Application of welding wire

AC or DC

AC and DC welding has its own special characteristics.

The main advantages of constant voltage: savings in welding consumables due to low spatter; comfort and ease of work; high-quality seam; high welding performance; lack of untested areas. The disadvantage is the high cost of equipment capable of delivering direct current. More details here.

The main advantages of alternating current are: lightness and affordable price of equipment that works during breaks; ease of welding; quality connection guarantee. The main disadvantages: less stability of the arc; a large amount of splashing contributes to a significant consumption of materials. Details here.

Corrosion-resistant steels can be welded in a variety of ways. However, most often, two joining methods are used to weld stainless steel:

1. Manual welding with coated electrodes.
2. Gas-shielded tungsten electrode welding.

Depending on the welding method, a different type of voltage is used, and accordingly electrodes suitable for alternating or direct current are used.

Stainless steel direct current electrodes

Getting started, the master must decide which electrodes can be used to cook the stainless steel. Coated consumables ensure optimum joint quality without any problems. Manual welding is carried out, as a rule, with a constant voltage of reverse polarity. Therefore, the following brands of stainless electrodes are used: TsL-11 is one of the most popular brands among welders; used on steels with a high chromium and nickel content. The weld deposited using these consumables has several advantages: strength; plastic; accuracy; sufficiently high level of impact strength; no splashing.

OZL-8 electrodes are designed for welding structures that will be operated at high temperatures - up to 1000 ° C. At the same time, the advantages of this brand are in many respects similar to the TsL-11.

NZh-13 are successfully used for welding food steel parts. Consumables of this brand perfectly weld alloys containing chromium, nickel and molybdenum. The main distinguishing feature of such electrodes is the formation of a thin layer of slag crust, which separates spontaneously.

NII-48G electrodes.

Below is a list of a few more popular stainless steel electrodes:

ZIO-8 are intended for heat-resistant corrosion-resistant steels.

NII-48G electrodes are used to work with critical structures.

OZL-17U are suitable for stainless steel working in environments where sulfuric or phosphoric acids are present.

In the corresponding section, the rest of the brands of electrodes for welding stainless steel are presented.

AC electrodes for stainless steel

Not all performers have constant voltage equipment. Because of what the question arises: is it possible to cook a stainless steel with alternating current?

There are such electrodes, for example, these are brands OZL-14, LEZ-8, TsT-50, EA-400, OZL-14A, N-48, ANV-36 and others.
Welding with tungsten electrodes (pictured) in gases can also be carried out with alternating current of direct polarity. This connection method is used in the following cases:

• welding of thin-walled products;
• increased requirements for the weld.

This information will help the performer of any level to determine which electrodes for welding stainless steel with alternating current should be used in solving specific problems.

As a conclusion, it should be noted that electrodes for AC stainless steel are less in demand. This fact is due to the lesser popularity of alternating voltage as compared to direct voltage.

The constant has a wide range of advantages and is used by professionals much more often.

Range

ESAB wire is of different types, we will consider the most popular.

Spoolarc - minimizes spatter during welding. The coating does not shine and ensures high quality in terms of welding characteristics. If the coating is shiny, it means it contains copper, which reduces the life of the parts produced. Spoolarc wires have a positive effect on tip wear life on the welding machine. Especially when a strong current and increased wire feed speed are applied, which leads to savings in spare parts for welding machines and a decrease in the cost of work.

Marking

Welding wire markings are used to understand what materials the welder will have to deal with. Every welder should be well versed in marking, in order to avoid problems with the final work, as well as to ensure their own safety.

Decoding the welding wire

The first digits of the marking indicate the diameter, measured in millimeters. Then there are two specific letters that indicate the purpose of the products (CB - welding, and so on). A further pointer shows the carbon content of the filler wire, measured in hundredths of a percent. Further there are letters indicating the presence of certain alloying components (X - chromium, etc.) If the content of these elements is more than 1%, their index is located after the letter. The designation of the letters A or AA means purity with respect to harmful impurities. Welding wire products for creating electrodes have the letter E in the designation, while copper-plated wire is marked with the letter O.

Filler wire and its features

Wire is a metal product that has a small cross-section. Moreover, it is so small that it is incomparable in size with its length. For the production of wire, various types of metals are used - both ferrous, non-ferrous and stainless.

Flux cored wire

A separate class of products is welding. It is used for automatic and semi-automatic welding. It is used to make electrodes, rods and other products used in manual and automatic welding of parts.

In fact, it replaces the electrodes used in welding. Through it, electricity is supplied to the welding zone, which is necessary to ignite and maintain the arc. In addition, the wire takes part in the formation of welds and provides their physical and mechanical parameters.

For the production of wire used for welding, various types of metal are used. In this case, the scope of use of the finished wire may change. For example, aluminum can be used in the production of welding wire. It can be used to work with alloys based on magnesium, aluminum and a number of others. If the wire is made of stainless steel, then it is used when welding parts made of steel resistant to corrosion.

In the construction of ships, flux-cored wire is most often used. In addition, there is copper-plated wire. Its use entails obtaining quality seams. Not so long ago, wire was used without any coating at all.

Copper-plated filler wire

When choosing a wire for welding, you must always remember that there are several types of similar products on the market. They differ from each other not only in chemical composition, but also in structure, in the amount of alloying components.

The wire must be selected based on the marks applied to its surface or packaging.The markings tell the consumer about the physical and technical parameters of the wire and the field of its application.

For example, in GOST 2246-70, this is a document that standardizes technical specifications for steel welding wire. So, it says that for the production of this welding material it is permissible to use low-carbon steel (Sv-08AA, Sv-08GA) alloyed (Sv-08KhN2GMYu, Sv-08KhN2G2SMYU) and high-alloyed alloys (Sv-10Kh16N25AM6, Sv-09Kh16N25M6AF).

In addition, the welding wire is divided into the one that is used to perform welding and the one from which the electrodes are produced. It can be manufactured with or without copper plating. All subtleties regarding the diameter, grade of steel alloy, the presence of coating should be discussed when placing an order.

Flux cored wire: what is it

Flux-cored wire is a special type of consumable for welding, which independently protects the welding seam due to the powder inside the wire - flux. The wire itself is hollow inside, and its walls, inside which the protective powder is poured, are made of the metal that will be welded through its use. The powder content inside the wire is between fifty and seventy percent.

When such a wire is heated, its walls melt, and the powder inside forms a gas cloud, which acts as a protection of the welding zone from the ingress of oxygen.

The composition of the powder inside the wire is different for each manufacturer, however, the content of chemical elements in it is regulated using a special GOST, which makes it possible to select the most optimal version of the wire in terms of composition, depending on the material to be welded and the technology used.

The approximate cost of flux-cored wire on Yandex.market

Varieties

It should be remembered that for each metal you need to choose the right type of wire. The quality of welding and seam will depend on this. Using a wire that is clean, not rusty and without roughness will make the seam much more flexible and of better quality, which means it will provide maximum protection against corrosion. There are such types of wire:

• Copper-plated wire products are used for arc welding of carbon and low-alloy steels, ensuring the smooth operation of any welding machine. When used, it minimizes metal spatter and also guarantees high quality welds.
• Powder - usually in the form of a tube consisting of mild steel filled with special powders of deoxidizers and slag-forming substances. Typically used for automatic welding, it helps to minimize slag formation and helps to reduce sweeping work.
• Solid wire is used for semi- and automatic welding, for the manufacture of electrodes.
• Non-copper-plated wire is used for mechanized welding, as well as when working with parts made of low-carbon steels that do not require correcting the quality of the seams.
• Activated wires are products that also consist of powder fillers and are used for welding in carbon dioxide.
• Gas welding - used for welding with carbon and low-carbon steels.
• Aluminum - is widely used in semi-automatic welding of aluminum structures, gives low porosity to the seams and is used in the dairy and shipbuilding industries.
• Stainless steel wire is used to connect stainless types of steel, the fusion of which protects against corrosion and cracks.
• Flux - used for semiautomatic welding of carbon, medium-carbon and low-carbon steels.
• Alloyed - helps to carry out any welding in different gas mixtures, it is an ideal welding material for argon welding.

Applications

The use of wire is possible in private conditions, car services.

Welding wire can be - aluminum, copper, stainless, steel, steel coated with copper and flux cored.

The main dimensions of the wire for semi-automatic welding are 0.8 mm and 0.6 mm. From 1 to 2 mm - designed for more complex industrial welding. The yellow wire does not mean that it is copper, it is simply covered with this metal on top. Copper plating protects the steel from rusting while it is not in use. Depending on the thickness of the wire, the spout from the welding machine must have a corresponding hole inside to insert this wire and must also be covered with copper. If the voltage in the welding machine is below the standard - not 220, 230 volts, but 180 volts, it is convenient to use 0.6 mm wire so that the welding machine can cope with the task, and the weld is even.

Flux-cored wire is much more expensive than steel wire itself; such wire does not need acid for welding.

According to experienced welders, powder materials are rarely used in everyday life, for small tacks of parts. In their opinion, the welding machine deteriorates due to the fact that the spout does not have time to cool down from heating and soldering occurs. Silicone spray can be used to protect the machine and prevent the sticking of scales and clogging of the spout.

Best Aluminum Welding Wire

It is used for making seams on structures made of aluminum and its alloys. This is a highly specialized type of welding, which is in demand in car services, the food industry, the chemical industry and in the repair of water transport. This type of additive is not suitable for joining other types of metals, and welding with its use requires a certain skill.

ER 5356 (ALMG5)

Row wound aluminum wire. It is sold in weight from 500 g to 7 kg. Suitable for semiautomatic welding of aluminum plates, pipes and profiles with a magnesium content of less than 3%.

+ Pros of ER 5356 (ALMG5)

1. Good retention of the coil during transportation thanks to the film cover and cardboard packaging.
2. There are no pores in the seam.
3. Suitable not only for butt joints in the lower position, but also for corner joints both from the inside and from the outside.
4. There are no undercuts on the top wall for fillet welds.

- Cons ER 5356 (ALMG5)

1. It is possible to weld qualitatively only on direct current.
2. The seam is high and with coarse scales.
3. The tensile strength of 265 MPa is not the highest in the category.
4. You need to set a high feed rate - it melts quickly.
5. Strong black coating after welding.
6. Suitable for long seams, since on short seams it does not allow the metal to warm up properly and lies only on top.

Output. Excellent aluminum wire for welding block heads or crankcase covers, which will come in handy in the workshop. Has an elongation of 26%, which contributes to a good transfer of thermal expansion.

Technology

The entire welding process carried out using the powder arc method is divided into three stages:

• preparatory;
• the main stage of welding;
• final.

Preparatory stage

At the preparatory stage, the edges of the parts to be welded should be cleaned from mechanical contamination, and, if necessary, degreased using special chemical compounds. At home, you can only do mechanical cleaning from oxides and dirt.

The main stage

The main stage is divided into several steps:

• installation of a cassette with a wire is carried out until the device itself is connected (in order to prevent electric shock) to the electrical network;
• after turning on the device in the network on the feeding mechanism, it is necessary to press the start button of the mechanism so that the wire enters the feeding tip, and form the required length of the protruding end using pliers;
• the supply of welding current with direct or reverse polarity is carried out depending on the type of metals or alloys to be welded, as well as depending on the selected technology;
• the choice of the mode of welding current and welding voltage depends on the following factors: the thickness of the parts to be welded, the type of metal or alloy, the thickness of the wire, the spatial position of the welding work;
• the angle of direction of the feeding tip is chosen by the welder independently, depending on the need to review the seam being formed;
• the direction of movement of the wire feeding tip is selected depending on the welding technology, but always along the welded seam with the exclusion of transverse vibrations (to reduce the heating zone of the metal located near the welding zone).

Final work

At the final stage, the seam is cleaned from the formed slag by beating it with a hammer and subsequent stripping using a metal brush. Such stripping is necessary to detect uncooked elements. In addition, such stripping is necessary in the case of multi-stage welding seams before each subsequent pass.