A.M.

Chavan
SGGSIE & T Nanded (M.S.) - India
Availability of advance materials
(metals and Non metals)

a. b.
a. Multipass submerged arc welding
b. Single pass EBW
 Patterns: A) straight beam, B)
Welding in inaccessible regions
circle, C) eight, D) arrow head
 William Rontengen in 1800s found that beam of
electron is suddenly stopped by impact with target, then
it start heating and melting the target.
 Dr. Karl Heinz (German) – Development of first
practical welding machine in 1958.
 It is fusion welding process in which a beam of high-
velocity electrons is applied to two materials to be
joined.
 Free electrons in vacuum can be accelerated, with their
paths controlled by electric and magnetic fields.
 In this way narrow beams of electrons carrying
high kinetic energy can be formed, which upon
collision with atoms in solids transform their kinetic
energy into heat.
 Electron beams are composed of electrons that are
charged particles having a rest mass of 9.1x10-31 kg
and can be accelerated in electron guns to relativistic
velocities, giving them high kinetic energies.
 At 10 kV (13 hp), electrons travel at approximately
20% of the speed of light, while at 200 kV (270 hp)
they travel at approximately 70% the speed of light.
 Electron beam welding process is carried out in
vacuum. In this process, electrons are emitted from the
heated filament called electrode.
 These electrons are accelerated by applying high
potential difference (30 kV to 175 kV) between cathode
and anode.
 The higher the potential difference, the higher would be
the acceleration of the electrons. The electrons get the
speed in the range of 50,000 to 200,000 km/s.
 When high kinetic energy electron beam strikes the
workpiece, high heat is generated resulting in melting
of the work material. Molten metal fills into the gap
between parts to be joined.
 An EBW set up consists of the following major parts
1. Electron Gun
2. Power Supply Unit
3. Vacuum Chamber
4. Workpiece Handling Device
SEM

XRD
 The electron beam is most often formed by a triode-
style electron gun under high vacuum conditions.

+
-

Grid Cup

Electron beam
 The triode assembly consists of a cathode, a heated
source (emitter) of electrons that is maintained at some
high negative potential.
 A grid cup, a specially shaped electrode that can be
negatively biased with respect to the hot cathode
emitter (filament);
 And an anode, a ground potential electrode through
which the electron flow passes in the form of a
collimated beam.
 The hot cathode emitter (filament) is made from a high-
emission material, usually tungsten or tantalum, which
is usually available in wire, ribbon, or sheet form.
 This emitter material is fabricated into the desired
shape for being either directly or indirectly heated to
the required emitting temperature of approximately
2500o C.
 Other materials, such as lanthanum hexaboride (LaB6),
have also been used as filament material.
 There are two type of electron guns
◦ Self accelerated – Electrons are accelerated by applying
potential difference between the cathode and anode.
◦ Work accelerated - potential difference is applied between
workpiece and anode (Diode type).
Metal Melting Temp. Deg. Cel Cost /Kg
 Tungsten 3422 $25
Tantalum 3020 $180 to $ 190
LaB6 2210 US $6-12
 Emitter/Filament : - It generates electrons on direct or
indirect heating.
 Anode: Positively charged element near cathode across which
high voltage is applied to accelerate electrons. For high
voltage equipment's potential difference 70-150 kV and for
low voltage equipment’s potential difference is 15-30 kV.
 Grid Cup: Negative voltage with respect to cathode is
applied. Grid cup controls the beam.
 It has two parts: Electron
focusing lens and deflection
coil.
 Electron focusing lens
focuses the beam into work
area.
 The focusing of the
electrons can be carried out
by deflection of beams.

Focusing
 This focusing lense reduces the diameter of the
electron beam as it continues in its passage and
focuses the stream of electrons down to a much smaller
beam cross section in the plane of the workpiece.
 Thus reduction of beam diameter results into producing
very small high intensity beam spot.
 deflection coil (positioned below the magnetic lens)
can be employed to “bend” the beam, thus providing
the flexibility to move the focused beam spot.
 It mainly consist a high power DC power supply source
for gun, focusing and deflection coil.
 It provides power supply for acceleration of the
electrons.
 The potential difference for high voltage equipment
ranges from 70-150 kV and for low voltage equipment
15-30 kV. The current level ranges from 50-1000 mA.
 The amount of current depends upon the diameter and
type of the filament.
 AC or DC current is required to heat the filament for
emission of electrons. However DC current is preferred
as it affects the direction of the beam.
 Generally EBW performed in vacuum.
 The “gun” portion of an electron gun/column assembly
generally is isolated from the welding chamber through
the use of valves when desired, or by using vacuum
dividers when employing medium or non-vacuum
systems.
 Vacuum in the gun region is needed to maintain gun
component cleanliness, prevent filament oxidation, and
impede high-pressure short circuiting between the
cathode and the anode or the filament and the grid cup.
 Most EBW is done in a vacuum environment where the
maximum ambient pressure is less than 0.13 Pa (1x10-3
torr). Maintenance of this degree of vacuum is
important because of the effect that ambient pressure
has on both the beam and the weld produced.
 Based on vacuum intensity the EBW have following 3
types
1. Non vacuum EBW (EBW-NV) – atmospheric pressure
2. Medium Vacuum EBW (EBW – MV) – 133 to 3.3 x 106 mpa
(10-3 to 25 torr)
3. High Vacuum EBW (EBW-HV) – 0.13 to 133 mpa (10-6 to
10-3 torr)
Beam scatter due to collision of electrons with atmospheric
molecules
Increase in the beam diameter reduces the power density
Produces welds with greater width and less penetration.
Depth of penetration vs. vacuum in prescribed time
 Quality and precision of the weld profile depends upon
the accuracy of the movement of work piece.
 There is also provision for the movement of the work
piece to control the welding speed.
 The movements of the work piece are easily adaptable
to computer numerical control.
 Major Process Parameters are
1. Accelerating voltage
2. Beam current
3. Welding speed
4. Beam Focusing
 A value of electrical potential,
usually expressed in kilovolts,
being utilized to accelerate and
increase the energy of the
electrons being emitted by an
electron beam gun.
 Increase in the voltage results
into increase in the speed of
electrons.
 At 10 kV electrons travel at
approximately 20% of the
speed of light, while at 200 kV
they travel at approximately
70% the speed of light.
 Close relation between
electron beam current and
depth of penetration.
 Beam current: measure of
the quantity of charge (ie:
number of electrons),
usually expressed in units of
milliamperes (mA), that
flow per unit time in an
electron beam

Krishnan et al [2013], IJERT Volm 02, Issue 06

Krishnan et al [2013], IJERT Volm 02, Issue 06
 Welding speed directly
affects on depth of
penetration of electron beam
into work piece
 Higher speeds results into
lower depth of penetration

http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/welding/
electron-beam-welding/ebw-equipment-
joint-design-and-applications-
metallurgy/97331/
 By using this technique one
can weld deep with very
narrow width weld pool.
 Only Possible with high
energy density processes
like EBW, LBW & Plasma
Arc Welding.
 This deep-weld effect
allows now a days
penetration depths into steel
materials of up to 300 mm

Keyhole vs Conduction
a) Impact of high energy electron beam on w/p surface. The penetration depth into
the workpiece is very low, just a few μm. Most of the kinetic energy is released in
the form of heat.
b) The high energy density at the impact point causes the metal to evaporate thus
allowing the following electrons a deeper penetration.
c) This finally leads to a metal vapour cavity which is surrounded by a shell of fluid
metal, covering the entire weld depth.
d) Capillary action results into formation of weld
 2. In order to maintain the
welding cavity open, the
vapour pressure must press
the molten metal round the
vapour column against the
cavity walls, by
counteracting its hydrostatic
pressure and the surface
tension.

Capillary action F1=F2+F3 Equilibrium for good weld pool

1. At the front side of the cavity new material is

molten which, to some extent, evaporates, but for
the most part flows around the cavity and rapidly
solidifies at the backside..
 Angle β increases with
welding speed results into
formation of poor & shallow
welds

I – Equilibrium State
II – Unstable pressure (high) exposes molten backside of vapor cavity to a strong
and irregular shape change
III – Uneven distribution of pressures (low) results into formation of
voids/pockets inside the solidified weld pool due to improper collapsibility of
molten metal
 Part Configuration
 Weld Configuration
 Surface Geometry
 Melt Zone Configuration
 Joint Design
◦ For Butt Weld
◦ For Corner Weld
◦ T – Joints
Complex configuration
possible for easy to weld
metals i.e. having soft and low
yield points with lower
shrinkage.
Shrinkage stresses are better
managed in such designs
suitable for difficult to weld
metal.
Not recommended— Most favorable—volume Not recommended— Most favorable—minimum
maximum confinement of melt not confined; maximum confinement of constraint and confinement of
of molten metal, maximum joining cross melt (unless gap is melt; minimum internal
minimum joining cross section (arrows). provided); joining cross stresses;
section (arrows); wastes section less than plate cross
beam energy for section.
melting, nonfunctional
metal.

Not recommended—two successive welds;

second weld is fully constrained by the
first weld and shows strong tendency to
crack.
Usually, EBW does not
use or need filler wire.
Therefore, V-grooves or
large joint gaps are not
required; in fact, too
much of a gap could be
detrimental to the
process.
A step in the surfaces at the
joint line is also undesirable.
Any small lateral shift of the
beam from the low to the
high side, or vice versa,
changes the penetration to
some extent.
 Triangular
Parallel
X
√
 Welds with parallel sides are preferred over welds that are more triangular
shaped.
 As a general rule, full penetration EB welds have a tendency to be more
parallel than partial penetration welds that have a wider nail head and are
tapered at the root.
Butt joints are the most common of the basic joint types used in EBW.
a, b, c – Least expensive but weld joints with no edge preparation required
d to g – Self aligning and suitable for circular or circumferential welds
A –simplest and more economical corner weld,
H- corner flange weld usually made only on thin stock
A – melt through or blind weld is simple but more sensitive to corrosion
B –suitable for thinner sections
c- suitable for sections above 25mm or more
 Mostly used in joining of refectory materials like
columbium, tungsten, ceramics.
 High Precision Welding of electronics components.
 High precision welding of nuclear fuel elements.
 Special alloy components of jet engines. Difficult to melt
 Pressure vessels for rocket. and weld metals

 Joining of Dis similar metals.

 Welding of Titanium medical implants.
 High penetration to width can be obtained.
 High welding speed is obtained.
 Material of high melting temperature can be welded.
 Superior weld quality due to welding in vacuum i.e.
welds are corrosion free.
 Distortion is less due to less heat affected zone.
 Inaccessible joints can be made.
 Very wide range of sheet thickness can be joined (0.025
mm to 100 mm).
 Very high equipment cost.
 Transportation of equipment is not easy.
 Vacuum is required.
 Skilled person is needed.
 X-rays generated during welding
 60 kV 4 kW (610 mm3) electron beam welder including
CNC controlled work manipulation systems
£220,000.00 i.e. 17609882.40 INR (1 £ = 80.02 INR)