TÜV NORD/SÜD - Consortium at the project CNA II

WELDING PROCESSES USED IN NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS

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 TÜV NORD/SÜD - Consortium at the project CNA II

Contents
1. Different welding processes

• Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW)

• Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (TIG)

• Metal Inert Gas Welding (MIG)

2. Welding joints

•Types of joints

•Types of welds

•Various parts of the welds

•Welding positions

•Preparation of joints

3. Welding Defects

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Different Welding Processes - SMAW

Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW)

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Different Welding Processes - SMAW

Process
•In this process an electrical machine [ which may be DC or AC ] supplies current to an electrode holder
which carries an electrode.

• An earth cable connects the work piece to the welding machine to provide a return path for the current.

•The weld is initiated by tapping [ striking ] the tip of the electrode against the work piece which initiates
an electric arc.
•
•The high temperature generated [ about 6000oC ] almost instantly produces a molten pool and the end of
the electrode.

•The electrode continuously melts into this pool and fills the groove. The operator needs to control the gap
between the electrode tip and the work piece while moving the electrode along the joint.

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Different Welding Processes - SMAW
•In the shielded metal arc welding process [ SMAW ] the 'stick' electrode is covered with an
extruded coating of flux.

•The heat of the arc melts the flux which generates a gaseous shield to keep air away from the
molten pool and also flux ingredients react with unwanted impurities such as surface oxides,
creating a slag which floats to the surface of the weld pool.
•
•This forms a crust which protects the weld while it is cooling. When the weld is cold the slag is
chipped off.

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Different Welding Processes - SMAW
•The flux covering the electrode melts during welding.

•This forms the gas and slag to shield the arc and molten weld pool.

•The slag must be chipped off the weld bead after welding.

•The flux also provides a method of adding scavengers, deoxidizers, and alloying elements to the
weld metal.

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Different Welding Processes - SMAW
Advantages
•The process is very versatile, requiring little operator training and inexpensive equipment.

Disadvantages
•The process is generally limited to welding ferrous materials, though speciality electrodes have made
possible the welding of cast iron.

Applications
•SMAW is often used to weld carbon steel, low and high alloy steel, stainless steel, cast iron, and
ductile iron.
•While less popular for nonferrous materials, it can be used on nickel and copper and their alloys and, in
rare cases, on aluminum.
•The thickness of the material being welded is bounded on the low end primarily by the skill of the
welder, but rarely does it drop below 0.05 in (1.5 mm). No upper bound exists: with proper joint
preparation materials of virtually greater thickness can be joined.

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Different Welding Processes - SMAW

Major defects in this process are:

•Undercutting

•Incomplete penetration

•incomplete fusion

•Porosity

•Slag Inclusions

•Cracks

•burn through

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Different Welding Processes - GTAW

Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW)

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Welding Processes - GTAW

Process
•In this process the arc is formed between a pointed tungsten electrode and the work piece in an
inert atmosphere of argon or helium.

•The small intense arc provided by the pointed electrode is ideal for high quality and precision
welding, specially useful for thin joints.

• If filler wire is used, it is added to the weld pool separately.

•GTAW has played a major role in the acceptance of aluminium for high quality welding and
structural applications.

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Welding Processes - GTAW

•The process is well suited to joining non - ferrous metals, including aluminum, magnesium and
special metals and is effective for joining thin section metals. A high degree of skill is needed, but
high quality welds can be produced

•Helium is generally added to increase heat input.

•Hydrogen will result in cleaner looking welds and also increase heat input, however, Hydrogen may
promote porosity or hydrogen cracking.

•Because the electrode is not consumed during welding, the welder does not have to balance the heat
input from the arc as the metal is deposited from the melting electrode.

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Welding Processes - GTAW

Advantages
•most preferred method for non ferrous metals
•best quality welds are produced

Disadvantages
•complex technique requires skilled labour
•costly (requires shielding gas and filler material)

Applications
•The aerospace industry is one of the primary users of gas tungsten arc welding , it is used extensively
in the manufacture of space vehicles, and is also frequently employed to weld small-diameter, thin
wall tubing.
•In maintenance and repair work, the process is commonly used to repair tools and dies, especially
components made of aluminum and magnesium.
•The welds it produces are highly resistant to corrosion and cracking over long time periods, GTAW is
the welding procedure of choice for critical welding operations like sealing spent nuclear fuel canisters
before burial.

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Welding Processes - GTAW

Major defects in this process are:

•Undercutting

•Tungsten inclusions

•Porosity

•Weld metal cracks

•Heat affected zone cracks are the common defects

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Welding Processes - GMAW

Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW / MIG-MAG)

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Welding Processes - GMAW

Process
•In MIG the arc is formed between the end of a small diameter wire electrode fed from a spool, and the
work piece.

•The shielding gas, Argon or CO2 forms the arc plasma, stabilizes the arc on the metal being welded,
shields the arc and molten weld pool, and allows smooth transfer of metal from the weld wire to the
weld groove.

•In MIG welding, a shielding gas is fed into the welding torch and exits around the filler wire.

•The arc and the weld pool are protected from the atmosphere by this gas shield.

•This enables bare wire to be used without a flux coating.

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Welding Processes - GMAW

•However, the absence of flux to 'mop up' surface oxide places greater demand on the welder to
ensure that the joint area is cleaned immediately before welding.

•In this process a filler metal is stored on a spool and driven by rollers (current is fed into the wire)
through a tube into a 'torch'.

• This welding process is widely used on steels and on aluminium. Although the inert gas shield keeps
the weld clean, depending upon the process settings, there may be spatter of metal globules
adjacent to the weld which detracts from its appearance unless they are removed.

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Welding Processes - GMAW
Advantages
•Can be applied to non-ferrous metals

•automated/semi-automated process with good speed

Disadvantages
•Porosity due to gas entrapment when the gas is not pure

•Cannot be used outdoors or under water due loss of shielding gas in such conditions

Applications
•GMAW is commonly used in industries such as the automobile industry, where it is preferred for
its versatility and speed. A related process, flux cored arc welding, often does not utilize a shielding
gas, instead employing a hollow electrode wire that is filled with flux on the inside.

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 TÜV NORD/SÜD - Consortium at the project CNA II
Welding Processes - GMAW

Major defects in this process are:

•Undercutting

•Excessive melt-through

•Incomplete fusion

•Incomplete joint penetration

•Porosity

•Weld metal cracks

•Heat affected zone cracks

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Types of welding joints

Butt
Tee

Edge

Lap Corner

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Types of welds

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Types of welds – Butt welds
A butt weld is made between two pieces of metal usually in the same plane, the weld metal
maintaining continuity between the sections. weld metal is generally contained within the profiles of
the welded elements

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Types of welds – Fillet welds
These welds are roughly triangular in cross section and between two surfaces not in the same plane
and the weld metal is substantially placed alongside the components being joined. Deposited weld
metal is external to the profile of the welded elements

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Various parts of the welds – Fillet welds

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Various parts of the welds – Butt welds

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Weld joint preparation

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 TÜV NORD/SÜD - Consortium at the project CNA II
Welding joint preparation

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Pipe and plate welding positions (ISO)

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Plate Positions

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Pipe positions

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Pipe positions – Fixed positions

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Welding defects - Undercutting

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Welding defects – Incomplete penetration

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 TÜV NORD/SÜD - Consortium at the project CNA II
Welding defects – Incomplete fusion

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Welding defects - Porosity

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Welding defects – Slag inclusions

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Welding defects – Other
Splatter Excessive weld reinforcement

Overlap

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