Liaison OSH ConsultingTopic: Impact of new standard for ex-posure to manganese during welding Activity: The annual Bruce Thirdwelding scholarship awards were pre-sented to Rachel Kennedy and IanSherlock by Geordie Third and BradMoe, scholarship chair. Attendingwere welding instructors BernardBooth and Simmah Petersen.

District 20Pierrette H. Gorman, director(505) [email protected]

COLORADOOctober 9Speaker: Carlos Rodriguez

November 13Speaker: Brian WoodAffiliation: Sound Analysis, LLCTopic: Phased array testing of weldsActivity: The Section joined membersof the local ASNT chapter for thisevent, held in Centennial, Colo.

Affiliation: Rocky Mountain EnergyForumTopic: Fracking’s impact on ColoradoActivity: The program was held atFront Range Community College,Fort Collins campus.

SECTION NEWS



SECTION NEWS

Weber State University Student Chapter — Members are shown during their tour of Petersen, Inc., in Ogden, Utah.

ARIZONA — Upper photo shows attendees at the Oct. 13 program. Above, from left, (seated) are Gary Gardner and Paul Moreno;(standing) are John Weber, Jim Benjamin, Chair Brent Boling, Rick Pell, Dist. 21 Director Nan Samanich, AWS President Dean Wilson,Nicholas Martinez, Andrew Lamer, and Jerry Siko. Fran Johnston took the photo.

Colorado School of MinesStudent ChapterNovember 13Activity: The members toured theNorthwest Pipe Co. in Denver, Colo.

Weber State UniversityStudent ChapterNovember 8Activity: The members toured Pe-tersen, Inc., in Ogden, Utah, to studythe fabrication of heavy-plate pres-

sure vessels. Quality and Welding En-gineer Tad Dean and Director of Qual-ity Kirk Douglas led the tour.

District 21Sam Lindsey, director(858) [email protected]

ARIZONAOctober 13Speaker: Dean Wilson, AWS president

Affiliation: Welldean EnterprisesTopic: Innovations at AWSActivity: The event, held at East Val-ley Institute of Technology in Mesa,Ariz., attracted 100 members, stu-dents, and guests.

District 22Kerry E. Shatell, director(925) [email protected]


Guide to American Welding Society® Services


American Welding Society®8669 NW 36th St., #130 Miami, FL 33166-6672(800/305) 443-9353; Fax: (305) 443-7559Phone extensions are in parentheses.

AWS PRESIDENTDavid Landon . . . . [email protected] Mfg. Co.2010 Vermeer Rd. E., Pella, IA 50219

ADMINISTRATIONExecutive DirectorRay Shook.. [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(210)

Senior Associate Executive DirectorsCassie Burrell.. [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . .(253)

John Gayler.. [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . . .(472)

Chief Financial OfficerGesana Villegas.. [email protected] . . . . . . . .(252)

Chief Technology OfficerDennis [email protected] . . . . . . . . .(213)

Chief Information OfficerEmilio Del [email protected] . . . . . . .(247)

Associate Director of Board and Executive Director ServicesAlex Diaz.. [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(294)

Administrative ServicesManaging DirectorJim Lankford.. [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(214)

DirectorHidail Nuñ[email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . . .(287)

HUMAN RESOURCESDirectorGricelda Manalich.. [email protected] . . . . . .(208)

Associate DirectorPatrick [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . .( 211)

INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF WELDINGSenior Coordinator Sissibeth Lopez . . [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . .(319) Liaison services with other national and inter-national societies and standards organizations.

GOVERNMENT LIAISON SERVICESHugh Webster . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected], Chamberlain & Bean, Washington, D.C.(202) 785-9500; F: (202) 835-0243. Monitors federal issues of importance to theindustry.

CONVENTION AND EXPOSITIONSDirector, Convention and Meeting ServicesMatthew [email protected] . . . . . . . .(239)

ITSA — INTERNATIONAL THERMAL SPRAY ASSOCIATION Senior Manager and EditorKathy [email protected] . .(232)

RWMA — RESISTANCE WELDING MANUFACTURING ALLIANCEManagement SpecialistKeila [email protected] . . . . . .(444)

WEMCO — ASSOCIATION OF WELDING MANUFACTURERSManagement SpecialistKeila [email protected] . . . . . .(444)

BRAZING AND SOLDERING MANUFACTURER’S COMMITTEEStephen [email protected] . . . . . . . .(334)

INTERNATIONAL SALESManaging Director of North American SalesJoe [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(297)

Corporate Director, International SalesJeff [email protected] . . . . . . . . . .(233) Oversees international business activities;certification, publications, and membership.

PUBLICATION SERVICESDept. information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(275)Managing DirectorAndrew Cullison.. [email protected] . . . . . . . .(249)

Welding JournalPublisherAndrew Cullison.. [email protected] . . . . . . . .(249)

EditorMary Ruth Johnsen.. [email protected] . . .(238)

Society and Section News EditorHoward [email protected] . . . .(244)

Welding HandbookEditorAnnette O’Brien.. [email protected] . . . . . . . .(303)

MARKETING COMMUNICATIONSDirectorLorena Cora.. [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(417)

Public Relations ManagerCindy [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . . .(416)

WebmasterJose [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . .(456)

Section Web EditorHenry [email protected] . . . . . . . . . .(452)

MEMBER SERVICESDept. information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(480)Senior Associate Executive DirectorCassie Burrell.. [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . .(253)

DirectorRhenda Kenny... [email protected] . . . . . . . . . .(260) Serves as a liaison between members and AWSheadquarters.

CERTIFICATION SERVICESDept. information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(273)Senior Associate Executive DirectorJohn Gayler.. [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . . .(472)

Director, Certification OperationsTerry [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(470) Application processing, renewals, and exams.

Director, Accreditation ProgramsLinda [email protected] . . . . . . . . .(298) Oversees the development of new certifica-tion programs, as well as AWS-Accredited TestFacilities, and AWS Certified Welding Fabricators.

EDUCATION SERVICES Director, OperationsMartica Ventura.. [email protected] . . . . . .(224)

Director, Development and SystemsDavid Hernandez.. [email protected] . . . .(219)

AWS AWARDS, FELLOWS, COUNSELORSSenior ManagerWendy Sue Reeve.. [email protected] . . . . . . . .(293) Coordinates AWS awards and Fellow andCounselor nominations.

TECHNICAL SERVICESDept. information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(340)Managing DirectorTechnical Services Development & SystemsAndrew Davis.. [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . .(466) International Standards Activities, AmericanCouncil of the International Institute of Welding

Director, OperationsAnnette Alonso.. [email protected] . . . . . . . . .(299) Technical Committee Activities, WeldingQualification

Manager, Safety and HealthStephen Hedrick.. [email protected] . . . . . . . . .(305) Metric Practice, Safety and Health, Joining ofPlastics and Composites, Personnel and FacilitiesQualification, Mechanical Testing of Welds

Program Managers IIStephen Borrero... [email protected] . . . . . . .(334) Brazing and Soldering, Brazing Filler Metalsand Fluxes, Brazing Handbook, Soldering Hand-book, Definitions and Symbols, Structural Sub-committees on Bridge Welding, Stainless Steel,and Reinforcing Steel

Rakesh Gupta.. [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . .(301) Filler Metals and Allied Materials, Interna-tional Filler Metals, UNS Numbers Assignment,Arc Welding and Cutting Processes, Computeriza-tion of Welding Information

Brian McGrath .... [email protected] . . . . . .(311) Structural Welding, Welding in Marine Con-struction

Program ManagersEfram Abrams.. [email protected] . . . . . . . . .(307) Automotive, Resistance Welding, Machineryand Equipment, Methods of Inspection

Chelsea Lewis.. [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . .(306) Friction Welding, Oxyfuel Gas Welding andCutting, High-Energy Beam Welding, RoboticsWelding, Welding in Sanitary Applications, Addi-tive Manufacturing

Jennifer Molin.. [email protected] . . . . . . . . . .(304) Sheet Metal Welding, Welding and Brazing inAerospace, Ti and Zr Filler Metals, Joining ofMetals and Alloys, Piping and Tubing

Jennifer Rosario.. [email protected] . . . . . . . .(308) Railroad Welding, Thermal Spraying, WeldingIron Castings, Welding Qualification

AWS FOUNDATION, INC.www.aws.org/w/a/foundationGeneral Information(800/305) 443-9353, ext. 212, [email protected]

Chairman, Board of TrusteesWilliam A. Rice.. [email protected]

Executive Director, FoundationSam Gentry.. [email protected]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (331)

Corporate Director, Workforce Development Monica Pfarr.. [email protected]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (461)

Associate Director of ScholarshipsVicki Pinsky.. [email protected]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (212)

The AWS Foundation is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3)charitable organization established to provide support forthe educational and scientific endeavors of the AmericanWelding Society. Promote the Foundation’s work with yourfinancial support.


Hypertherm AnnouncesManagement Reassignments

Hypertherm, Hanover, N.H., amanufacturer of plasma, laser, andwaterjet cutting systems, has arrangedfor the responsibilities of Carey Chen,former vice president and generalmanager, Light Industrial Businesses,and CIO, who left the company in De-cember, to be transitioned to two cur-rent management team members, JimMiller and Mary Bihrle. Miller, currentvice president of operations, assumedthe added responsibilities of vice pres-ident and general manager, Light In-dustrial Businesses. Bihrle, currentCFO, assumed management team re-sponsibility for the company’s Infor-mation Services function. Chen leftthe company to become president andCEO of Cincinnati, Inc.

Eastwood Names President

The Eastwood Co., Pottstown, Pa.,a marketer of welding equipment,tools, and supplies for the repair,restoration, and modification of cars,

trucks, and motor-cycles, has namedBrian Huck presi-dent and COO.With the companyfor six years, Huckpreviously servedas vice president ofmarketing andsales. He succeedsCurt Strohacker,founder and chair-man of the board,who will continue

as chairman of the board.

CenterLine® Fills Two Key Posts

CenterLine® (Windsor) Ltd., Wind-sor, Ont., Canada, a supplier of prod-ucts and services for welding, metal-forming, and cold spray applicationsfor the automotive, aerospace, and de-fense industries, has appointed SteveRenaud vice president of operationsand Jim Komar general manager, Ma-chinery Div. Renaud, with the compa-ny for 22 years, most recently servedas general manager, Machinery Div.

Komar with 30 years’ experience inthe automotive industry, has servedthe company for the past three yearsas plant manager, Machinery Div.

Laboratory Testing HiresSales Representative

Laboratory Test-ing, Inc., Hatfield,Pa., an independ-ent, accredited ma-terials testing andcalibration labora-tory, has hired EricBaum, Towaco,N.J., as an outsidesales representa-tive. Baum bringsmore than tenyears of businessdevelopment expe-

rience working with the aerospace,medical device, and other industrialmarkets serviced by the company.

ASTM Selects Next President

ASTM International, West Con-shohocken, Pa., board of directorsunanimously selected Katharine E.Morgan, current vice president oftechnical committee operations, to be-come its next president, succeedingJames A. Thomas who has served inthe post since 1992. During the tran-sition period, Morgan will assume theposition of executive vice president onMarch 1, 2015, then work withThomas until he retires Feb. 1, 2017.

TaylorWharton Names VP

Taylor-Wharton Cryogenics, LLC,headquartered in Minnetonka, Minn.,a manufacturer of a wide range of sta-tionary and portable storage systems

PERSONNEL



Brian Huck Steve Renaud

Eric Baum

Jim Komar


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for gas and liquidapplications, haspromoted Chris Ka-suba to vice presi-dent and generalmanager, Cryoin-dustrial businessunit. Kasuba joinedthe company in2011 as director offinance for globaloperations. Previ-ously, he served insenior financial po-

sitions at Grede Foundries, Inc., fornearly 14 years.

Wall Colmonoy Names DirectorEuropean Headquarters

Wall Colmonoy,Madison Heights,Mich., a supplier ofhardfacing andbrazing products,castings, and engi-neered componentsfor the aerospace,automotive, andenergy sectors, hasannounced the ap-pointment of StephCurtis as managingdirector for its Eu-

ropean headquarters, based in Pontar-dawe, Swansea, Wales, UK. Curtis,who joined the company in 2014, has30 years of experience in the strategic,operational, and commercial manage-ment fields.

Obituaries

Giovanni Sebastiano Crisi

Giovanni Sebastiano Crisi, 78, diedApril 23 in São Paulo, Brazil, where hewas a professor of mechanical engi-neering at Mackenzie University. AnAWS member since 2003, he was a fre-quent contributor to the AWS WeldingForum where he posted thousands ofentries since 2000. He worked to helporganize ABNT (the Brazilian Techni-cal Standards Association) to bringBrazil’s welding filler metal standardsin conformance with those of Interna-

tional Institute ofWelding (IIW) andInternational Or-ganization forStandardization(ISO). He workedwith IIW Commis-sion II to compilethe Catalog of theInternational Indexof Welding FillerMetal Classifica-tions, and authoredseveral technical

articles published in the Welding Jour-nal and other North and South Ameri-can publications. As a columnist forthe newspaper Fanfulla, he is remem-bered for his passion for the science ofwelding as well as the lectures he pre-sented to various organizations.

William Freed McLaughlin

William FreedMcLaughlin, 86,died Nov. 6 inClawson, Mich. A50-year AWS GoldMember, he servedon the Detroit Sec-tion executiveboard for 40 yearsand as secretary1991–1997.McLaughlin servedas a welding engi-neer for Chrysler

Corp. for more than 30 years, retiringin 1989. He worked in the company’swelding lab where he developed andlater installed the first automobile as-sembly plant application of the gasmetal arc welding process.

Chris Kasuba

Steph Curtis

Giovanni S. Crisi

W. F. McLaughlin


PERSONNEL


CAN WE TALK?The Welding Journal staff encourages an

exchange of ideas with you, our readers. Ifyou’d like to ask a question, share an idea orvoice an opinion, you can call, write, e-mail,or fax. Staff e-mail addresses are listedbelow, along with a guide to help you inter-act with the right person.

Publisher Andrew Cullison [email protected] Ext. 249, Article Submissions

Editor Mary Ruth Johnsen [email protected] Ext. 238, Feature Articles

Associate Editors Howard Woodward [email protected] Ext. 244, Society News, Personnel

Kristin Campbell [email protected] Ext. 257, Products, News of the Industry

Design and Production Zaida Chavez [email protected], Ext. 265 Brenda Flores [email protected], Ext. 330

Manager of Sales Operations Lea Paneca [email protected], Ext. 220

Senior Advertising Sales Executives Sandra Jorgensen [email protected] Ext. 254, Advertising Sales

Annette Delagrange [email protected] Ext. 332, Advertising Sales

Senior Advertising Production Manager Frank Wilson [email protected], Ext. 465

Editorial Asst./Peer Review Coordinator Melissa Gomez [email protected] Ext. 275, Peer Review of Research Papers

Welding Journal Dept. 8669 NW 36th St., #130 Miami, FL 33166 (800) 443-9353 FAX: (305) 443-7404

WJ

Personnel Jan 2015_Layout 1 12/11/14 10:34 AM Page 79

Friends and Colleagues:

The American Welding Society established the honor of Counselor to recognize individual members for a career of distinguished organizational leadership that has enhanced the image and impact of the welding industry. Election as a Counsel shall be based on an individual’s career of outstanding accomplishment. To be eligible for appointment, an individual shall have demonstrated his or her leadership in the welding industry by one or more of the following:

• Leadership of or within an organization that has made a substantial contribution to the welding industry. The individual’s organization shall have shown an ongoing commitment to the industry, as evidenced by support of participation of its employees in industry activities.

• Leadership of or within an organization that has made a substantial contribution to

training and vocational education in the welding industry. The individual’s organization shall have shown an ongoing commitment to the industry, as evidenced by support of participation of its employees in industry activities.

For specifics on the nomination requirements, please contact Wendy Sue Reeve at [email protected] at AWS headquarters in Miami, or simply follow the instructions on the Counselor nomination form located at http://www.aws.org/awards/fellow_counselor.html. Please remember, we all benefit in the honoring of those who have made major contributions to our chosen profession and livelihood. The deadline for submission is July 1, 2015. The Counselors Committee looks forward to receiving numerous Counselor nominations for 2016 consideration. Sincerely, Lee Kvidahl Chair, Counselor Selection Committee

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Friends and Colleagues: The American Welding Society, in 1990, established the honor of Fellow of the Society to recognize members for distinguished contributions to the field of welding science and technology, and for promoting and sustaining the professional stature of the field. Election as a Fellow of the Society is based on outstanding accomplishment and technical impact of the individual. Such accomplishments will have advance the science, technology and application of welding, as evidenced by:

• Sustained service and performance in the advancement of welding science and technology

• Publication of papers, articles and books which enhance knowledge of welding • Innovative development of welding technology • Society and Section contributions • Professional recognitions

I want to encourage you to submit nomination packages for those individuals whom you feel have a history of accomplishments and contributions to our profession consistent with the standards set by the existing Fellows. In particular, I would make a special request that you look to the most senior members of your Section or District in considering members for nomination. In many cases, the colleagues and peers of these individuals who are the most familiar with their contributions, and who would normally nominate the candidate, are no long with us. I want to be sure that we take the extra effort required to make sure that those truly worthy are not overlooked because no obvious individual was available to start the nomination process. For specifics on the nomination requirements, please contact Wendy Sue Reeve at [email protected] at AWS headquarters in Miami, or simply follow the instructions on the Fellow nomination form located at http://www.aws.org/awards/fellow_counselor.html. Please remember, we all benefit in the honoring of those who have made major contributions to our chosen profession and livelihood. The deadline for submission is August 1, 2015. The Fellows Committee looks forward to receiving numerous Fellow nominations for 2016 consideration. Sincerely, Dr. John Elmer Chair, AWS Fellows Committee

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IntroductionIn Canada alone, wear is estimated

to cost $2.5 billion a year (Ref. 1). To cutdown on the cost of wear, hardfacing isemployed. Fe-Cr-C hardfacing is a sur-face treatment aimed at improving thesurface properties of metals, in which awelded cladding is deposited onto thesurface of a substrate to improve thepart’s resistance to wear. There are anumber of different types of materialsystems that are employed in surfacing

(Refs. 1, 2). This research focuses on Fe-Cr-C hardfacing.

Fe-Cr-C hardfacing is a surfacingtechnique applied to plain carbonsteel and is used in circumstanceswhere it may be undergoing wearcaused by abrasion, impact, erosion,and corrosion (Refs. 3–6). Fe-Cr-Chardfacing is used in a large numberof industries including mining, min-eral processing, cement production,and pulp and paper manufacturing(Refs. 7–9). In oil sands operations its

use includes crusher teeth, sizingscreens, and centrifugal pumps, wear-plate for truck bed liners, and slurrytransport pipelines (Refs. 6, 10–12).Fe-Cr-C hardfacing tends to be rela-tively inexpensive in comparison toother surfacing types such as tung-sten carbide-based and certain poly-mer liners, which lends them to beingused on the larger scale components(Ref. 12). This research examines Fe-Cr-C hardfacing produced with thesubmerged arc welding (SAW)process. The main reasons for usingSAW over other processes are its highproductivity and deposition rates(Ref. 13).

For the optimization of the pro-duction of Fe-Cr-C hardfacing, theuse of square-wave alternating cur-rent (AC) is attractive because of itsability to control dilution and de-crease heat input. The variables of ACwaves that can be controlled are thebalance, DC offset, and frequency.This research looks solely at the ef-fect of controlling the balance, whichhas been identified as the most im-portant waveform variable control-ling dilution (Ref. 14). The balance isgiven as a percent of time the arcspends in electrode positive polarity.When using a constant-voltage (CV)implementation of AC welding, thewire feed speed (WFS) and the volt-age are set and held constant whilethe machine varies the current (Ref.14).

WELDING RESEARCH

JANUARY 2015 / WELDING JOURNAL 1-s

SUPPLEMENT TO THE WELDING JOURNAL, JANUARY 2015Sponsored by the American Welding Society and the Welding Research Council

Primary Chromium Carbide Fraction Control with Variable Polarity SAW

Increasing the fraction of time spent welding in DCEN compared to DCEP can increase the amount of primary carbides

BY S. D. BORLE, I. LE GALL, AND P. F. MENDEZ

ABSTRACTUsing alternating current (AC) when welding chromium carbide hardfacing alloys

has a pronounced effect on the resulting welds. To examine exactly the effect of ACbalance (fraction of time in electrode positive) on FeCrC hardfacing, six differentsamples were made varying from 50 to 75% balance in 5% increments. The heatinput was found to increase from 3.82 to 4.30 kJ/mm and dilution along the centerline increased from 3.7 to 31.1%. The ultimate consequence of increasing the balancewas a decrease in the volume fraction of primary carbides from 21 to 3% and a decrease in average diameter of carbides from 30.3 to 21.8 mm with the increase in balance. The increase in the volume fraction of carbides also coincided withmicrostructures that had higher percentages of hypereutectic microstructures thatshould lead to more uniform wear throughout the height of the hardfacing. The increase in volume fraction of carbides as the balance decreases should also increasethe wear resistance. The use of AC waveform with balances near 50% gave microstructures expected to perform the best.

KEYWORDS • Hardfacing • Surfacing • Cladding • Submerged Arc • Chromium Carbide

S. D. BORLE was a MSc. student at the University of Alberta at the time of this research and is currently at Group Six Technologies. I. LE GALL was a visiting student at the University of Alberta from Université de Nantes. P. F. MENDEZ is a professor and director at the Canadian Center for Welding and Joining at the University of Alberta, Canada.

Borle 1-15[1]_Layout 1 12/11/14 2:06 PM Page 1

Microstructure of SAWChromium Carbide Surfacing

The compositions of the Fe-Cr-Chardfacing tend to fall in the rangesof 8–35 wt-% Cr and 2–6 wt-% C(Refs. 3, 13, 15, 16). As shown in theidealized pseudo ternary in Fig. 1,this range of compositions encom-passes three distinct categories of mi-crostructure: hypoeutectic, eutectic,and hyper-eutectic. There is a largedifference between the microstruc-tures and the mechanical propertiesof the three different categories. Hy-pereutectic alloys’ wear resistance isnormally superior (Ref. 2), but corro-sion resistance and toughness areoften better in hypoeutectic alloys(Refs. 13, 17).

Microstructure of hypereutectic al-loys consists of primary M7C3 car-bides surrounded by a matrix ofeutectic austenite and eutectic M7C3carbides. The hexagonal M7C3 car-bides solidify first, as the composi-tion of the melt approaches theeutectic line and the temperature de-creases, the solidification changes toeutectic M7C3 carbides and austenite(Ref. 17). An example of the typical

microstructure is shown in Fig. 2. Thesize of the primary carbides increasesas the cooling rate decreases orchromium wt-% increases, while theaddition of carbon increases the vol-ume fraction of carbides while refin-ing them (Refs. 15, 18).

When the composition of the alloyfalls at or close to the eutectic line,M7C3 and austenite (g) solidify simul-taneously as a eutectic microstructure(Ref. 19). Figure 3 is an example of aeutectic microstructure in chromecarbide surfacing. The eutectic can ei-ther be a rosseta-like morphology, asshown in Fig. 3, or it can be fibrousbundles (Refs. 20, 21).

When the composition is in theaustenite region of the ternary, theresulting microstructure is hypoeu-tectic. In this case, the solidificationstarts as primary austenite dendritesand then as a eutectic of M7C3 andaustenite (Refs. 19, 22). The austen-ite dendrites are surrounded by theeutectic microstructure of M7C3 car-bides and austenite, as seen in Fig. 4.

Previous work has shown there canbe a large variance in the wear resist-ance within the different microstruc-tures and compositions of Fe-Cr-Chardfacing; however, it is generallyagreed that as composition variesfrom hypereutectic to eutectic to hy-poeutectic, the wear resistance de-creases (Refs. 2, 10–12, 17, 23–28). Asignificant part of the wear resistanceincrease going from hypoeutectic toeutectic to hypereutectic microstruc-tures is attributed to the increase inthe amount of carbides. In hypereu-tectic alloys, an increase in the sur-

face fraction of primary carbides in-creases wear resistance (Ref. 7).

An entirely hypereutectic mi-crostructure is wanted for the bestpossible abrasion resistance, but tra-ditional hypereutectic alloys can con-tain all three microstructures (Refs.2, 29, 30). Figure 5 is an example ofhow the microstructure of a SAW Fe-Cr-C hardfacing can be hypereutecticat the top, eutectic in the middle, andhypoeutectic close to the weld inter-face. This variation is representativeof Fe-Cr-C hardfacings in general, andit is not typically seen in cast struc-tures of similar compositions. Figure5 was taken from micrographs of anunetched sample taken using BSE im-aging.

This layering occurs because of dif-ferences in composition along theheight of the weld (Ref. 29). However,it is unclear between solidification,segregation, diffusion, lack of mixing,and diffusion what the main cause is.The issue with the layering is thewear resistance will not be uniformthroughout the service life of thehardfacing. Testing protocols addressthese variations by specifying a par-ticular depth at which wear testingmust be performed (e.g., 75% ofcladding depth). Current research isbeing performed in order to generatea better understanding of layering,which has very important practicalconsequences. This paper focuses onhow a balance in a square waveformaffects the amount of primary car-bides and the physical cause for this phenomenon.

WELDING RESEARCH

WELDING JOURNAL / JANUARY 2015, VOL. 942-s

Fig. 1 — Idealized liquidus surface of theFeCrC ternary phase diagram.

Fig. 2 — Hypereutectic microstructure showing large hexagonal M7C3 primary carbidessurrounded by a matrix of eutectic M7C3 and austenite.

Table 1 — Balance Settings Used in This Work

Sample Balance

A 50B 55C 60D 65E 70F 75


Experimental ProcedureWhen producing Fe-Cr-C hardfac-

ing using SAW, an alloying powderthat contains elements such aschromium, carbon, manganese, andmolybdenum is placed down in frontof the welding head. The powder usedfor the current research was based ona proprietary blend used to produceFe-Cr-C hardfacing industrially. Themain alloying elements werechromium and carbon with lesseramounts of manganese, silicon,

molybdenum, and boron added. Awelding gun attached to a weavingmechanism was used to producepasses of the desired width. Setupsused to produce Fe-Cr-C hardfacingsresemble the schematic shown in Fig.6. In the case of the current research,only a single weld bead was depositedand the powder was applied evenly byusing a wheel feeder rotating at a con-stant speed while traveling along thepath of the weld previous to actuallywelding. In these experiments, singleweld beads of 1¾ in. (44.5 mm) width

were made on a 9 ¥ 12-in. (228 ¥ 305-mm) A36 plate with a thickness of 5

⁄16

in. (7.94 mm). The sample plate wasclamped to the base plate using boltsgoing through 1⁄2-in.-thick plates on topof the sample plates with the boltsthreaded into the base plate to preventdistortion of the sample plate whenwelding.

Typical operating ranges for weldingof Fe-Cr-C hardfacing using SAW are30–40 V and 500–700 A. The other op-erating parameters such as wire feedspeed, alloy powder addition, and weaveare chosen to ensure proper melting ofthe powder, a good surface finish, andslag detachability. The basis of the weld-ing parameters were chosen to replicatean industrially produced product withthe balance being the only welding vari-able changing between the samples. Theflux used for these experiments was 1.5on the basicity index. The experimentalsettings were chosen to resemble an in-dustrially produced product and to ex-amine the possibility of process/productimprovement. The welding was donewith constant voltage, constant wirefeed speed, and constant translation ve-locity, so that the ratio of wire to pow-der was constant through all the welds.The offset was not adjusted, the fre-quency was kept constant at 45 Hz, andno preheat was applied to the basemetal. The samples and their respectivebalance settings are listed in Table 1.

The consumables used were an ag-glomerated basic flux along with a L-61 welding wire (EM12K). Aproprietary blend of powders was usedto produce a weld metal high inchromium and carbon. The powersource used was an AC/DC SAW ma-chine that allowed for the manipula-tion of AC waveforms along with dataacquisition through a built-in pro-gram. The waveform data collected bythe machine were then used to deter-mine the HI of the welds. HI was cal-culated by taking the average of theinstantaneous power throughoutwelding. Dilutions of the samples weremeasured using the formula shown inEquation 1 and with the areas de-scribed in Fig. 7 (Ref. 24).

Dilution(%) = DA/(DA + OA ) ¥ 100 (1)

DA is the area of dilution or theamount of the base metal that wasmelted, and OA is the area of the over-

WELDING RESEARCH


Fig. 3 — Eutectic microstructure of austenite and M7C3 .

Fig. 4 — Hypoeutectic microstructure of primary austenite dendrites surrounded by eutectic M7C3 and austenite.

Table 2 — Summary of Dilution and Heat Input for AC Balances between 50 and 75%

Sample Balance Dilution Center Dilution Side Heat Input(%) (%) (%) kJ/in. (kJ/mm)

A 50 3.7 34.0 97 (3.82)B 55 4.8 32.8 100 (3.96)C 60 19.7 47.5 101 (4.00)D 65 18.7 38.6 103(4.06)E 70 25.7 41.3 108 (4.23)F 75 31.1 41.4 109 (4.30)


lay that has been added.To calculate the dilution measure-

ments, samples were taken along thesagittal plane of the weld at the cen-terline and 15 mm off to the side, asshown in Fig. 8, to account for the lackof uniformity of the welds. The zig-zagline in Fig. 8 represents the weavingpattern in the deposition of a singlebead.

Metallographic samples for volumefraction measurements were madefrom along the longitudinal center ofthe welds, while dilution measure-ments were taken from samples takenfrom the transverse of the welds. Thesamples were hot mounted in Bake-lite® and then ground and polishedusing an automatic polisher with22.24 N force. For the first step, 60-grit rough grinding was carried out for5 min. After this, multiple other grind-ing passes down to 1200 grit were car-ried out at 3 min for each stage. Thesamples were then polished using a 1-mm diamond suspension for 5 min. Allof the micrographs with exception ofthose shown in Fig. 5 were etched for30 s using a mixture of 20 mL deion-ized water, 10 mL HCl, 30 mL HNO3,and 5 g FeCl3.

In order to get a good representa-

tion of the microstructure, a largenumber of photographs was taken ofsamples that were then photo mergedtogether to make large micrographsacross a large width and the entireheight of the weld. The total volumefraction of carbides was then meas-ured by using Photoshop® to select allof the light areas of the microstructurein the weld pool with the exception ofthe unfused powders, which were notincluded in the volume fraction analy-sis or size analysis. For the sampleswhere the primary carbides’ volumefraction and size were measured,smaller areas from the large micro-graph were examined. The primarycarbides in the smaller areas were thenselected and the total area of the car-bides measured using Photoshop. Theaverage size of the primary carbides inthe individual micrographs was thencalculated by dividing the area by thenumber of carbides selected. The aver-age size of primary carbides in thesample was calculated by taking thetotal number of all the carbides thathad been measured throughout thesmaller micrographs divided by thetotal area of all of those carbides thatwere measured. The diameter given isthe distance between two parallel sides

if the carbides are represented as regu-lar hexagonal shaped.

ResultsFigure 9 shows how the profiles

vary when cut transversely across thesamples. The concave weld interfaceobserved is a result of the weaving,which has a longer dwell time at theedges than at the center of the weld.These cross sections show that thepenetration is increasing throughoutthe samples as the balance increases.The actual dilution measurementswere taken from the longitudinal sec-tions and are tabulated in Table 2along with the heat input calculations.

Figure 10 shows that the trend forthe heat input and dilution is to in-crease as the balance increases. The ex-ception is at 60% balance, whichshowed exceptionally high dilutionamounts in the experiments per-formed. The sides are less sensitive tovariations of balance. One possiblereason for this observation is that thelarger depth of molten metal at thesides reduces the efficiency of cathodicheating on the weld bead.

The influence of balance in the mi-crostructural inhomogeneity across

WELDING RESEARCH


Fig. 6 — Schematic of the experimental SAW setup for the FeCrC hardfacing used in this work.

Fig. 5 — Microstructure of chromium carbide surfacing showinga microstructural variation of hypereutectic at the top, eutecticin the middle, and hypoeutectic at the bottom.

Fig. 7 — Schematic of transverse cross section of a chromiumcarbide surfacing highlighting the cladding area, the dilutionarea, and the base metal.


the depth of the hardfacing is illus-trated in Fig. 11. For all images, thetop corresponds to the free surface ofthe bead, and the bottom correspondsto the weld interface. For all balances,a hypereutectic structure is observedat the top, and often a hypoeutecticstructure near the weld interface. Thewhite round features correspond topowders that were not completelymolten, some of which reach a largesize, of the order of 1 mm (seen in the60% balance image). A steady decreasein the amount of hypereutectic mi-crostructure at the top was observedwith the increase in balance.

Figure 12 presents a higher magni-fication image of areas of hypereutec-tic composition from the crosssections in Fig. 11. Because of thesmall size covered by each image, con-clusions about primary carbide frac-tion were made by direct measurementover a number of different areas.

The measured volume fraction (VF)of hypereutectic microstructure, totalcarbide VF, VF of primary M7C3 car-bide, and the average primary M7C3size are given in Table 3 and Fig. 13.

Figure 13 illustrates graphically thetrends determined, showing how theamount of microstructure that is hy-pereutectic goes from under half to100% as the balance reaches 50%. Thevolume fraction and average primarycarbide size increases as the balancedecreases. The decrease in primarycarbide fraction is consistent with theincrease in dilution.

DiscussionThe steady decrease in primary car-

bide fraction with balance is consis-tent with the well-known effect ofincreased dilution with balance, cou-

pled with the understanding of thethermodynamics of the material sys-tem used. The increase in dilutionwith balance is due to the metalspending increasing amounts of timeas a nonthermionic cathode, with theassociate heat input on the surface(Refs. 32, 33). The reduction in theamount of primary carbides with a re-duction of Cr and C in the system hasbeen reported previously (Refs. 15, 18,22). Although no wear tests were per-formed for the samples prepared, it isto be expected that the increase in pri-mary carbides should increase thewear properties of the chromium car-bide surfacing (Refs. 11, 15). Anothereffect of decreasing the balance was toincrease the volume fraction of the hy-pereutectic microstructure, whichshould make the wear resistance moreuniform throughout the height of thecladding.

It is not clear at this time why forthe intermediate value of 60% balancethe dilution departed from the general

trend observed. Metallographic meas-urements of carbide fraction and sizedid not show an equivalent departurein the trends.

The decrease in size of primary car-bides with the reduction of balancewas unexpected, and opposite of whatwould be expected from welds withhigher heat input. Other experimentsperformed with similar alloy systemsshowed very little variation in carbidesize for a wide range of heat inputs.The effect observed here could be be-cause of an increase in the amounts ofMo and Si caused by the decrease inthe dilution, as both have been foundto reduce the rate of carbide precipita-tion, which could lead to the largercarbides (Refs. 29, 31).

This work did not test the effect ofoffset and frequency on the microstruc-ture. Based on previous studies (Ref.14), it is reasonable to expect that offsetwill be of secondary importance (with aslight decrease in fraction of primarycarbides with an offset biased toward

WELDING RESEARCH


Fig. 8 — Schematic of dilution measurement locations taken along the longitudinal of the weld hardfacing.

Fig. 9 — Cross sections of single bead FeCrC hardfacing for AC balance between 50and 75%.

Fig. 10 — Variation of dilution with AC balance.


DCEP). No effect is expected with fre-quency changes until frequencies are sohigh that the ramp-up and ramp-downtime is of duration comparable to thehold time. In this case, heat input wouldbe reduced, likely resulting in lower di-lution and higher carbide fraction. Suchhigh frequencies are not recommendedthough because of the difficulty in con-trolling the process accurately in thatrange.

Somewhat similar effects to theones reported here are also expectedby varying the contact tip-to-work-

piece distance (CTWD) while keepingthe same voltage and wire feed speed.Longer CTWD should have a compara-ble effect to decreased balance, result-ing in a higher carbide fraction.Adjusting CTWD involves mechanicaladjustments that are often undesirablein the large equipment typically usedin producing a Fe-Cr-C hardfacing.

Balances below 50% were also con-sidered informally in this work, butthe slag system used was too difficultto remove, and it was considered im-practical for industrial use.

Conclusion

This work assessed for the firsttime the effect of balance on AC wave-form in the SAW of Fe-Cr-C hardfac-ing. The practical implications of thefindings are very significant becauseFe-Cr-C hardfacing is the most com-monly used approach to wear protec-tion in ground engagement equipmentin mining, oil, gas, and logging indus-tries.

The amount of primary carbides in-creases steadily with a decrease in bal-ance. The cases studied indicated aprimary carbide fraction increase from3% for a 75% balance to 21% for a50% balance. This effect is directly re-lated to the decrease in dilution as thebalance decreases.

The size of primary carbides also in-creased with the reduction of balance,from a characteristic size of 21.8 mm for75% balance to 30.3 mm for a 50% bal-ance. This work also showed how thelayered structure of Fe-Cr-C hardfacingis present in a wide range of balancesand how it can be affected by alteringthe balance. Balances of 60% and belowresulted in pure hypereutectic mi-crostructures. A hypereutectic structurethroughout the hardfacing thickness isexpected to help make it reliable withgood wear resistance even at advancedstages of wear.

The authors want to acknowledgethe support of Wilkinson Steel andMetal, Lincoln Electric, and NSERC.

1. Mendez, P. F., Barnes, N., Bell, K.,Borle, S. D., Gajapathi, S. S., Guest, S. D.,Izadi, H., Gol, A. K., and Wood, G. 2014.Welding processes for wear resistant over-lays. Journal of Manufacturing Processes. pp.4–25.

2. Kotecki, D. J., and Ogborn, J. S.1995. Abrasion resistance of iron-basedhardfacing alloys. Welding Journal 74(8):269-s to 278-s.

3. Azimia, G., and Shamanian, M. 2010.Effects of silicon content on the mi-crostructure and corrosion behavior of Fe-Cr-C hardfacing alloys. Journal of Alloys andCompounds (502): 598–603.

4. Chang, C.-Ming, Hsieh, C.-Chun, Lin,

WELDING RESEARCH


Table 3 — Microstructural Characterization Measurements of Carbides

Balance (%) Total VF Carbide (%) VF Hypereutectic (%) VF Pimary M7C3 (%) Average Diameter (μm)50 45.8 100.0 21 30.355 42.7 100.0 20 26.760 32.8 100.0 18 24.965 37.8 84.8 14 23.070 31.4 75.6 9 22.775 21.0 40.3 3 21.8

Fig. 11 — Longitudinal sections of hardfacing with AC balances between 50 and 75%.

Fig. 12 — High magnification of hardfacing with AC balances between 50 and 75%. A —50%; B — 55%; C — 60%; D — 65%; E — 70%; F — 75%.

Acknowledgments

References

A B C

D E F


C.-Ming, Chen, J.-Hao, Fan, C.-Ming, andWu, W. 2010. Effect of carbon content onmicrostructure and corrosion behavior ofhypereutectic Fe-Cr-C claddings. MaterialsChemistry and Physics.

5. Chotěborský, R., Hrabě, P., Müller,M., Válek, R., Savková, J., and Jirka, M.2009. Effect of carbide size in hardfacingon abrasive wear. Research in AgriculturalEngineering 55(4): 149–158.

6. Kirchgaßner, M., Badisch, E., andFranek, F. 2008. Behaviour of iron-basedhardfacing alloys under abrasion and im-pact. Wear (265): 772–779.

7. Chang, C.-Ming, Chen, L.-Hsien, Lin,C.-Ming, Chen, J.-Hao, Fan, C.-Ming, andWu, W. 2010. Microstructure and wearcharacteristics of hypereutectic Fe-Cr-Ccladding with various carbon contents.Surface & Coatings Technology (205).

8. Dogan, O. N., Hawk, J. A., and Laird,G. 1997. Solidification structure and abra-sion resistance of high chromium whiteirons. Metallurgical and Materials Transac-tions A — Physical Metallurgy and MaterialsScience 28(6): 1315-1328. doi —10.1007/s11661-997-0267-3.

9. Lin, C.-Ming, Lai, H.-Han, Kuo, J.-Chao., and Wu, W. 2011. Effect of carboncontent on solidification behaviors andmorphological characteristics of the con-stituent phases in Cr-Fe-C alloys. MaterialsCharacterization 62(12): 1124–1133. doi —10.1016/j.matchar.2011.09.007.

10. Flores, J. F., and Neville, A. Materi-als selection in the oilsands industry basedon materials degradation mechanisms. Ex-ploration and Production 7(1): 42–45.

11. Flores, J. F., Neville, A., Kapur, N.,and Gnanavelu, A. 2009. Erosion-corrosiondegradation mechanisms of Fe-Cr-C andWC-Fe-Cr-C PTA overlays in concentratedslurries. Wear (267): 1811–1820.

12. Fisher, G., Wolfe, T., Yarmuch, M.,Gerlich, A., and Mendez, P. 2012. The use

of protective weld overlays in oil sandsmining. Australasian Welding Journal 57(2):12.

13. Mellor, B. G. 2006. Welding SurfaceTreatment Methods for Protection againstWear. Ed., B. G. Mellor.

14. Pepin, J. 2009. Effects of sub-merged arc weld (SAW) parameters onbead geometry and notch-toughness forX70 and X80 linepipe steels. Thesis, Uni-versity of Alberta, Canada.

15. Chang, C.-Ming, Chen, Y.-Chun,and Wu, W. 2010. Microstructural andabrasive characteristics of high carbon Fe-Cr-C hardfacing alloy. Tribology Interna-tional pp. 929–934.

16. Hinckley, B., Dolman, K. F., Wuhrer,R., Yeung, W., and Ray. A. 2008. SEM in-vestigation of heat treated high-chromiumcast irons. Materials Forum 32: 55–71.

17. Neville, A., Reza, F., Chiovelli, S.,and Revega, T. 2006. Characterization andcorrosion behavior of high-chromiumwhite cast irons. Metallurgical and MaterialsTransactions A — Physical Metallurgy andMaterials Science 37A(8): 2339–2347. doi—10.1007/BF02586208.

18. Zhou, J., and Jincheng, L. 2011.Colour metallography of cast iron. SCI 8(1).

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20. Dogan, O. N. 2005. Effect of chemi-cal composition and superheat on themacrostructure of high Cr white iron cast-ings. Albany Research Center. U.S. Depart-ment of Energy.

21. Powell, G. L. F., Brown, I. H., andNelson, G. D. 2008. Tough hypereutectic

high chromium white iron — A double in-situ fibrous composite. Eds. J. Yan Bell, C.Ye, and L. Zhang. Advanced Materials Re-search 32: 111–114.

22. Tabrett, C. P., Sare, I. R., andGhomashchi, M. R. 1996. Microstructure-property relationships in high chromiumwhite iron alloys. International MaterialsReviews 41(2): 59–82.

23. Liu, Z. J., Su, Y. H., and Sun, J. G.2008. Effects of shape and distribution ofM7C3 on wear resistance of iron based com-posite. Eds. M. K. Zhu, X. P. Lei, and K. W.Xu. Key Engineering Materials 373-374:560–563.

24. Klimpel, A., Dobrzanski, L. A., Jan-icki, D., and Lisiecki, A. 2005. Abrasion re-sistance of GMA metal cored wiressurfaced deposits. Journal of Materials Pro-cessing Technology 164 (5): 1056–1061. doi—10.1016/j.jmatprotec.2005.02.242.

25. Zhou, Y. F., Yang, Y. L., Jiang, Y. W.,Yang, J., Ren, X. J., and Yang, Q. X. 2012.Fe-24 wt.%Cr-4.1 wt.%C hardfacing alloy— Microstructure and carbide refinementmechanisms with ceria additive. MaterialsCharacterization 72(10): 77–86. doi —10.1016/j.matchar.2012.07.004.

26. Buytoz, S. 2006. Microstructuralproperties of M7C3 eutectic carbides in aFe-Cr-C alloy. Materials Letters 60(5): 605–608.

27. Wang, Q., and Li, X. 2010. Effects ofNb, V, and W on microstructure and abra-sion resistance of Fe-Cr-C hardfacing al-loys. Welding Journal 89(7): 133-s to 139-s.

28. Buchely, M. F., Gutierrez, J. C.,Leon, L. M., and Toro, A. 2005. The effectof microstructure on abrasive wear ofhardfacing alloys. Wear 259(1): 52–61.

29. Powell, G. L. F., Carlson, R. A., andRandle, V. 1994. The morphology and mi-crotexture of M7C3 carbides in Fe-Cr-C andFe-Cr-C-Si alloys of near eutectic composi-tion. Journal of Materials Science 29(9):4889–4896. doi —10.1007/BF00356539.

30. Atamert, S., and Bhadeshia, H. K. D.H. 1990. Microstructure and stability ofFe-Cr-C hardfacing alloys. Materials Scienceand Engineering — A 130 (1): 101–111. doi—10.1016/0921-5093(90)90085-H.

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33. Lincoln Electric. 2008. SubmergedArc Welding Guide. The Lincoln Electric Co.,Cleveland, Ohio.

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Fig. 13 — Primary carbide volume fraction and average primary carbide size.


Introduction Offshore development has acceler-ated in recent years owing to the factthat more than 50% of undevelopedpetroleum deposits are located underthe ocean. In the offshore industryand in underwater oil and gaspipelines, underwater welding is al-ready a routine activity (Refs. 1, 2).The demand for underwater weldingprocesses that can produce quality wetwelds at greater depths, and on a vari-ety of materials, will continue to in-crease (Ref. 3). Underwater welding techniques canbe classified as follows: wet welding,dry welding, and local cavity welding.Wet welding occurs directly in aqueous

environments with no mechanical bar-rier between water and welding arc. Itwas established that significant costsavings and simplicity of the processmakes it possible to weld even themost geometrically complex struc-tures; therefore, underwater wet weld-ing is of increasing importance (Refs.4, 5). The most commonly used wetwelding techniques are shielded metalarc welding (SMAW) (Refs. 6, 7) andflux cored arc welding (FCAW). It wasacknowledged that wet flux cored arcwelding is promising in the future be-cause of much higher production effi-ciency and applying in the automaticwelding process (Refs. 8, 9). In order to meet the requirementsfor offshore structures, high-strength

steel (yield strength over 350 MPa) isrequired. The strength of the steel usedfor offshore structures is a very impor-tant factor (Ref. 10). Unfortunately,high-strength low-alloy (HSLA) steelsusually have carbon equivalents greaterthan 0.4% and show poorer weldability.At the same time, an aqueous environ-ment produces a lot of disadvantageouseffects (Ref. 11), such as the cooling ef-fect of the surrounding water, loss of al-loying elements, and considerableamounts of diffusible hydrogen (Ref.12). The cooling rate in wet welding ismuch higher than in dry welding, suchas in the temperature range from 800°to 500°C, it can rise sharply from 56° to415°C/s (Ref. 4). This causes brittleweld microstructures and high amountsof hydrogen porosity, which can becauses of crack formation. Susceptibilityto cold cracking is the main problem inwelding of HSLA steels and fabricationof dissimilar joints. Many researchers have attemptedto use special methods to avoid theseadverse effects. Many studies utilizedthe temper bead technique (Refs.13–15). A full welding procedure quali-fication without cracking has beencompleted for a base plate having acarbon equivalent of 0.44. However,this method is only suitable for repairof underwater structures, which limitsits application. In addition, insulatingmaterials (Refs. 16, 17) were used tocontrol cooling rates in underwaterwet welds. The research, taking intoaccount the insulating material, devel-oped an empirical relationship to pre-dict the optimized cooling rates and

WELDING RESEARCH

Preliminary Investigation on RealTime InductionHeatingAssisted Underwater Wet Welding

A unique process that combines induction heating and flux cored arc wet welding to reduce cooling rates in real time was studied

BY H. T. ZHANG, X. Y. DAI, J. C. FENG, AND L. L. HU

ABSTRACT A novel realtime induction heatingassisted underwater wet welding process wasinvestigated. The addition of induction heating could reduce the cooling rate of thejoint in underwater wet welding. The macro and microstructures, mechanical properties such as tensile, impact, and bending properties, and Yslit restraint testingwere studied. The results showed the content of martensite (M) and upper bainite(BU) phases decreased, while the proeutectoid ferrite (PF) and acicular ferrite (AF)phases increased as the induction heating voltage increased. Mechanical propertiesof the joint were improved through addition of induction heating and fracture morphology with characteristic uniform dimples belonging to ductile fracture. The cracking ratio of Yslit restraint testing was also decreased. Therefore, the susceptibility tocold cracking of the wet welding joint was improved.

KEYWORDS • Underwater Wet Welding • Induction Heating • Microstructure • Property

H. T. ZHANG ([email protected]), X. Y. DAI ([email protected]), J. C. FENG, and L. L. Hu are with the State Key Laboratory of AdvancedWelding and Joining, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China; Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Special Welding Technology,Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, China.


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times for underwater wet welds. Fox(Ref. 18) and Pope (Ref. 19) investigat-ed the water temperature and waterdepth influences on hydrogen-inducedcracking, microstructure, and mechan-ical properties in underwater wetwelding, and the importance of watertemperature and water depth, quench-ing, and diffusible hydrogen levels inunderwater wet welding have beendemonstrated. Postweld heat treat-ment (PWHT) is frequently used to re-duce hardened structure and allow hy-drogen to diffuse away from the weldmetal and heat-affected zone (HAZ)(Ref. 20). Szelagowski (Refs. 21, 22)used a H2-O2 cutting torch and an un-derwater high-velocity oxyfuel (UW-HVOF) thermal spraying device toserve as PWHT on wet welds. The hy-drogen content of the weld metal wasreduced and the bend testing resultshowed a higher plastic property.However, the control of heat inputcould not be accurate and efficient. In this paper, a novel real-time in-duction heating-assisted underwaterwet welding process was employed forthe first time. Induction heating couldreduce the cooling rates of the joint inunderwater wet welding, especially thet8/5 (the cooling time range from 800° to500°C) was extended. According towelding CCT diagrams, it reduced thehardened and brittle transformationproducts. That is, the content ofmartensite (M) and upper bainite (BU)phases decreased as the content ofproeutectoid ferrite (PF) and acicularferrite (AF) phases increased. Therefore,the purpose of this work was to develop

a novel method to obtain an excellentquality underwater wet welding joint.

Experimental Procedure Q460 steel (equivalent to Gr. 65 steelof AST-USA or E460DD steel of 630-ISO) delivered as rolled sections withthe dimensions of 300 × 90 × 8 mm wasused as the base metal. The single-Vweld groove had a 60-deg included anglewith a 2-mm root face and 1.5-mm rootopening. The chemical composition ofthe sheets is shown in Table 1. Prior towelding, the oxide layers on the surfacesof the plates were removed by stainlesssteel wire brushing and the weld zonewas degreased using acetone. The as-received plates were welded togetherwith the gas tungsten arc (GTA) andflux cored arc (FCA) welding processes.GTAW was used for the root pass to fixthe plates with 100-A DC and 20 V inair. Underwater wet FCAW was used forthe fill passes and optimized weldingparameters are listed in Table 2. TiO2-CaF2 type flux-cored wire with a diame-ter of 1.2 mm produced by Paton Weld-ing Institute was chosen. A schematic of the assembled de-vice is shown in Fig. 1. The devicecould be divided into two sections: un-derwater welding system and induc-tion heating system. The water in thetank was stationary and the waterdepth was 300 mm. A circular, 60-mm-diameter induction coil was installedbehind the welding gun in the weldingdirection and below the plates in thevertical direction. The welding gunand induction coil were fixed together

and moved at the same speed. The pa-rameter L — defined as the distancebetween the center of the coil and thewelding gun — was constant. The in-duction heating source had an outputvoltage of 70–550 V. Changing the in-duction heating voltage meant chang-ing the output power due to the con-stant system impedance. Type-K ther-mocouples with shielding were placedat different locations from the edge ofthe weld groove to measure the tem-perature profile. Four-channel dataloggers were used to record the tem-perature measurements with a sam-pling frequency of 25 Hz. The meas-urement method of the HAZ tempera-ture field was as follows: weld HAZwithout installed thermocouples wasfirst identified to be about 2.0 mmfrom the weld interface, then the ther-mocouples located at or near 2.0 mmfrom the weld interface were identi-fied as that representing the HAZthermal cycle (Ref. 23). A CCD camera with a frame rate of2000 frames/s was used to record im-ages of the arc behavior in order to in-vestigate the effect of the inductionmagnetic field. The metallographicspecimens of a typical cross sectionwere prepared vertical to the weld jointand all specimens were polished withSiC papers up to grit 1000, and ultra-sonically cleaned with acetone to re-move oil and other contaminants fromthe specimen surfaces. Etching with 5%nitric acid and alcohol solution for 3–4 swas used to reveal the weld beam. Themacro- and microstructure fracturemorphology were observed by opticalmicroscopy (OM) and scanning electronmicroscopy (SEM), respectively. Me-chanical property tests such as tensiletesting, impact testing, and bend test-ing were investigated to build an empiri-cal relationship between induction heat-ing voltages and mechanical properties.

Results and Discussion

Welding Process Stability

A welding arc is an electric dis-charge between two electrodes and aheated and ionized gas, called plasma(Ref. 24). Therefore, the arc stabilitycould be adversely affected as a resultof the magnetic field of inductionheating and eddy current. Figure 2shows the captured images of arc

WELDING RESEARCH


Fig. 1 — Schematic of the assembled device.

Table 1 — Chemical Composition of Q460 (not more than wt%)

Base Metal C Si Mn V Ti Cr Ni Cu Mo

Q460 0.2 0.6 1.8 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.8 0.55 0.2

A BGun

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shape with parameter L and induc-tion heating voltages. Due to opti-mum parameters and flux-cored wire,the welding arc was steady during theunderwater welding process withoutinduction heating (Fig. 2A). While theinduction coil was installed, the arcstability was reduced. It was observedthat the parameter L played a majorrole in arc stability. When the param-eter L was 5 mm, the welding arc wasextremely unstable and even arc in-terruption appeared in Fig. 3A. At thesame time, when parameter L was in-creased to 20 mm, the welding arcshape was stable. Therefore, a contin-uous and uniform weld could be ob-served in Fig. 3B. Welding discontinu-ities, such as incomplete fusion andundercut, were not found. In addi-tion, the induction heating voltage af-fected arc stability and the arc stabili-ty decreased with increased voltage.To investigate the influence of volt-age on the joint, the parameter L wasfixed as 20 mm in the subsequentexperiments. CrossSection Macrographs

Q460 sheets were underwater weld-

ed at a fixed welding parameter (Table2) and at various induction heatingvoltages ranging from 250 to 450 V inorder to clarify the effect of inductionvoltage on weld penetration. Cross-sectional macrographs of the jointswith different voltages are shown inFig. 4. According to the results, weldpenetration and HAZ increased withthe increasing voltage. As was known,the width of the HAZ depended pri-marily on heat input. The heat inputwas the sum of welding heat input andinduction heating. Therefore, the ef-fect of induction heating was equal toincreasing the welding heat input. Inaddition, the induction heating madethe temperature field of the weld zonerelatively more uniform.

Microstructure Characteristicsof the Joints

The HAZ for Q460 delivered asrolled sections mainly consisted of twodistinct zones: coarse-grained HAZ(CGHAZ) and fine-grained HAZ (FG-HAZ). Typical HAZ temperature vs.time profiles during the underwaterwet welding are shown in Fig. 5. Ac-

cording to the results, the cooling ratein wet welding was extremely higherthan in air welding. For instance, thecooling rate of the temperature rangefrom 800° to 500°C could rise sharplyto 100°C/s, which was more than thecritical cooling speed of martensiteformation. Figure 6 showed the optical mi-crostructure of the weld zone withvarious induction heating voltages.Based on the theory of welding met-allurgy, as the austenite phase wascooled down from high temperature,ferrite nucleated at the grain bound-ary at 770°–680° and then grew in-ward. This ferrite was proeutectoidferrite (PF), which is also called grainboundary ferrite (GBF). When thetemperature dropped to 500°, thetransformation of acicular ferrite(AF) occurred. The acicular ferritephase was a desirable phase becauseof the excellent plasticity and tough-ness characteristics (Ref. 25). As thecooling rate increased, the transfor-mation product changed to bainiteand martensite phase and reducedthe mechanical properties. The mi-crostructure of the weld zone in airwelding was composed of proeutec-toid ferrite and acicular ferrite phase.As was mentioned previously, the aci-cular ferrite phase had excellent plas-ticity and toughness, due to the inter-locking nature of the acicular ferriteand the fine granular size. Therefore,the mechanical properties were satis-factory. Compared to air welding, themicrostructure of underwater weld-ing was a mixture of lath martensite,upper bainite, and proeutectoid fer-rite — Fig. 6A. The bainite sheaf andmartensite lath nucleated and grewfrom prior austenite granular bound-aries. The formation of lath marten-site and upper bainite were detrimen-tal to the weld properties, owing tothe easy crack propagation paths. Asthe induction heating voltages in-creased (Fig. 6 B–D), the volume frac-tion of lath martensite and upper bai-nite decreased with ferrite phases in-creasing. Moreover, the lath marten-site and upper bainite phase disap-peared as the voltage reached 350 V.The transformation product (Fig. 6C)could change from upper bainite andlath martensite to acicular ferrite andproeutectoid ferrite. Therefore, themicrostructure of the weld metal was

WELDING RESEARCH


Fig. 2 — Captured images of arc shape: A — Without induction heating; B — L = 5 mm,250 V; C — L = 5 mm, 450 V; D — L = 20 mm, 250 V; E — L = 20 mm, 450 V.

Table 2 — Optimized Welding Parameters

Welding Voltage (V) Welding Current (A) Welding Speed (mm/min) Water Depth (mm)

26 160 145 300

A

B

C

D

E


similar to air weld, the only differencewas the morphology of the proeutec-toid ferrite. Increased acicular ferritecontent in the microstructure im-proved cracking resistance, while up-per bainite and lath martensite dete-riorated the mechanical properties ofthe joint. The dimension of theproeutectoid ferrite was increasedwith the increase in the voltage. Asthe voltage was 450 V (Fig. 6D), themorphology of the proeutectoid fer-rite was coarsening and a ferrite sideplate (FSP) was found. Because of thelimited output voltage of the induc-tion heating system, the inductionheating was higher than 450 V, andthe microstructural evolution andmechanism are to be investigated inthe future. To understand the mechanism ofweld microstructural evolution, tem-perature vs. time profiles of differentinduction heating voltages without be-ing subjected to welding are shown inFig. 7. The parameters of t8/5, for a giv-

en hardenability steel, determined thehardenability of the transformationproducts, which should be taken intoconsideration to investigate the effecton susceptibility to hydrogen-inducedcracking. The data of temperature vs.time curves are shown in Table 3. Asthe induction heating voltage was 250V, the Tmax reached 412°C. Therefore,the microstructure of Fig. 6B was simi-lar to that shown in Fig. 6A becausethe t8/5 determined the transformationproducts. As the induction heatingvoltage was 350 V, the Tmax was in-creased to 609°C and the t8/5 was pro-longed at the same time. Therefore,the transformation products changedfrom upper bainite and lath marten-site to acicular ferrite and proeutec-toid ferrite due to the fact t8/5 was pro-longed. A comparison of temperaturecurves of 0 and 450 V is shown in Fig.8. It could be seen that the prolonga-tion of t8/5 was extremely obvious.That’s the reason for the evolution ofthe microstructure of the weld metal.

Figure 9 showed the optical mi-crostructure of the partially meltedzone with and without inductionheating. The red line was the weld in-terface of the joint. It could be seenthat lath martensite (M) and coarsen-ing Widmanstätten (W) structure waspredominant in the coarse-grainedHAZ in Fig. 9A. The ferrite phase pre-cipitated first in the coarse-grainedaustenite grain boundary, and thengrew into the austenite in the form ofreticular structure (also called Wstructure), resulting in splitting thematrix structure, even generating thecrack. And the lath martensite com-posed of vast coarse lath was benefi-cial for crack initiation and propaga-tion. Therefore, the mechanical prop-erties of the joint were decreased.However, as the voltage was 350 V,granular bainite was predominantand grain coarsening was relieved.Thus, the tendency to crack was de-creased, and the mechanical proper-ties of the joint were increased.

WELDING RESEARCH


Fig. 3 — Weld appearances: A — L = 5 mm, 250 V; B — L= 20 mm, 250 V.

Fig. 5 — Measured temperature vs. time curves of underwater wet welding without induction heating.

Fig. 4 — Crosssectional macrograph of the joints: A — 0 V; B — 250 V; C— 350 V; D — 450 V.

Fig. 6 — The optical microstructure of the weld zone with various inductionheating voltages: A — 0 V; B — 250 V; C — 350 V; D — 450 V; E — in air.

A A

A

B

B

B

C

C

D

D E


Mechanical Properties

Tensile Testing and FractureMorphology

Five prepared tensile specimensfrom each joint were performed usinga fully computerized tensile testingmachine with a loading rate of 1mm/min at room temperature to eval-uate the influence of various inductionheating voltages on the mechanicalproperties of the joint. The geometryof the tensile specimens and tensilestrength vs. voltage curves are shownin Fig. 10. The thickness of the speci-men was 4 mm. The tensile strength

of specimens without induction heat-ing was 444 MPa, about 82.2% of thebase metal (540 MPa). The tensileproperty increased gradually with in-creasing voltages. As the voltage was450 V, the tensile strength reached532 MPa, about 98.5%, and all thejoints fractured roughly in the HAZ.Joint efficiency increased from 82.2 to98.5%. In order to observe the fracturemechanism, SEM was carried out to an-alyze the fracture morphology. Figure11 shows the typical fracture surface ofspecimens with different voltages. Itcan be seen that a quasi-cleavage frac-ture mode was dominant in Fig. 11A,due to plenty of cleavage plane appear-

ance. The size of the cleavage plane wasrelated to the crack path. The largecleavage planes demonstrated very lowcrack propagation energy, while thesmall cleavage plane exhibited highercrack propagation energy (Ref. 26). Theformation of lath martensite and Wstructure in the HAZ was detrimental totensile property due to the easy crackpropagation paths. Once the crack oc-curred during the tensile test, it couldpropagate along the paths of lathmartensite and W structure rapidly.Therefore, tensile strength without in-duction heating was the lowest. Thedimple characteristics became predomi-nant as the voltage was increased in Fig.11B–D. Cleavage planes were in smallproportion while dimples were in largeproportion, as shown in Fig. 11B.Therefore, the fracture morphology hadthe characteristic of ductile fracture.While the voltage was above 350 V, thecleavage planes disappeared, instead ofuniform dimples, which was the typicalfeature of ductility. Nonmetallic inclu-

WELDING RESEARCH


Fig. 7 — Temperature vs. time profiles of different induction heating voltages without being subjected to welding.

Fig. 8 — Compared temperature vs. time curves during underwater wet welding with various induction heating voltages.

Fig. 10 — Tensile strength vs. inductionheating voltage curves.Fig. 9 — The optical microstructure of the weld interface: A — 0 V; B — 350 V.

Table 3 — The Data of Temperature vs. Time Curves

Induction Heating Voltages (V) Tmax(°C) t8/5 (s)

250 412 0350 609 24450 712 35

A B


sions phase were disorderly distributedin the inter-tear edges. Hence, tensileproperty of the joints improved toabout 98.9% of the base metal.

Impact Testing and FractureMorphology

Charpy V-notch impact tests wereconducted at 20°C on an instrumenteddrop weight impact tester. The speci-mens were extracted in the weld’s per-pendicular direction from the middlethickness of the as-welded specimenwith notches positioned at the centerof the weld metal. The impact energyof the joints was the average of fivespecimens. The geometry of theCharpy impact V-notch specimens andimpact energy vs. induction heatingvoltage curves are shown in Fig. 12.The thickness of the specimen was 10mm. The impact energy value of speci-mens without induction heating was36 J. As the voltage increased, the im-pact energy increased consistently. Fi-nally, as the voltage was 350 V, the im-pact energy could reach 68 J. The re-sults suggested that induction heatingcould increase the impact propertiesand the toughness of the joint. For the purpose of observing thefracture mechanism, SEM was used to

analyze the fracturemorphology. Figure 13shows the SEM micro-graphs of impact frac-ture surface morpholo-gies for different volt-ages. It can be seen thata cleavage fracture modeis dominant in Fig. 13A,due to a network ofcleavage steps known asa river pattern. Cleavagewas a low-energy frac-ture that propagated along well-defined low-index crystallographicplanes known as cleavage planes. Thebranches of the river pattern joinedin the direction of crack propagation.Meanwhile, the formation of lathmartensite and upper bainite was ad-verse to the toughness of the jointdue to the easy crack propagationpaths. Once the crack occurred, it rap-idly propagated in a straight linealong the lath martensite and upperbainite paths. Therefore, the impactenergy value without induction heat-ing was the lowest. However, the dim-ples started to appear and were pres-ent in small proportion when thevoltage was at 250 V in Fig. 13B.Feather markings, which are a fan-shaped array of very fine cleavagesteps on a large cleavage facet, are

present in large proportion. The apexof the fan points back to the fractureorigin. While the voltage was 350 V,the cleavage planes disappeared, in-stead of uniform dimples, which wasthe characteristic of ductile fracture.Some nonmetallic inclusions phaseshowed in a disorderly distributionand were surrounded by the inter-tear edges. The reason for these re-sults was that the acicular ferrite act-ed as the crack arrester and increasedthe crack propagation energy. There-fore, the impact property of the jointswas greatly improved from 36 to 68 J.

Bend Testing

Longitudinal three-point bend testswere conducted to measure the bendingductility at room temperature. The an-

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Fig. 12 — Impact energy vs. induction heating voltagecurves.

Fig. 11 — SEM images of the fractured surface of specimens withvarious voltages: A — 0 V; B — 250 V; C — 350 V; D — 450 V.

Fig. 13 — SEM images of the fractured surface of specimenswith various voltages: A — 0 V; B — 250 V; C — 350 V.

A

A

B

B

C

C

D


gle of bending for the joints was the av-erage of three specimens. The geometryof the specimens and angle of bendingvs. induction heating voltage curves areshown in Fig. 14. The thickness of thespecimen was 5 mm. According to theresults, the angle of bending values ofspecimens without induction heatingwas 21 deg, which indicated ductilitywas very low. At the same time, the an-gle of bending values increased rapidlywith increasing voltages. Finally, as thevoltage was 450 V, the angle of bendingvalues reached 88 deg. The results sug-gested joint ductility had been increased.

YSlit Restraint Testing

Because of the high quenching ratecaused by the water environment andbecause large quantities of hydrogen arepresent, hydrogen cracking is one of themost severe problems in the underwa-ter welding of steel (Ref. 27). The crack-ing tests were carried out using a Y-slitrestraint test so that the intensity of therestraint could be related to actual fabri-cating conditions. The geometry ofspecimens subjected to Y-slit restrainttesting and the cracking ratio used as ameasure of the cracking susceptibilityare shown in Fig. 15. This is a ratio ofthe height from the root to the tip ofthe crack vs. the height from the root tothe surface of the weld metal.

The cracking ratio vs. induction heat-ing voltage curves are shown in Fig. 16.The carbon equivalent value of Q460steel was 0.6, which indicated the steelwas particularly sensitive to cracking,especially in underwater welding.

Therefore, the crack-ing ratio of speci-mens without induc-tion heating was

82%. However, as the voltage reached150 and 250 V, the cracking ratio de-creased rapidly to 45% and 22%, respec-tively. Finally, when the voltage wasabove 350 V, the cracking ratio reachedabout 10%. Typical weld cross sectionswith various induction heating voltagesare shown in Fig. 17. According to theresults, induction heating could reducethe cooling rate; therefore, the crackingsusceptibility was decreased.

Microhardness Profile

Vickers microhardness measurementacross the fusion zone was carried outwith a load of 100 g and load time of 10s. Results of hardness measurementsare shown in Fig. 18. The microhard-ness distribution indicated the mi-crostructural characteristics of the joint.Increased hardness values of the weldmetal confirmed these microstructuralchanges. The location of the HAZ wasdetermined by metallographic observa-tion and the hardness of the HAZ washigher than that of the weld metal. TheHAZ and weld metal hardness de-creased with increased induction heat-ing voltage. The maximum hardness ofHAZ without induction heating was 425HV, which was much harder than thatwith 250 and 450 V. The hardness val-ues of the weld zone with 250 and 450V were relatively uniform because thelath martensite and upper bainite co-tent decreased while the acicular ferriteand proeutectoid ferrite increased. Theresults indicated induction heating hada significant effect on the maximumhardness. The microhardness profile

across the weld indicated the mi-crostructural characteristics of the joint.Induction heating made the joint micro-hardness relatively more uniform.

Conclusion 1) A novel real-time induction heat-ing-assisted underwater wet weldingprocess was employed. The addition ofinduction heating could reduce the cool-ing rate of the joint in water environ-ment to improve the microstructuraland mechanical properties of the joint. 2) Arc stability was reduced with theaddition of induction heating. The pa-rameter L played a major role in arc sta-bility. As the parameter L increased to20 mm, the welding arc shape was sta-ble. A continuous and uniform weldjoint could be observed. 3) The content of martensite (M)and upper bainite (BU) phases de-creased while the proeutectoid ferrite(PF) and acicular ferrite (AF) phases in-creased as the induction heating voltageincreased. Mechanical properties, suchas tensile, impact, and bending proper-ties, increased as the induction heatingvoltages increased. 4) Cracking was examined via a Y-slitrestraint test. The addition of inductionheating could decrease the cracking ra-tio from 82 to 10%. Therefore, induc-tion heating could make cracking sus-ceptibility decrease.

1. Brown, R. T., and Masubuchi, K. 1975.Fundamental research on underwater weld-ing. Welding Journal 54(6): 178-s to 188-s. 2. Rowe, M., and Liu, S. 2001. Recentdevelopments in underwater wet welding.Science and Technology of Welding and Join-

WELDING RESEARCH


Fig. 14 — Angle of bending vs. induction heating voltagecurves.

Fig. 15 — Schematic of Yslit selfrestrained cracking test (mm).

References


ing 6: 387–396. 3. Łabanowski, J. 2011. Developmentof underwater welding techniques. WeldingInternational 25: 933–937. 4. Łabanowski, J., and Fydrych, D. Rogal-ski, G. 2008. Underwater welding — A re-view. Advances in Materials Science 8: 11–22. 5. Ibarra, S. J., Reynolds, T. J., andGabriel, G. 1996. Amoco Trinidad selectswet welding repair option. Proceedings ofthe International Conference on Offshore Me-chanics and Arctic Engineering 3: 109–112. 6. Yara, H., Makishi, Y., Kikuta, Y., andMatsuda, F. 1987. Mechanical and metal-lurgical properties of an experimental cov-ered electrode for wet underwater welding.Welding International 1: 835–839. 7. Liu, S., Olson, D. L., and Ibarra, S. J.1995. Designing shielded metal arc consum-ables for underwater wet welding in off-shore applications. Journal of Offshore Me-chanics and Arctic Engineering 117: 212–220. 8. Kononenko, V. Y. 1996. Mechanisedwelding with self‐shielding, flux‐coredwires for repairing hydraulic installationsand vessels in water. Welding International10: 994–997. 9. Jia, C. B., Zhang, T., Maksimov, S. Y.,and Yuan, X. 2013. Spectroscopic analysisof the arc plasma of underwater wet flux-

cored arc welding. Journal ofMaterials Processing Technology213: 1370–1377.

10. Maksimov, Y. S. 2010.Underwater arc welding ofhigher strength low-alloysteels. Welding International 24:449–454.

11. Skorupa, A., and Bal, M.1996. The effect of aqueous en-vironments on the quality of un-derwater‐welded joints. Welding

International 10: 95–98. 12. Pope, A. M., Medeiros, R. C., andLiu, S. 1995. Solidification of underwaterwet welds. Proceedings of the InternationalConference on Offshore Mechanics and ArcticEngineering 3: 517–521. 13. Grubbs C. E. 1993. Underwater wetwelding (a state of the art report). Proceedingof the International Conference on OffshoreMechanics and Arctic Engineering 3: 111–118. 14. Grubbs, C. E., Reynolds, T. J. 1998.State-of-the-art underwater wet welding.World Oil 219: 79s. 15. Grubbs, C.E., and Reynolds, T. J.1998. Underwater welding: Seeking highquality at greater depths. Welding Journal77(9): 35–39. 16. Tsai, C. L., and Masubuchi, K. 1979.Mechanisms of rapid cooling in underwaterwelding. Applied Ocean Research 1: 99–110. 17. Hasui, A., and Suga, Y. 1980. Oncooling of underwater welds. Transactionsof the Japan Welding Society 11: 21–28. 18. Fox, A. G., Johnson, R. L., and Dill,J. F. 1998. Effect of water temperature onthe underwater wet weldability of ASTMA516 grade 70 steel. Proceedings of the1998 17th International Conference on Off-shore Mechanics and Arctic Engineering.

19. Pope, A. M., Teixeira, J. C. G. 1997.Influence of water depth on microstruc-ture and mechanical properties of wetwelds. Proceedings of the International Con-ference on Offshore Mechanics and Arctic En-gineering 3: 13–19. 20. Szelagowski, P., and Ibarra, S. 1992.In-situ post-weld heat treatment of wetwelds. Offshore Technology Conference,Houston, Tex. 21. Ohliger, A., and Szelagowski, P.1992. Thermal spraying in wet environ-ment. The Proceedings of the 2nd (1992) In-ternational Offshore and Polar EngineeringConference 4: 220. 22. Ohliger, A., Szelagowski, P., andSchafstall, H. 1991. Thermal Spraying: Re-cent Developments for Underwater Applica-tion 3: 193. 23. Silwal, B., Li, L., Deceuster, A., andGriffiths, B. 2013. Effect of postweld heattreatment on the toughness of heat-affect-ed zone for grade 91 steel. Welding Journal92(1): 80-s to 87-s. 24. Welding Handbook. 8th edition.1991. Ed. R. L. O'Brien. Miami, Fla.: Amer-ican Welding Society. 25. Zachrisson, J., Borjesson, J., andKarlsson, L. 2013. Role of inclusions information of high strength steel weld met-al microstructures. Science and Technologyof Welding and Joining 18: 603–609. 26. Hu, J., Du, L. X., Wang, J. J., Gao,C., and Gao, R. 2013. Effect of weldingheat input on microstructures and tough-ness in simulated CGHAZ of V–N highstrength steel. Materials Science & Engineer-ing A 577: 16–168. 27. Ozaki, H., Naiman, J., and Masub-uchi, K. 1977. A study of hydrogen crack-ing in underwater steel welds. WeldingJournal 56(8): 231-s to 237-s.

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Fig. 17 — Typical underwater weld cross sections with various inductionheating voltages: A — 0 V; B — 150 V; C — 250 V; D — 350 V.

Fig. 16 — Cracking ratio vs. induction heating voltagecurves.

Fig. 18 — Hardness distribution along the joint.

A B

C D


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Introduction The automotive industry has beenusing lighter structural materials in-cluding magnesium alloys (Refs. 1, 2)to reduce vehicle weight, fuel con-sumption, and emissions. Being one-

third lighter than aluminum (Al), mag-nesium (Mg) is the lightest metallicstructural material with excellent spe-cific strength (Ref. 3). Due to the rap-idly increasing use of Mg alloys (Refs.1–3), research interest in Mg weldinghas grown rapidly as can be seen in re-

views on recent Mg welding research(Refs. 4–7). Spatter has long delayedthe use of gas metal arc welding(GMAW) for Mg alloys. Spatter is the“metal particles expelled during fusionwelding that do not form a part of theweld” (Ref. 8). It is caused by the ex-pelling of filler metal droplets fromthe arc during welding. Severe spatter-ing can result in a messy weld irregularin shape, with significant variations inthe weld width and penetration depth.Fifty percent or more loss of the Mgfiller metal by spattering has been re-ported (Refs. 5, 9). Lockwood (Ref. 10) pioneered theGMAW of Mg alloys. He found thatspray transfer at high welding currentsproduced too much heat for weldingthin Mg sheets, and globular transferwas unstable and caused spattering.So, he used short-circuit transfer toweld sheets from 1.0 to 3.2 mm (0.04–0.125 in.). The resultant welds showedrather high crowns. Lockwood (Ref.11) also tried pulsed-arc welding at in-termediate currents, where one smalldroplet was transferred per pulse.Rethmeier et al. (Ref. 12) welded AZ31Mg and AZ61 Mg alloys by short-circuiting GMAW, and welds with highcrowns were shown. Mg alloys have been welded by gastungsten arc welding (GTAW) (Ref.13), laser beam welding (LBW) (Refs.6, 14), electron beam welding (EBW)(Ref. 15), friction stir welding (FSW)(Ref. 16), and double-sided plasma arcwelding (DSPAW) (Ref. 17). Gas tung-sten arc welding is slow, LBW and

Gas Metal Arc Welding of Magnesium Alloys:Oxide Films, High Crowns, and Fingers

Sound welds can be made but precautions need to be taken against these defects,whose mechanisms of formation are established and methods of mitigation demonstrated

BY X. CHAI, Y. K. YANG, B. E. CARLSON, AND S. KOU

ABSTRACT The use of Mg alloys for vehicle weight reduction has been increasing rapidly worldwide. Gas metal arc welding (GMAW) has the potential for massproduction welding of Mg alloys. Recently, the University of Wisconsindemonstrated in beadonplate GMAW of Mg alloys that: 1) the issue of severe spatter, which has long delayed the use of GMAW for Mg alloys, can beeliminated by using controlled short circuiting (CSC), and 2) the issue ofsevere hydrogen porosity can be eliminated by removing Mg(OH)2, whichforms on the welding wire surface over time. The present study aimed at actual butt and lap joint welding of Mg alloys by CSCGMAW. The most widelyused wrought Mg alloy AZ31 Mg (~Mg3Al1Zn0.2Mn) was welded by CSCGMAW. Sound welds were made without spatter and hydrogen porosity,with butt joint welds approaching 100% of the basemetal strength.However, three new significant issues were found to occur easily anddegrade the weld quality significantly: 1) formation of oxide films inside buttjoint welds, 2) formation of high crowns on butt joint welds, and 3)formation of fingers from lap joint welds. These three new issues, like the issues of spatter and porosity investigated previously, were caused mainly bythe unusual physical and chemical properties of Mg, rather than the weldingprocess itself. These properties include the low liquid density, low soliddeformability, low liquid fluidity, and high oxygen affinity of Mg. The mechanisms of their formation were established, and the methods for their elimination or reduction were demonstrated.

KEYWORDS • Mg Alloys • Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) • Controlled Short Circuiting (CSC) • Butt Joint Welds • Lap Joint Welds

X. CHAI is a graduate student, Y. K. YANG was a postdoc, and S. KOU is a professor with the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, the Universityof Wisconsin, Madison, Wis. B. E. CARLSON is with the Manufacturing System Lab, General Motors Research and Development Center, Warren, Mich.

Chai et al Supp 201435 Jan 2015 WJ_Layout 1 12/11/14 2:33 PM Page 16

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EBW are not readily available, andDSPAW can be inconvenient. Frictionstir welding requires rigid clampingand the use of an anvil, and can becomplicated for making fillet welds.Gas metal arc welding, if it can be usedfor Mg alloys, is readily available, inex-pensive and easy to use, and it com-bines good weld quality, high produc-tion rate, and easy automation. Recently, the University of Wiscon-sin demonstrated the elimination ofspatter in GMAW of Mg alloys by us-ing controlled short circuiting (CSC)(Ref. 18). In CSC-GMAW, a processcontroller coordinates the feeding andspeed of the wire electrode with thelevel of welding current delivered bythe power source (Ref. 19). The con-troller monitors the voltage betweenthe electrode and the workpiece to de-termine if the welding process is in thearc phase or the short-circuiting phaseat any given time. The controller clearsthe short by retracting the wire to thepreset arc length level. Once the arc isestablished again, the controller be-gins feeding the wire toward the weldpool, and the cycle repeats. CSC-GMAW was originally developed andcalled “CSC-MIG” by Miller ElectricManufacturing Co. and subsequentlymanufactured by Jetline Engineering,Irvine, Calif. This was the first applica-tion of CSC-GMAW to Mg alloys. The mechanism of spatter in con-ventional GMAW of Mg alloys was es-tablished by examining the metaltransfer by high-speed video recordingat 4000 frames/s and analyzing thewaveforms of current and voltagerecorded during welding (Ref. 18). Es-sentially, the low Mg density makesthe Mg welding wire both fast meltingand difficult to detach by gravity. Theexcessively large globule finally touch-es the weld pool to short circuit. This

causes a sudden current surge, whichin turn causes the arc to suddenly ex-pand during reinitiation and expel thelarge globule as severe spatter. In CSC-GMAW, however, the current is alwaysunder tight control, and there is nocurrent surge to cause spatter. Severe hydrogen porosity, thoughnot reported previously in GMAW ofMg alloys, was observed in both con-ventional GMAW and CSC-GMAW(Ref. 18). It was demonstrated thatporosity can be eliminated by cleaningthe Mg welding wire surface withsandpaper or baking it in air at 380°Cfor 11 min before welding. The mech-anism of porosity formation in MgGMAW was also established by usingX-ray diffraction to identify the pres-ence of Mg(OH)2 on the welding wirethat caused porosity and by using thesolubility curve of H in Mg. Essential-ly, with its large surface area per unitvolume, a welding wire covered withMg(OH)2 can carry a significantamount of Mg(OH)2 into the arc,where it decomposes by Mg(OH)2→MgO + H2O. The H2O further decom-poses to hydrogen to dissolve in Mg(L)as H. Since Mg(S) can dissolve muchless H than Mg(L), it rejects H to forma H-rich liquid layer at the solidifica-tion front, where the reaction 2H→H2(g) can occur and form hydrogenbubbles. The low Mg density slowsdown the rise of the bubbles to escapefrom the weld pool. The purpose of the present studywas to actually butt and lap joint weldMg-alloy sheets together by CSC-GMAW. In the previous study (Ref.18), bead-on-plate welding was used todemonstrate the elimination of spat-ter and hydrogen porosity from Mgwelds by CSC-GMAW. As will beshown, other defects can form in actu-al butt and lap joint welding of Mg al-

loys even though spatter and hydrogenporosity can be eliminated.

Experimental Procedure

Materials

The workpiece was AZ31B-H24 Mg(~Mg-3Al-1Zn-0.2Mn) sheets 203 mmlong (rolling direction), 76 mm wide,and 1.6 mm thick (8 by 3 by 1⁄16 in.).They were cut from a larger sheet byshearing, which is common practicefor preparing metal sheets for welding.The filler metal was AZ61A Mg (Mg-6Al-1Zn-0.33Mn) 1.2 mm in diameter.The standard welding grade Ar(99.95% purity) was used as theshielding gas. All sheets were welded in the lengthdirection (203 mm), that is, the rollingdirection. Prior to welding, the sur-faces of the workpiece were degreasedwith acetone, cleaned with a stainlesssteel brush to remove surface oxides,and then cleaned, including the edges,with acetone again. The filler metal,

Fig. 1 — Specimen for tensile testing inthe transverse direction of a butt jointweld. A — Top view; B — side view.

Fig. 2 — Specimen for tensile testing inthe transverse direction of a lap weld. A— Top view; B — side view.

Fig. 3 — Waveforms of welding currentand voltage recorded during welding ofweld G011. A — Overview; B — enlarged.

A

B

A

B

A

B


WELDING RESEARCH


on the other hand, was cleaned withacetone, 240-grit sandpaper followedby 600-grit sandpaper, and then ace-tone again (Ref. 18).

Butt Joint Welding

The welding system consisted of aMiller Electric Invision 456P as thepower source and a Jetline EngineeringCSC-MIG weld process controller. Thewelding position was flat and the weld-ing gun was vertical with a distance of

13 mm (1⁄2 in.) between the contact tipand workpiece. Tables 1 and 2 show ex-amples of the values that can be as-signed to the parameters defining thewelding current and wire feed speed, re-spectively (Ref. 18). Tables 3 and 4 showthe values assigned to the parametersdefining the welding current and wirefeed rate for butt joint welds made witha root opening below 1 mm (0, 0.5, and0.75 mm). Tables 5 and 6 show similarvalues for butt joint welds made with aroot opening of 1 or 1.2 mm.

As shown in Tables 7 and 8, the trav-el speeds were 7.6, 11.0, or 14.4 mm/s(18, 26, or 34 in./min). The groove inthe steel backing plate was 0.44, 0.65, or1.18 mm deep. The transverse cross-sections of the resultant welds were ex-amined by optical microscopy.

Lap Joint Welding

The upper sheet was 76 mm wideand 203 mm long (rolling direction),and the lower sheet 92 mm (35⁄8 in.) wideand 203 mm long (rolling direction),both 1.6 mm thick. The overlapping was15.88 mm (5⁄8 in.). A mild steel plate witha groove 1.0 mm (0.04 in.) deep and 9.5mm (0.375 in.) wide was used as a back-ing plate for welding. All welds weremade with the joint directly on top ofthe groove except for weld #031, whichwas made on the same backing platewithout a groove. The welding positionwas flat and the torch was either verti-cal or tilted 10 deg to a point toward theupper sheet, with a distance of 15.88mm between the contact tip and uppersheet. The lateral position of the weld-ing wire tip varied from slightly withinthe upper sheet to slightly within thelower sheet. The travel speed was either7.62 or 10.2 mm/s (18 or 24 in./min).Similar to butt joint welding, lap jointwelding was conducted along the rollingdirection of AZ31 Mg. In both butt and lap joint welding,the waveforms of the welding currentand voltage were recorded using acomputer data-acquisition system to-gether with the software LabView. Thedata-sampling rate for each signal was15,000 Hz. The average power inputwas determined by integration of theproduct of current and voltage and di-vision over the whole welding time.

Mechanical Testing

Tensile testing of the resultant

Table 1 — Parameters Related to Welding Current in CSCGMAW

Current (A) Times (ms)A Start 150 4.0R Mid 310 20.0C End 110

S Current (A) Times (ms)H Start 90 4.0O Mid 110 8.0R End 90T

Rise (A/ms) 500Fall (A/ms) 500

ms: milliseconds.

Table 2 — Parameters Related to Wire Feed Speed in CSCGMAW

18.5 Down WFS (MPM) (Increasing the down WFS will decrease the deposition rate)0.0 Delay before wire down (ms) (Pause time at arc length)

15.0 Up 1 WFS (MPM) (Retract WFS until the short is cleared)0.0 Delay before wire up (ms) (Pause time in the short) (Wire stopped)

15.0 Up 2 WFS (MPM) (Retract WFS after the short is cleared until the arc length is met)0.0 Arc length (mm) (The distance that the wire will retract after the short has cleared)0.8 Penetration delay (ms) (After a short is detected, the wire continues forward until time out)

WFS: wire feeding speed; MPM: meters per min; ms: milliseconds.

Table 3 — Welding Current Settings for Butt Joint Welding with an Opening < 1 mm

CurrentArc Time Short Circuit Time

Start Mid End Start Mid EndCurrent Time Current Time Current Time Current Time Current Time Current Time

(A) (ms) (A) (ms) (A) (ms) (A) (ms) (A) (ms) (A) (ms)

50 2.0 60 7.0 50 n/a 70 2.0 70 2.5 64 n/aRise Rate of Current (A/ms): 250; Fall Rate of Current (A/ms): 250

ms: milliseconds.


WELDING RESEARCH


welds was conducted. The purpose wasto understand the effect of various de-fects on welds instead of documentingthe mechanical properties of Mgwelds. Specimens for tensile testingwere prepared in the transverse direc-tion of the welds, that is, normal tothe rolling direction. Figures 1 and 2 show sketches of thebutt-joint and lap-joint weld specimens,respectively. The gauge length for all thetensile specimens was 80 mm, and alltensile tests were conducted with weldcrown on. For the purpose of compari-son, specimens of 152 by 25.4 by 1.6mm were also prepared from the sameAZ31B-H24 Mg sheets used for weld-ing, with the length direction (152 mm)normal to the rolling direction. Thus,the weld specimens and base-metalspecimens were both pulled normal tothe rolling direction. For all the testsconducted, the tensile stress was basedon the cross-sectional area of 25.4 by1.6 mm and the value for each weld wasthe average value of three or more ten-sile test specimens cut from the sameweld. A MTS model Sintech 10/GL ten-sile testing machine was used. Thecrosshead movement speed was set at 5mm/min (0.2 in./min).

Result and Discussion

Butt Joint Welding

Tables 7 and 8 summarize the weld-ing conditions and tensile testing re-sults of the butt joint welds made inthe present study. Examples of the

waveforms of the welding current andvoltage are shown in Fig. 3, whichwere recorded during the CSC-GMAWof weld G011. The current settings are shown inTables 3 and 5, the wire-speed settingsin Tables 4 and 6, and the welding con-ditions in Tables 7 and 8. The weldswere free of spatter as will be shownsubsequently. They were also free ofhydrogen porosity. Hydrogen pores,

when they are present, often reach theweld top surface as open holes (Ref.18). This confirms the previous studybased on bead-on-plate welding thatCSC can help eliminate spatter inGMAW of Mg alloys and that cleaningthe filler metal with sandpaper to re-move Mg(OH)2 can help eliminate hy-drogen porosity (Ref. 18). As men-tioned previously, the workpiece sur-face in the welding area was also

Fig. 4 — Tensile test results of soundbutt joint welds.

Fig. 5 — Entrapment of oxide films in weld 002. A — Rough edge caused by shearing; B — top view of weld; C — transverse cross section of weld; D — tensile test curves; E —side views of tensile tested specimens; F — fracture surface of specimen 5 showing entrapped oxide films and air holes.

Table 4 — WireSpeed Settings for Butt Joint Welding with a Root Opening < 1 mm

Wire SpeedDown Up 1 Up 2

Wire Delay Wire Up 1 Delay Wire Up 2 Arc Length PenetrationDown before Speed before Speed (mm) Delay (ms)Speed Wire Down (MPM) Wire Up (ms) (MPM)(MPM) (ms)

6.8 4 6.8 6 6.8 0.0 0.8

MPM: meters per min, ms: milliseconds.

A B

C

F

E

D


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cleaned before welding. Tensile testing results of the speci-mens prepared from the butt jointwelds show that good weld quality canbe achieved by CSC-GMAW. Except inthe presence of defects such as en-trapped oxide films and air in the fu-

sion zone, which will be discussed sub-sequently, failure occurred outside thefusion zone along the fusion bound-ary. Sound welds can be made withoutentrapments of oxide films and with-out a high crown. The average joint

strength of a sound weld can be closeto that of the base metal (290 MPa) asshown in Fig. 4. The compositions ofthe welds were calculated based on thedilution and the compositions of theworkpiece and filler metal. The dilu-tion is defined as the percentage of themelted base metal in the weld metal,that is, the extent the filler metal is di-luted by the base metal (Ref. 20). For weld 007, the dilution is about44%, and the weld metal compositionis thus Mg-4.7Al-1Zn-0.27Mn. As forweld #008, the dilution is 41% and theweld metal composition is thus Mg-4.8Al-1Zn-0.28Mn. The joint ductility,about 8 to 9% elongation before fail-ure, is well below that of the base met-al (29%). The tensile tested base-metalspecimen showed clear necking (i.e., toless than the initial width of 25.4 mm)near the mid length of the specimen.Obviously, in the weld specimen suchnecking is hindered by the top andbottom reinforcements of the weld. Infact, the weld and its surrounding areabent and were no longer flat thoughstill straight. In the study by Song etal. (Ref. 21) on butt joint welding of 3-mm-thick AZ31 Mg sheets by AC-pulsed GMAW, a high strength levelclose to that of the base metal was alsoreported and the elongation beforefailure varied from 6 to 9%. Although sound butt joint weldscan be made, precautions need to betaken to avoid two defects that havenot been discussed or even noticed orobserved previously in GMAW of Mgalloys: 1) entrapped oxide films, and 2)high crowns. As found in the presentstudy, they tend to form very easilyand they can degrade the weld qualitysignificantly, especially the ductility.These issues and the methods to dealwith them are discussed below.

Issue 1: Entrapment of Oxide Films

It was observed that oxide films canbe very easily trapped in the fusionzone. However, entrapment of oxidefilms and air is mainly caused by thecombination of unusual physical prop-erties of Mg rather than the weldingprocess used, as will be explained sub-sequently. Figure 5 shows weld 002, which wasmade with the as-sheared faying sur-faces (Fig. 5A) in contact with eachother to form a butt joint. The top sur-

Fig. 6 — Assheared edges of 1.6mmthick sheets. A — Rough edge of AZ31B Mg (~Mg3Al1Zn0.2Mn) showing chipping near bottom of edge; B — smooth edge of 6061 (~Al1Mg0.6Si) showing no chipping. Hexagonal closepacked (hcp) structure, with fewer slipplanes available, is less deformable than facecentered cubic (fcc) structure.

Fig. 7 — Mechanism and elimination of oxidefilm entrapment. A — Mechanism; B —elimination by milling edges after shearing; C — elimination by leaving an opening.

A

A

B

B C


WELDING RESEARCH


face (Fig. 5B) shows the weld is free ofspatter or open holes caused by hydro-gen porosity. The transverse cross-section of the weld (Fig. 5C) shows atoe angle of about 135 deg, which isthe angle between the crown andworkpiece top surface. The tensile test

curves (Fig. 5D) show that the ductili-ty (elongation before failure) scatterssignificantly from specimen to speci-men of the same weld, from about 9%in specimen 4 to 7% in specimen 5 and6% in specimen 2. The tensile testcurve of specimen 1 is similar to that

of specimen 4 but not included be-cause of accidental slippage at the be-ginning of tensile testing. It should bepointed out that elongation in a trans-verse tension specimen does not givean accurate assessment of ductilitydue to the geometry of the weld itselfand the differences in strength of thebase metal, weld metal, and heat-af-fected zone. The elongation at failureshown in Fig. 5D and subsequent fig-ures is not meant to represent the ac-tual weld ductility but just for compar-ing the levels of ductility of differentwelds. The side views of the tensile-testedspecimens (Fig. 5E) show the locationsof failure. Specimens 2 and 5 failed in-side the fusion zone while the rest ofthe specimens failed outside the fu-sion zone along the weld, that is, inthe partially melted zone (Ref. 20).The fracture surface of specimen 5(Fig. 5F) shows entrapped oxide filmsin the fusion zone along the weldingdirection. The left side of the fracturesurface corresponds to the photo ofspecimen 5 shown in Fig. 5E. Asshown, air can be entrapped inside theoxide films. The gas holes are air holesbecause there was no hydrogen on thefaying surfaces during welding tocause hydrogen porosity. The fayingsurfaces were welded shortly afterpreparation and cleaned with acetonebefore welding. Oxide films were alsoobserved on the fracture surface ofspecimen 2 (not shown). Thus, it isclear from Fig. 5 that oxide films in the

Fig. 8 — Folded oxide film as a potential site of crack initiation. A — Schematic illustration of transverse crosssection of fusion zone; B, D — schematic fracture surfaces; C, E— fracture surfaces of tensile tested specimen (butt joint weld 051) confirming existence of bifilm.

Table 5 — Current Settings for Butt Joint Welding with a Root Opening of 1.0 or 1.2 mm

Weld Arc Time Short Circuit Time#

Start Mid End Start Mid EndCurrent Time Current Time Current Time Current Time Current Time Current Time

(A) (ms) (A) (ms) (A) (ms) (A) (ms) (A) (ms) (A) (ms)

G001 45 4.0 55 6.0 45 n/a 70 2.0 70 4.0 64 n/aG002 60 4.0 50 6.0 60 n/a 70 2.0 70 4.0 64 n/aG003 42 4.0 52 6.0 42 n/a 70 2.0 70 4.0 64 n/aG004 42 4.0 52 6.0 42 n/a 70 2.0 70 4.0 64 n/aG005 41 4.0 51 6.0 41 n/a 70 2.0 70 4.0 64 n/aG006 41 4.0 51 6.0 41 n/a 70 2.0 70 4.0 64 n/aG007 40 4.0 50 6.0 40 n/a 70 2.0 70 4.0 64 n/aG008 40 4.0 50 6.0 40 n/a 70 2.0 70 4.0 64 n/aG009 38 4.0 48 6.0 38 n/a 70 2.0 70 4.0 64 n/aG010 38 4.0 48 6.0 38 n/a 70 2.0 70 2.5 64 n/aG011 37 4.0 47 6.0 37 n/a 70 2.0 70 2.5 64 n/a

Rise Rate of Current (A/ms): 250; Fall Rate of Current (A/ms): 250

ms: milliseconds.

A

B C

ED


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fusion zone along the welding directioncan significantly decrease the ductility.

Mechanism of OxideFilm Entrapment

In order to understand how oxidefilms are entrapped in butt joint weldsof Mg alloys, the faying surfaces beforewelding were examined. Figure 6 shows the as-sheared edgesof an AZ31Mg sheet and a 6061 Al(~Al-1Mg-0.6Si) sheet, both preparedwith the same shear. Chipping is evi-dent near the bottom of the AZ31 Mgedge (Fig. 6A), which makes the lowerportion of the edge rough. Chippingwas observed on all sheared edges, par-allel or normal to the rolling direction,and welds were made parallel to therolling direction. The hexagonal close-packed (hcp) structure of Mg and itsalloys does not provide many slipplanes for plastic deformation (Ref.22). Unable to deform much plastical-ly, Mg sheets tend to chip off duringshearing. No chipping is visible on theas-sheared 6061 Al edge (Fig. 6B). Un-like Mg, the face-centered cubic (fcc)structure of Al and its alloys providesmore slip planes for plastic deforma-tion to occur more easily. The mechanism of oxide-film en-trapment in butt joint welding of as-sheared Mg sheets is proposed in Fig.7. When two as-sheared rough edgesare put together to form a butt joint,an air channel exists between the low-er portions of the faying surfaces (Fig.

Fig. 9 — Elimination of oxide films from weld 007. A — Milling of edge after shearing; B —top view; C — transverse cross section; D — tensile test curves; E — top view of specimen 5showing fracture along fusion boundary; F — side views of tensile tested specimens. Unlikeweld 002 (Fig. 5), no specimens here show significant ductility reduction caused by oxidefilms.

Table 6 — WireSpeed Settings for Butt Joint Welding with a Root Opening of 1.0 or 1.2 mm

Wire SpeedDown Up 1 Up 2 Arc Penetration

Weld Wire Delay Wire Up 1 Delay Wire Up 2 Length Delay# Down before Speed before Speed (mm) (ms)

Speed Wire Down (MPM) Wire Up (MPM)(MPM) (ms) (ms)

G001 15 0 15 0 15 0.2 0G002 15 0 15 0 15 0.2 0G003 6.8 4 6.8 6 6.8 0.2 0G004 6.8 4 6.8 6 6.8 0.2 0G005 6.8 4 6.8 6 6.8 0.2 0G006 6.8 4 6.8 6 6.8 0.2 0G007 6.8 4 6.8 6 6.8 0.2 0G008 6.8 4 6.8 6 6.8 0.2 0G009 6.8 4 6.8 6 6.8 0.2 0G010 6.8 4 6.8 6 6.8 0.2 0G011 6.8 4 6.8 6 6.8 0.2 0

MPM: meters per minute, ms: milliseconds.

A B

C

D

E

F


WELDING RESEARCH


7A). The channel is inaccessible bythe Ar shielding gas from the torchabove the workpiece. During weldingthe faying surfaces ahead of the weldpool are heated up. The tendency formetals to oxidize is shown by theEllingham diagram for oxides (Ref.23), which is a plot of the free energyof oxide formation vs. temperature.The Ellingham diagram shows thatMg is one of the metals with thestrongest tendency to oxidize,stronger than Al (Ref. 23). The combi-nation of air, heating, and the veryhigh oxidation tendency of Mg causesoxide films to form on the faying sur-faces ahead of the weld pool. Becauseof the very low density of Mg, the ox-ide films and air bubbles entrapped inthe weld pool may not be able to risequickly and escape from the weldpool. The air channel can be avoidedas shown in Fig. 7B and C, which arediscussed subsequently. Figure 8 explains how an en-trapped oxide film can cause prema-ture failure of a weld. A folded oxidefilm present along the central planeof the fusion zone can provide a verysharp notch to initiate crack undertension — Fig. 8A. The resultant twofracture surfaces should each showthe presence of an oxide film — Fig.8B, D. This is confirmed by the actualfracture surfaces of the tensile-tested

Fig. 10 — Elimination of oxide films from weld 008. A — Rough edge caused by shearing;B — top view of weld; C — transverse cross section; D — tensiletesting curves; E — sideviews of tensile tested specimens. Unlike weld 002 (Fig. 5), no specimens here show significant ductility reduction caused by oxide films.

Table 7 — Summary of Butt Joint Welds Made with a Root Opening < 1 mm

Weld Butt Joint Power Travel Speed Weld Penetration UTS Elongation % Base# (W) (in./min) (MPa) (%) Metal UTS

002 1.18mm groove; 922 18 full 275.7 7.3 94.8no root opening

007 1.18mm groove 885 18 full 283.2 8.8 97.6milled flat; no root opening

008 1.18mm groove; 903 18 full 285.8 8.2 98.40.75mm root opening






054 square groove 877 34 full 246.5 3.1 84.9milled flat; no root opening

056 1.18mm groove;no root opening 971 18 full – – –

AZ31B base metal 290.3 29.4 100.0

AB

C

DE


WELDING RESEARCH


specimen of a butt joint weld (Fig. 8C,E), that is, specimen 3 of weld 051 (tobe shown discussed subsequently).Note that the oxide films on the twofracture surfaces are nearly exact mir-ror images of each other. Campbell (Ref. 24) reported thatoxide films can significantly degrademetal castings. He showed how oxidesfilms can be introduced into the bulkliquid metal just by pouring the liquidmetal into a crucible. For instance, theoxide films covering the surface of theliquid metal already in the crucible canbe pushed into the bulk liquid metalby the stream of liquid metal still be-ing poured into the crucible. When anoxide film is folded, it can provide avery sharp notch to significantly de-grade the resultant casting. Campbell(Ref. 24) called this double film defecta “bifilm” as a convenient short-handto emphasize its double nature. Thefaying surfaces in butt joint weldingmight be a potential source for bifilmsto form along the weld central planeand degrade the resultant weld. Thefact that the oxide films on the twofracture surfaces of the tensile testedspecimen (Fig. 8C, E) are nearly exactmirror images of each other suggeststhe presence of bifilms. It is interest-ing to note that Coniglio and Cross(Ref. 25) discussed the possible role ofbifilms in the initiation of cracks dur-ing weld-metal solidification.

Reducing Entrapment by MillingFaying Surfaces

One way to reduce entrapment of ox-ide films in the fusion zone is to mill therough as-sheared faying surfacessmooth before welding. This can elimi-nate the air channel that causes the en-trapment. Figure 9 shows a butt joint

weld, weld 007, made with the fayingsurfaces milled flat after shearing —Fig. 9A. As compared to weld 002 madewith as-sheared faying surfaces (Fig. 5),

the tensile test curves (Fig. 9D) showsignificantly less scatter in ductility. Thetensile-tested specimens (Fig. 9E, F)show failure along the outside of the fu-

Fig. 11 — Entrapment of oxide films in weld 051 caused by too small an opening between assheared faying surfaces. A — Top view; B — transverse cross section; C — tensile test curves showing lower ductility of specimens 2 and 3; D — failure through fusionzones of specimens 2 and 3; E — fracture surfaces of specimens 2 and 3 (not 1, 4, and 5)showing entrapped oxides and air.

Table 8 — Summary of Butt Joint Welds Made with a Root Opening of 1.0 or 1.2 mm

Weld # Butt Joint Power (W) Travel Speed (in./min) Weld Penetration

G001 1.18mm square groove; 1.0mm root opening 639 18 PartialG002 1.18mm square groove; 1.0mm root opening 857 18 MeltthroughG003 1.18mm square groove; 1.2mm root opening 742 18 MeltthroughG004 1.18mm square groove; 1.2mm root opening 727 18 FullG005 1.18mm square groove; 1.2mm root opening 735 18 FullG006 1.18mm square groove; 1.2mm root opening 764 18 MeltthroughG007 1.18mm square groove; 1.2mm root opening 738 18 FullG008 1.18mm square groove; 1.2mm root opening 768 18 MeltthroughG009 0.44mm square groove; 1.2mm root opening 636 18 FullG010 0.65mm square groove; 1.2mm root opening 650 18 FullG011 0.65mm square groove; 1.2mm root opening 628 18 Full

A B

CD

E


WELDING RESEARCH


sion zone, consistent with the absenceof oxide-film entrapment. No air holesare visible in the fusion zone — Fig. 9F.

Reducing Entrapment by SeparatingFaying Surfaces

Another way to help avoid entrap-ment of oxide films in the fusion zoneis to leave an opening between as-sheared faying surfaces. Since Ar isheavier than air (Ref. 20), the Arshielding gas from the torch may enterthe opening near the weld pool andkeep air away. If oxide films still formon the surfaces, the liquid filler metal

may be able to carry them away whilegoing through the opening. Figure 10 shows a weld, weld 008,made with a 0.75-mm opening be-tween two as-sheared faying surfaces— Fig. 10A. The tensile test curves(Fig. 10D) show significantly less scat-ter in ductility. Failure occurs alongthe outside of the fusion boundary(Fig. 10E), consistent with the absenceof entrapped oxide films in the fusionzone. The effectiveness of a root open-ing in eliminating entrapment of oxidefilms can be affected by the width ofthe opening. A smaller opening allowsless room for Ar to purge the air be-

tween the surfaces and for the liquidfiller metal to flow through and carryoxide films away from the surfaces (ifoxide films are present). Figure 11 shows a butt joint weld(weld 051) made with a 0.5-mm open-ing between two as-sheared fayingsurfaces in the as-sheared condition.The tensile test curves (Fig. 11C) showmuch scatter in the ductility, withspecimens 2 and 3 being the lowest.Tensile tested specimens 2 and 3 (Fig.11D) show failure through the fusionzone and oxide films and air bubble onthe fracture surfaces — Fig. 11E. Be-sides less room for both Ar purgingand filler-metal flow, weld 051 is con-siderably narrower than weld 008 —Fig. 10. The larger weld pool in thecase of weld 008 can be expected toprovide more room for strong fluidflow to exist (Ref. 26) and carry theentrapped oxide films away from thefaying surfaces. Still another way to help reduce en-trapment of oxide films is to provideadditional Ar shielding gas from below.For instance, a backing plate can bedesigned to allow Ar purging from un-der the butt joint. It is worth noting that, referring toFig. 7C, flipping over the as-shearedsheets without providing an opening inbetween may not always work. It is truethat flipping over the as-sheared sheetsresembles a butt joint design with a sin-gle-V groove to allow the Ar shieldinggas to reach the heated faying surfacesimmediately ahead of the weld pool andthus protect it from oxidation. Howev-er, close examinations of as-shearededges have revealed that chipping some-

Fig. 12 — High crowns on butt joint welds made at travel speeds of the following: A —7.6 mm/s (18 in./min, weld 052); B — 11.0 mm/s (26 in./min, weld 053); C — 14.4 mm/s(34 in./min, weld 054). Crown height is reduced by increasing travel speed but the toeangle remains relatively small at 123 deg.

Table 9 — Current Settings for Lap Welding

Current

Weld Arc Time Short Circuit TimeNo. Start Mid End Start Mid End

Current Time Current Time Current Time Current Time Current Time Current Time(A) (ms) (A) (ms) (A) (ms) (A) (ms) (A) (ms) (A) (ms)

012 67 4.0 88 10.0 78 n/a 96 2.5 106 3.0 85 n/a016 59 4.0 80 10.0 70 n/a 96 2.5 106 3.0 85 n/a018 55 4.0 76 10.0 66 n/a 96 2.5 106 3.0 85 n/a019 55 4.0 76 10.0 66 n/a 96 2.5 106 3.0 85 n/a020 55 4.0 76 10.0 66 n/a 96 2.5 106 3.0 85 n/a022 74 4.0 95 10.0 85 n/a 96 2.5 106 3.0 85 n/a025 53 4.0 74 10.0 64 n/a 96 2.5 106 3.0 85 n/a031 70 5.0 90 15.0 80 n/a 110 2.5 130 4.0 105 n/a

Rise rate of current (A/ms): 250; fall rate of current (A/ms): 250

ms: milliseconds.

A

B C


WELDING RESEARCH


times occurs at the mid height of asheared edge. That is, the rough portionof an as-sheared edge can be at its midheight instead of at its bottom. Thus,air pockets can still exist between thetwo faying surfaces to cause oxidationand air bubbles if the as-sheared sheetsare just flipped over to form a butt jointwithout an opening.

Issue 2: High Weld Crowns

It was found that a high weld crowntends to form on a butt joint weld veryeasily and that a higher crown tends tobe associated with lower ductility intensile testing. As is discussed subse-quently, the low fluidity of liquid Mg isresponsible for the high crowns of buttjoint welds, but made worse by thelower heat input in short-circuitingtype GMAW. As mentioned previously,Lockwood (Ref. 10) and Rethmeier etal. (Ref. 12) both showed high crownson butt joint welds made with short-circuiting type GMAW though no ex-planations were given. Figure 12 shows the crown heightcan be significantly greater than theworkpiece thickness (1.6 mm). Thesewelds were made with faying surfacesmilled flat after shearing and withoutan opening, welds 052 (Fig. 12A) at7.6 mm/s, weld 053 (Fig. 12B) at 11.0mm/s, and weld 054 (Fig. 12C) at 14.4mm/s. As shown, increasing the travelspeed tends to decrease the crownheight. However, the toe angle re-mains unchanged at about 123 deg.This, perhaps, is not surprising be-cause the time available for the liquidpool to spread out also decreases asthe travel speed increases. For the purpose of discussion, a toeangle significantly less than 135 deg(weld 002 in Fig. 5C), for instance130–110 deg, will be called a relativelysmall toe angle. A relatively small toeangle means a more abrupt thicknesschange and hence a significantly high-er stress concentration at the toe. Ahigh stress concentration tends to actas a crack initiation site under tensionor cyclic tensile loading and leads topremature failure. A relatively smalltoe angle can significantly reduce thefatigue resistance of the weld (Ref.20). As is shown subsequently, a rela-tively small toe angle tends to be asso-ciated with a lower ductility in tensiletesting.

Weld 052 made at the lowest travelspeed of 7.6 mm/s is shown further inFig. 13. The transverse cross-sectionmacrograph — Fig. 13B shows a highcrown of 2.1 mm. Tensile testing (Fig.13C) indicates a low ductility of about4%, about one half of the 8–9% ofwelds 007 (Fig. 9) and 008 — Fig. 10.The tensile tested specimens showfailure outside the fusion zone — Fig.13D. In view of the absence of en-trapped oxide films on their fracture

surfaces, the low ductility is likely tobe caused by the relatively small toeangle. Since welds 052, 007, and 008were made under similar welding pa-rameters, the extent of recrystalliza-tion and grain growth in the heat-affected zone (HAZ) can be expectedto be similar in these welds. Thus, thelower ductility of weld 052 cannot becaused by the differences in the HAZ.Weld 053 made at the intermediatetravel speed of 11.0 mm/s showed

Fig. 13 — Weld 052 with a high crown. A — Top view of weld; B — transverse cross section; C — tensile test curves; D — side views of tensiletested specimens. Crown is higher, toe angle smaller, and ductility lower than weld 007 — Fig. 9.

Table 10 — WireSpeed Settings for Lap Welding

Wire Speed

Down Up 1 Up 2WeldNo. Wire Delay Wire Up 1 Delay Wire Up 2 Arc Penetration

Down before Speed before Speed Length DelaySpeed Wire Down (MPM) Wire Up (MPM) (mm) (ms)(MPM) (ms) (ms)

012 13.0 2 13.0 3 13.0 0.3 0.8016 25.0 4 25.0 6 25.0 0.2 0.8018 19.0 4 19.0 6 19.0 0.2 0.0019 19.0 4 19.0 6 19.0 0.2 0.0020 19.0 4 19.0 6 19.0 0.2 0.0022 14.8 4 14.8 6 14.8 0.2 0.8025 13.0 2 13.0 3 13.0 0.2 0.4031 25.0 0 25.0 0 25.0 0.2 0

MPM: meters per min, ms: milliseconds.

A B

CD


WELDING RESEARCH


similar results as weld 052. Weld 054 made at the highest travelspeed of 14.4 mm/s is shown furtherin Fig. 14. The transverse cross section(Fig. 14B) shows that the crown heightis now reduced to 1.7 mm but the toeangle is still relatively small at 123deg. The tensile test curves (Fig. 14C)show a highest ductility value of onlyabout 4% in specimen 4, and even low-er values of about 2–3% in specimens1, 2, and 5. Tensile-tested specimens(Fig. 14D) show failure through the fu-sion zone and fracture surfaces (Fig.

14E) show entrapped oxide films andair in specimens 1, 2, and 5. The en-trapment is surprising because thefaying surfaces were milled flat aftershearing and put together without anopening. It is likely that a very smallspace and hence some residual air stillexisted between the faying surfaces,enough to cause oxidation in view ofthe very high affinity of Mg for oxy-gen. Perhaps with a significantly largerweld pool such as that associated withthe bigger weld (weld 007 in Fig. 9),fluid flow may be stronger to carry the

oxide films away from the faying sur-faces.

Mechanism of HighCrown Formation

The cause of high crowns is dis-cussed as follows. Since no highcrowns were encountered during simi-lar butt joint welding of Al sheets byCSC-GMAW, the physical properties ofMg are compared against those of Alwhen considering the following threefactors. The first factor is the / ratio,where and are the surface tensionand density of the liquid metal, respec-tively. It is well known in floating-zone crystal growth that the maxi-mum height of the molten zone in avertical solid rod that can be support-ed by its own surface tension is pro-portional to the square root of the /ratio (Ref. 27). Thus, the crown heightmay also increase with increasing /.In fact, Campbell (Ref. 24) derived anequation to show that the height of asessile drop on a substrate is propor-tional to the square root of the / ra-tio. The physical properties of the weldpool depend on the weld pool compo-sition, which in turn depends on theworkpiece composition, filler-metalcomposition, and dilution level (Ref.20). Since the physical properties ofthe weld pool are not available, thoseof pure Mg and Al are used in the dis-cussion as an approximation. For Mg, = 5590 dyne/m, = 1700 kg/m3 andthus / = 3.29 dyne m2/kg. As for Al, = 9140 dyne/m, = 2700 kg/m3 andthus / = 3.39 dyne m2/kg (Ref. 28).Since the / ratio is nearly identicalfor both Mg and Al, the tendency forMg to have high crowns is unlikely tobe caused by a much higher / ratio. The second factor to be consideredis the conduction of heat away fromthe liquid metal to cause solidification.The thermal conductivity k is 153W/(m K) for Mg and 237 W/(m K) forAl (Ref. 29). Thus, the lower thermalconductivity of Mg suggests that thehigh Mg weld crown is not caused bythe faster heat extraction from andhence solidification of liquid Mg. Thethermal diffusivity equals tok/(/Cp), where Cp is the heat of fu-sion. Cp is 1.05 J/(g K) for Mg and 0.91J/(g K) for Al (Ref. 30). Thus, is 86mm2/s for Mg and 97 mm2/s for Al.Thus, the lower thermal diffusivity of

Fig. 14 — Weld 054 with a high crown. A — Top view; B — transverse cross section; C —tensile test curves; D — side views of tensiletested specimens; E — fracture surfaces ofspecimens 1, 2, and 5 (not 3 and 4) showing entrapment of oxide films and air in spite ofmilling faying surfaces after shearing.

A B

C

D

E


WELDING RESEARCH


Mg also suggests that the high crownis not caused by the faster heat extrac-tion from and hence solidification ofliquid Mg. The third factor to be considered isthe low volumetric heat content of liq-uid Mg. The very low density of Mg re-duces the amount of heat needed to beremoved per unit volume of liquid Mgto be solidified. For comparison, theheat of fusion and specific heat of Alare, respectively, 398 J/g and 0.91 J/(gK). Multiplying them by the density ofAl (2700 kg/m3) yields a 1.075 109

J/m3 volumetric heat of fusion and a2.46 106 J/(m3 K) volumetric specificheat of Al. As for Mg, the heat of fu-sion and specific heat are, respectively,368 J/g and 1.05 J/(g K), which areclose to those of Al. However, the den-sity of Mg, 1700 kg/m3, is about one-third lower than that of Al, 2700kg/m3 (Ref. 30). Upon multiplicationby the density of Mg, the volumetricheat of fusion of Mg becomes 6.26 108 J/m3 and the volumetric specificheat 1.79 106 J/(m3 K), which aresignificantly lower than those of Al.Thus, because of the significantly low-er density of Mg, the sensible heatneeded to be removed to cool downthe same liquid volume is 27% less forMg than for Al, and the latent heatneeded to be removed to solidify thesame liquid volume is 42% less for Mgthan for Al. In fact, this is exactly whyMg die castings can be made signifi-cantly faster than Al ones (Ref. 31). InMg casting, the steel mold extractsheat from the liquid metal. In Mgwelding, the steel backing plate andthe base metal extract heat from theliquid metal.

It should be mentioned that in met-al casting, the distance the liquid met-al can flow before stopping is calledthe fluidity. The fluidity is proportion-al to the volumetric heat content (boththe latent heat and the superheat) ofthe liquid and the diameter of thechannel in the mold through which

the liquid metal flows (Ref. 31). It isinversely proportional to the heattransfer coefficient between the liquidmetal and mold, and the difference be-tween the melting point and moldtemperature. The melting point of Mg(650°C) is close to that of Al (660°C).The heat transfer coefficient between

Fig. 15 — Mechanism and reduction of highcrown formation. A — Mechanism; B —high weld crown; C — crownheight reduction by providing an opening to help both accommodate filler metal deposit and let liquid metal quickly penetrate the workpiece; D— crown height reduction by deepening the groove in the backing plate to help accommodate filler metal deposit.

Table 11 — Summary of Lap Welds

Weld Penetration Average Travel Speed Wire Position Maximum Elongation Maximum Tensile LoadNo. into Lower Power (in./min) from Edge Tensile Load (N) (%) (% of Base Metal)

Sheet (W) (mm)*

012 full 1335 18 0 6470 1.6 53.2016 full 1104 18 –0.8 5922 1.4 48.7018 partial 1033 18 –0.8 6807 1.9 55.9019 partial/full 1036 18 +0.8 7059 2.0 58.0020 partial 1031 18 –0.8 7428 2.7 61.0022 partial/full 1472 18 –5.0 8124 2.7 66.7025 partial 999 18 +3.1 6775 2.2 55.7031 partial 1523 24 –0.8 8134 3.2 66.8

* Above upper sheet: < 0; above lower sheet: > 0.

A

B

C D


WELDING RESEARCH


liquid Mg and solid Mg is likely similarto that between liquid Al and solid Al.Thus, the fluidity of the weld pool inbutt joint welding is likely to be pro-portional to volumetric heat contentof liquid. Therefore, the mechanism of high-crown formation in Mg butt jointwelding is as follows: The fluidity ofthe Mg weld pool is low because of thelow density and hence low volumetricheat content. The edge of the weldpool can solidify quickly and act as ananchor to stop its further spreadingand hence lowering of the pool height,as illustrated in Fig. 15A and B. InGMAW, the power input is significant-ly reduced by short circuiting, includ-ing CSC-GMAW, in view of the absenceof the arc during the short circuit peri-od. Thus, in short-circuiting GMAWsuperheating of the liquid metal is lim-ited, and this can further reduce thefluidity and promote high crowns.

Figure 15C and D shows the crownheight can be reduced by providing aroot opening or deepening the groovein the backing plate, respectively. Re-ducing the wire feed rate may also re-duce the crown height. However, sincethe welding current and hence heat in-put are also reduced, the volumetricheat content and hence the fluiditycan also decrease.

Reducing Crown

Figure 16 is an example showing howthe high crown in a Mg butt joint weld(Fig. 16A) can be reduced by widening ajoint opening and/or deepening thegroove in the backing plate. Wideningthe opening between the faying surfacesin butt joint welding (Fig. 16B) may helpreduce the crown height by accommo-dating the filler-metal deposit. It mayalso allow the liquid metal to quicklypass through the opening before solidi-

fying into a high crown. In general, lesswelding current (slower overall wirefeeding) is needed when an opening isprovided because there is no need topenetrate the workpiece. Deepening thegroove in the steel backing plate pro-vides extra room under the joint to ac-commodate the filler-metal deposit andreduce the crown height. A deep grooveplus a joint opening can make the crownvery short (Fig. 16C). Naturally, an ex-cessively large root enforcement causedby too deep a groove is also undesirable.

It was noticed that with a uniformopening of 1.2 mm set up before weld-ing, the opening at the weld-pool frontgradually closed as the pool approachedthe finishing end of the weld. Metalstend to shrink upon solidification be-cause the density of solid metal S isgreater than the density of liquid metalL. The solidification shrinkage, definedas the ratio of (S – L)/S, is 4.2% forMg (Ref. 31). The problem is that whenthe root opening gradually shrank be-cause of solidification shrinkage, thepool penetration also gradually de-creased. To overcome this problem, theopening was widened linearly from 1.2mm at the starting end of the weld to2.0 mm at the finishing end. This wasdone by putting a short vertical steelwire of 1.2 mm diameter right beforethe starting end and a similar wire of2.0 mm diameter right after the finish-ing end. Driven by shrinkage, the Mgsheets gradually deformed around thewire during welding and reduced theopening to 1.2 mm by the time the weldpool reached the finishing end. In otherwords, by providing a nonuniformopening that increased from 1.2 to 2.0mm before welding, a constant weldopening 1.2 mm was obtained afterwelding. Precautions, however, need tobe taken to avoid melt-through duringwelding when butt joint welding with awide opening, especially when thegroove in the backing plate is deep.

Lap Joint Welding

Tables 9 and 10 show the currentsettings and the wire-speed settingsfor lap joint welding, respectively. Table 11 summarizes the weldingconditions and tensile testing resultsof the resultant lap joint welds.

Issue 3: Formation of Fingers

It was observed that lap joint welds

Fig. 16 — High crown in Mg butt joint welding and its reduction. A — High crowncaused by low fluidity of liquid Mg; B — crown height reduced with a joint opening;C — crown height further reduced with a deeper groove. The best result may be between B and C.

A

B

C


WELDING RESEARCH


almost always tended to stick out tothe lower sheets as protrusions, whichare called “fingers” here. Fingers arecaused mainly by the low density ofMg instead of the welding processused as is explained subsequently. Figure 17 shows lap weld 018. Thetorch was vertical and moving alongthe joint line. This direction, in thecase of Fig. 17A, is the direction outof the paper. The top view of the weld(Fig. 17B) shows fingers extendingfrom the weld onto the lower sheet.Most fingers do not fuse to the lowersheet well enough to contribute tobonding because their large surface-area-to-volume ratio promotes quickfreezing and oxidation. Thus, theytend to decrease the joint strengthand cause it to vary along the weld.The transverse cross section of theweld (Fig. 17C) shows a very small toeangle of 55 deg on the lower sheetside of the lap weld. Tensile testingresults (Fig. 17D) show ductility(around 2%) significantly lower in lapwelds than in butt joint welds (up toabout 8%). A lower ductility in lapwelds than butt joint welds is expect-ed because lap welds have an intrinsicsharp notch at the fusion boundarybetween the upper and lower sheets.The tensile tested specimens (Fig.17E) show failure from the sharpnotch through the fusion zone. Speci-mens 3 and 4 show no bonding be-tween fingers and the lower sheet.The fracture surface shows essentiallyno oxide films or air bubbles. It is worth mentioning that fingerswere also encountered in the study bySong et al. (Ref. 21). The photographof the lap joint weld showed clear fin-gers though they were not mentionedor discussed.

Mechanism of Finger Formation

The mechanism is illustrated in Fig.18A. The very low density of Mgmakes the filler metal globule light.Thus, it is difficult for gravity to de-tach the globule but easy for the arc jetto push it away from the inclined poolsurface, as observed by high-speedvideo (4000 frames/s) (Ref. 18). Consequently, the globule keepsgrowing and getting closer to the low-er sheet and eventually touches it andquickly solidifies on it as a finger.When the globule touches the lower

sheet, it is detached from the weldingwire tip and connected to the weldpool. This is why the finger extendsfrom the weld onto the lower sheet.Unlike in conventional GMAW, thewelding current is under tight controlin CSC-GMAW. Thus, there is no sud-den current surge upon short circuit-ing to cause a sudden arc expansion toexpel the globule as spatter.

Eliminating Fingers by BlockingGlobule

Figure 18B and C show how to re-duce fingers by blocking the filler-met-al globule. The blocker can be an inertmaterial such as a steel bar coatedwith boron nitride (BN) and placed onthe lower sheet at a proper distance

from the joint line — Fig. 18B. It is in-tended to keep the growing globulefrom stretching too far out over thelower sheet to solidify as a finger. Theinert blocker can also be mounted onthe welding gun to travel with it dur-ing welding — Fig. 18C. Fingers canalso be eliminated by tilting the weld-ing gun toward the upper sheet (Fig.18D) as is described subsequently. Figure 19 shows a lap joint weld(weld 020) made with a stationaryblocker — Fig. 19A. The top view (Fig.19B) shows that the weld edge on thelower sheet is smooth and without anyfingers. The transverse cross section(Fig. 19C) shows a 115 deg toe angle,much larger than the 55 deg angle ofweld 018 — Fig. 17C. Tensile test re-sults (Fig. 19D) show slightly better

Fig. 17 — Finger formation in lap joint weld 018. A — Schematic sketch of lap joint welding (in the direction out of the paper); B — top view of weld showing “fingers” extendingonto lower sheet; C — transverse cross section showing very sharp angle between weldand lower sheet; D — tensile test curves; E — side views of tensiletested specimensshowing failure through fusion zone (from sharp notch between two sheets) and nobonding between fingers and lower sheet (specimens 3 and 4).

A B

C

DE


WELDING RESEARCH


ductility than weld 018 (Fig. 17D)though still low as expected for a lapweld. The tensile tested specimens(Fig. 19E) show failure outside insteadof through the fusion zone as in thecase of weld 018 — Fig. 17E.

Eliminating Fingers by Tilting WeldingGun

Figure 20 shows a lap joint weld,weld 031, made with the welding guntilted to shift the globule toward theupper sheet — Fig. 20A. The top view(Fig. 20B) shows that the weld edge onthe lower sheet is smooth and withoutany fingers. The transverse cross sec-tion (Fig. 20C) shows a toe angle of111 deg on the lower sheet. Tensiletest results (Fig. 20D) show even bet-ter ductility than weld 020 (Fig. 19D),though still low as expected for a lapjoint weld. The tensile tested speci-mens (Fig. 20E) again show failureoutside the fusion zone. Since failureis through the lower sheet, the tensilestrength can be calculated based onthe thickness (1.6 mm) of the lowersheet. The joint strength is 67% of thebase metal strength. Again, the jointstrength is expected to be lower for lapjoint welds than butt joint welds. Itcan be seen from welds 018, 020, and031 that lap joint welds without fin-gers tend to have higher ductility.

Conclusions The following conclusions can bedrawn based on the results from thebutt and lap joint welding of AZ31Mg sheets by CSC-GMAW: 1) Sound butt joint welds of Mg al-loy sheets can be made by CSC-GMAW without spatter and hydrogenporosity, and they can approach 100%of the base metal strength. 2) However, precautions need betaken to avoid the formation of: 1)entrapped oxide films inside buttjoint welds, 2) high crowns on buttjoint welds, and 3) fingers from lapjoint welds. These defects are causedmainly by the unusual physical andchemical properties of Mg rather thanthe welding process itself. Weld ten-sile specimens containing one ormore of these defects are consistentlyfound to fail at a significantly lowerelongation. 3) The mechanism for oxide-film

entrapment is as follows: The as-sheared edges of Mg sheets are rough(due to the poor deformability of Mgassociated with its hcp structure),and they can form an air channel tocause the faying surfaces ahead of theweld pool to oxidize (due to the veryhigh oxygen affinity of Mg), and theoxide films and air bubbles entrappedin the weld pool cannot rise quicklyto escape (due to the low density ofMg). 4) A folded oxide film, called a bi-film, can form essentially along thecentral plane of the fusion zone andprovide a very sharp notch to initiatecrack under tension, leading to pre-mature failure.

5) Milling the rough as-shearededges of Mg sheets to make themsmooth or providing an opening be-tween the as-sheared faying surfacescan help eliminate the entrapment ofoxide films and air bubbles. 6) The mechanism for the forma-tion of high crowns is as follows: Thelow fluidity of Mg makes the weldpool solidify quickly before spreadingout significantly to reduce the poolheight. The low fluidity is causedmainly by the low density and hencelow volumetric heat content of Mg,but it can be further reduced by theshort-circuiting mode of metal trans-fer, including that in CSC-GMAW. 7) Widening the root opening can

Fig. 18 — Mechanism and elimination of finger formation. A — Mechanism; B — eliminating fingers with stationary blocker; C — eliminating fingers with moving blocker; D— eliminating fingers by torch tilting.

A

B C

D

E


WELDING RESEARCH


help reduce the crown height by let-ting the liquid filler metal passthrough quickly before solidificationand providing extra space to accom-modate the filler metal deposit. Deep-ening the groove in the backing platecan also help reduce the crown heightby providing extra space to accommo-date the filler metal deposit. 8) The mechanism for the forma-tion of fingers is as follows: The lowMg density makes the filler metalglobule light and hence difficult forgravity to detach it but easy for thearc jet to push it away from the in-clined pool surface toward the lowersheet. The globule keeps growing andeventually touches the lower sheet tosolidify on it quickly as a finger. 9) Using a piece of inert material(such as BN-coated steel) to block theglobule can help eliminate fingers.

The piece can either rest on the lowersheet or travel with the welding gun.Tilting the welding gun to shift theglobule toward the upper sheet canalso help eliminate fingers.

This work was supported by ini-tially by General Motors and subse-quently by the National Science Foun-dation under Grant No. IIP-1034695,the American Welding Society Foun-dation Fellowship Program, and theUniversity of Wisconsin Foundationthrough the Industry/University Col-laborative Research Center (I/UCRC)for Integrated Materials Joining Sci-ence for Energy Applications.

The author Sindo Kou would liketo express his sincere thanks to Drs.Jim Yen-lung Chen and Xiaohong Q.Gayden of General Motors for gettingGM’s approval to support the projecton GMAW welding of Mg alloys. The authors would also like tothank Bruce Albrecht, Todd Holver-son, Rick Hutchison, and Joe Fink ofMiller Electric Manufacturing Co. andITW Global Welding Technology Cen-ter, both located in Appleton, Wis.,for donating the CSC process con-troller and drive assembly, Invision456 power source, XR-M wire feeder,and welding gun used in the study.

1. Watarai, H. 2006. Trend of researchand development for magnesium alloys —Reducing the weight of structural materi-als in motor vehicles. Quarterly Review 18:84–97. 2. Magnesium Vision 2020: A NorthAmerican automotive strategic vision formagnesium. USAMP, United States Auto-motive Materials Partnership – a consor-tium of the United States Council for Au-tomotive Research, MG 2020, released11/1/2006, pp. 1–34. 3. Kulekci, M. K. 2008. Magnesiumand its alloys applications in automotiveindustry. International Journal of AdvancedManufacturing Technology 39: 851–865. 4. Feng, J., Wang, Y., and Zhang, Z.2005. Status and expectation of researchon welding of magnesium alloys. The Chi-nese Journal of Nonferrous Metals 15(2):165–178 (in Chinese). 5. Deinzer, G. H., and Rethmeier, M.2006. Magnesium Technology — Metallur-gy, Design Data and Applications. H. E.Friedrich and B. L. Mordike, pp. 349–363,Verlag, Springer. 6. Cao, X., Jahazi, M., Immarigeon, J.P., and Wallace, W. 2006. A review of laserwelding techniques for magnesium alloys.Journal of Materials Processing Technology171: 188–204. 7. Liu, L. 2012. Welding and Joining ofMagnesium Alloys. Cambridge, UK, Wood-head Publishing. 8. 1997. O’Brien, R. L. Jefferson’s Weld-ing Encyclopedia, 18th edition, AmericanWelding Society, Miami, Fla., p. 484. 9. Rethmeier, M., Kleinpeter, B., andWohlfahrt, H. 2004. MIG welding of mag-nesium alloys metallographic aspects.Welding in the World 48(3/4): 28–33. 10. Lockwood, L. F. 1963. Gas metalarc welding of AZ31B magnesium alloysheet. Welding Journal 42: 807–818.

Fig. 19 — Elimination of fingers from lap weld 020 by blocking the globule. A — stationary blocker in the form of a BNcoated steel bar resting on lower sheet parallel to welding direction; B — top view of weld showing no fingers; C— transverse crosssection; D— tensile test curves; E — side views of tensiletested specimens showing failure outside, instead of through, fusion zone (unlike weld 018 in Fig. 17).

Acknowledgments

References

A B

C

DE

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11. Lockwood, L. F. 1970. Pulse-arcwelding of magnesium. Welding Journal49: 464–475. 12. Rethmeier, M., Wiesner, S., andWohlfahrt, H. 2000. Influences on thestatic and dynamic strength of MIG-weld-ed magnesium alloys. Magnesium Alloysand Their Applications, Wiley-VCH VerlagGmbH, pp. 200–204. 13. Marya, M., Edwards, G. R., andLiu, S. 2004. An investigation on the ef-fects of gases in GTA welding of awrought AZ80 magnesium alloy. WeldingJournal 83: 203-s to 214-s. 14. Zhao, H., and DebRoy, T. 2001.Pore formation during laser beam weldingof die-cast magnesium alloy AM60B —

Mechanism and remedy. Welding Journal80: 204-s to 210-s. 15. Chi, C.-T., Chao, C.-G., Liu, T.-F.,and Wang, C.-C. 2008. Optimal parame-ters for low and high voltage electronbeam welding of AZ series magnesium al-loys and mechanism of weld shape andpore formation. Science and Technology ofWelding and Joining 13(2): 199–211. 16. Park, S. H. C., Sato, Y. S., andKokawa, H. 2003. Microstructural evolu-tion and its effect of Hall-Petch relation-ship in friction stir welding of thixomold-ed Mg alloy AZ91D. Journal of MaterialsScience 38: 4379–4383. 17. Chowdhury, S. M., Chen, D. L.,Bhole, S. D., Cao, X., Powidajko, E., Weck-

man, D. C., and Zhou, Y. 2010. Tensileproperties and strain-hardening behaviorof double-sided arc welded and frictionstir welded AZ31B magnesium alloy. Ma-terials Science and Engineering A 527:2951–2961. 18. Wagner, D. C., Yang, Y. K., andKou, S. 2013. Spatter and porosity in gas-metal arc welding of magnesium alloys:Mechanisms and elimination. WeldingJournal 92: 347-s to 362-s. 19. CSC-MIG Weld Process Controller.Jetline Engineering, Irvine, Calif.http://pdf.directindustry.com/pdf/jet-line-engineering/csc-mig-weld-process-controller/27577-54392.html. 20. Kou, S. 2003. Welding Metallurgy,2nd edition. pp. 122–141, 97–121, and301–340, Hoboken, N. J., John Wiley &Sons. 21. Song, G., Wang, P., and Liu, L. M.2010. Study on arc welding of AZ31Bmagnesium alloy. Science and Technology ofWelding and Joining 15(3): 219–225. 22. Prasad, K. E., Li, B., Dixit, N., Shaf-fer, M., Mathaudhu, S. N., and Ramesh, K.T. 2014. The dynamic flow and failure be-havior of magnesium and magnesium al-loys. JOM 66(2): 291–304. 23. Darken, L. S., and Gurry, R. W.1953. Physical Chemistry of Metals, p. 349.New York, McGraw-Hill. 24. Campbell, J. 2003. Castings, 2ndedition. pp. 17–69, Oxford, UK, Butter-Worth Heinemann. 25. Coniglio, N., and Cross, C. E. 2009.Mechanisms for solidification crack initia-tion and growth in aluminum welding.Metallurgical and Materials Transaction A40A(11): 2718–2728. 26. Kou, S. 1996. Transport Phenomenaand Materials Processing, pp. 499–514,Hoboken, N. J., John Wiley and Sons. 27. Laudise, R. A. 1970. The Growth ofSingle Crystals. pp. 201, 202, EnglewoodCliffs, N. J., Prentice-Hall. 28. Iida, T., and Guthrie, R. I. L. 1988.The Physical Properties of Liquid Metals. p.134, Oxford University Press. 29. Thermal Conductivity — Theory,Properties, and Applications. 2004. Editedby T. M. Tritt, pp. 28, 29. New York,Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers. 30. Metals Handbook. 9th ed., Vol. 2,pp. 714, 764, Metals Park, Ohio: ASM In-ternational. 31. Flemings, M. C. 1974. SolidificationProcessing. p. 14, New York, N.Y., Mc-Graw-Hill.

Fig. 20 — Elimination of fingers from lap weld 031 by welding gun tilting. A — Tiltingthe welding gun and hence the welding wire slightly toward the upper piece; B — topview of weld; C — transverse cross section; D — tensile test curves; E — side views oftensiletested specimens showing specimens failed outside, instead of through, fusionzone (unlike weld 018 in Fig. 17).

A B

C

D E

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G. HinkleK. HollisT. HongS. HorikawaB. HornW. HouA. HuJ. HuY. HuangJ. HutchinsD. L. IsenhourJ. R. JachnaD. A. JavernickN. T. JenkinsC. JiangM. Q. JohnsonJ. E. JonesA. KarL. KarlssonA. KasapoğluS. KatayamaD. D. KautzF. KavanaraS. C. KelleyC. KellyS. KellyR. K. KerseyI. KhanD. S. KimJ. K. KimY. S. KimM. KimchiD. KlingmanD. B. KnorrH. KoikeF. KongS. KoreT. KostrivasR. KovacevicL. KramerA. KumarM. KuntzL. KvidahlJ. J. KwiatkowskiM. LabbeK. LachenbergC. R. LaMorteA. LandauB. LeisterL. LiM. V. LiT. Li

W. LiD. LiangS. LillardY. LiuC. C. LuW. LuY. LuD. LudwigN. MaX. MaD. MaatzD. MacCallumM. ManoharI. MaroefB. MarschkeF. Martinez DiezR. P. MartukanitzM. P. MaryaS. MasseyK. MasubuchiV. MatthewsM. MayerA. MaynardJ. MazumderM. McAninchS. McCrackenA. McDonaldA. MengelR. MenonM. P. MilesJ. O. MilewskiD. MillerR. MishraT. MorrissettP. E. MurrayS. J. NaX. NaB. NarayananA. M. NasiriT. V. NataleT. C. NguyenM. NicasN. E. NissleyJ. T. NorrisY. OgawaT. OyamaA. PandeyJ. PengJ. A. PensoF. PerezE. C. PessoaW. Peterson

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