ESAB TRAINING & EDUCATION

Submerged
arc welding
Content General information

General information ............................................... 3 Joint preparation .................................................. 12

The principles of submerged arc welding ............... 4
Rules for welding ..................................................... 4
Parameters . ............................................................. 5
Setting welding data ................................................. 5
Formulae .................................................................. 7
Conversion table ...................................................... 7
Submerged arc welding methods . ......................... 8
Single-wire welding . ................................................ 8
Twin-wire welding . .................................................. 8
Tandem welding ....................................................... 9
Strip cladding ......................................................... 10
Narrow gap welding ............................................... 11
Cold wire addition .................................................. 11
Iron powder ............................................................ 11
Joint backing ......................................................... 13
Consumables ......................................................... 14
Electrodes .............................................................. 14
Flux . ....................................................................... 14
ESAB fluxes and characteristics .......................... 15
Iron powder ........................................................... 16
Weld defects . ......................................................... 19
Action in the event of weld defects ...................... 21
Welding data tables . ............................................. 23
Practical instructions ............................................ 27

Submerged arc welding (SAW) is a two component process using a flux and wire com-
bination where the wire is melted in an arc under the flux that is deposited to the weld
area. It is a process that is used on a variety of different objects, mainly heavy objects
like ships, pressure vessels, the offshore industry, bridges, tanks and heavy duty pipes
to name just a few. Submerged arc welding is carried out mainly in the flat position
for butt and fillet joint configurations. Submerged arc welding is the most productive
welding process where wires both non-and low alloyed and stainless steel types are
utilised. Strip cladding using the submerged arc process is also a very popular way to
deposit a layer of stainless weld metal on to a sheet of carbon steel substrate.

SAW is normally carried out in a workshop.
Working outside with any type of welding can
incur problems such as moisture being absorbed
into the fluxes used. Although a substantial
amount of welding is done outside, especially on
large flat work pieces.
  SAW is most rational when the least amount
of runs is required per joint and that all require-
ments are fulfilled such as impact values.
Welding is otherwise carried out from both sides
of the work piece using a specific joint configura-
tion depending upon the thickness of the part to
be welded. Some certain steels need to be welded
using a multi run procedure to assure that impact
and other requirements are accomplished.
  In cases where multi run procedures are uti-
lised, costs increase but it is vital that the con-
struction withstands the forces it is subjected to;
therefore cost is not a priority.
  Welding defects can occur when SAW is used
but on the whole, if all preparations are done in
a correct manner the possibilities of defects de-
crease.

3

Principles of submerged arc
welding
A wire feeder unit, welding power source, a flux
delivery system and process controller are neces-
sary to be able to weld SAW. The consumable
is a bare continuous wire that is fed into a flux
all of which is fed to the welding joint through
a contact tube and flux hose. An electric cur-
rent is transferred to the wire through a contact
tube and contact jaws made of copper. The flux
is delivered from a large hopper through a hose
to a nozzle placed before the contact jaw in the
direction of travel or through a flux funnel. An
electric arc is formed once the wire makes con-
tact with the work piece. The amperage and arc
voltage needed to create an arc are supplied from
the welding power source either with direct cur-
rent or alternating current. The intense heat from
the arc will melt the flux at the same time the
wire melts into the work piece. The flux becomes
molten as well as the wire. Due to its density the
molten flux floats on the molten metal weld pool
and will solidify. The flux can contain alloying
elements or it can be neutral. The slag that forms
from the flux during welding protects the molten
pool from oxygen in the atmosphere and finally
it will release from the weld bead and discarded.
Not all flux is used in a single string and the sur-
plus that hasn’t fused can be recycled back into
the flux hopper using a flux recovery unit.
Basic principle of SAW
The slag that forms during welding has a heat
insulating effect and reduces heat losses from
the arc. This means that the energy produced
in the arc is higher than would be in other open
arc processes. The level of thermal efficiency is
higher and as a result, faster welding speeds can
be applied. The thermal efficiency in SAW is re-
garded at being 60% compared to MMA or hand
welding which is around the 25% mark. Either
alternating or direct current can be used in the
SAW process although direct current is the most
common form of welding current.
4 5
Rules for welding
Direct current versus alternating current
Both direct current and alternating current are
used for submerged arc welding, but direct cur-
rent is used more frequently, with the electrode
connected to the plus pole. The following
advantages of direct current and the plus pole
should be noted:
• Less risk of pores in the weld metal with
direct current
• Greater penetration in the joint. This is par-
ticularly important when welding I-joints
• Arc stability is better with direct current than
with alternating current
• Magnetic arc-blow is less apparent when
welding with AC current.
• Direct current with electrode negative pro-
duces less penetration and a higher throat
thickness. Electrode negative is an advantage
when surfacing, increasing the deposition
rate.
24
Feedrollers
Contacttable
200
Parameters
  Weld data settings
Welding parameters are set according to the dimen-
sions and joint configuration of the work piece. They
must be set so that the desired penetration and required
bead appearance are obtained. From this standpoint
the wire dimension, arc voltage, welding current and
welding speed are carefully selected. The tables at the
end of this compendium are for guidance only but are
deemed good for basic settings.
  Arc voltage
The arc voltage is an important parameter for the
shape and width of the arc and in some aspect, the
depth of penetration.
  Too high an arc voltage in a butt joint on a flat plate
will result in a wide bead. In an X, V joint or fillet
the result will be a concave bead with undercut, which
reduces the slag detachability. If the arc voltage is too
low the bead appearance on a butt weld becomes high
and the penetration shallow. In X, V and fillets, the
weld becomes convex and resulting in lack of fusion
in the joint and extremely difficult to release slag.
28 32 36 40V
This illustration shows how a change in arc voltage influ-
ences the shape of the weld. Constant welding current.
  Welding current
The welding current has the greatest effect on the
amount of penetration into the work piece. The choice
of current is based on plate thickness and joint ge-
ometry. The welding current has little or no effect on
the bead width but to high a current will lead to burn
through and to low a current will lead to lack of fusion
300 400 600 800A
Increasing the welding current results in deeper
penetration.
in the weld. The welding current is proportional to the
wire feed speed, which also has an effect on the weld
metal deposition rate in kg/h. At a given welding cur-
rent with the electrode on straight polarity (electrode
negative) the deposition rate will be somewhat higher
but the penetration will be less.
 
  Welding speed
Travel speed will also affect the penetration depth. If
the travel speed is increased at a given current and arc
voltage the penetration will decrease, the bead will ap-
pear restricted and vice versa if the welding speed is
decreased. If the welding speed is reduced to a much
lower speed at a given current/voltage the opposite
effect will happen where the penetration is reduced
because energy in the form of heat cannot be trans-
ferred correctly to the work piece due to the fact that
an overly large molten pool has been formed. If the
welding speed is to be altered then both welding cur-
rent and voltage must be tuned accordingly.
  Electrode diameter
For a given current, changing the electrode diameter
will affect the current density. (Amperage per mm2
of wire cross section) therefore a larger electrode will
penetrate less and reduce the risk of burn through in
the root run. At the same time striking the arc becomes
more difficult and arc stability is also reduced with the
likelihood of root failures occurring in a V joint.
d = 4mm 3,25 3,0 2,5 2.0
S = 32A/mm 48 56 82 120
Different electrode diameters at constant current.

  Electrode extension (stick out)   Electrode angle Formulae Conversion table for welding speed
Metres Centimetres English figures English tum
Per hour Per minut Per hour Per minute
Electrode extension is the length of electrode The angle between the electrode and the work Tensile energy (heat input) m/h cm/min ´/h ´/min

from the contact jaw or contact tip to the work piece will determine the amount of penetration 10 17 33 7
U • I • 60
piece. This measurement is an important pa- of the electrode into the joint. Q= •η 20 33 66 13
V
rameter that affects the pre heating of the 30 50 98 20
electrode tip. Should the electrode extension 40 67 131 26
Q = tensile energy in kJ/mm
be too short, the pre heat will be less and the U = voltage in volts 50 83 164 33
penetration deep. If the electrode extension is I = current in Amperes
60 100 197 39
V = travel speed in mm/min
longer then the resistance in the wire is greater η = efficiency (for submerged arc welding = 0,90) 70 116 230 46
and the electrode heats up more. This implies 80 133 262 52
that penetration is reduced and the deposition Carbon equivalent 90 150 295 59
rate increases. The material must be pre-heated if Ec> 0,40 %
100 167 328 65
120 200 394 79
Mn + Cr+Mo+V + Ni+ Cu
Stick- Ec = Cev = C+ 6 5 15 140 233 459 92
out Släpande
Dragging angle Vertikal
Vertical Stickande
Electrode pushing angle
160 267 525 105
distance
The effect of electrode angle on penetration. 180 300 590 118
Shape factor 200 333 656 131
220 367 722 144
The most suitable electrode angle when welding B
F= 240 400 787 157
D
with single or twin wires for joining two plates is
260 433 853 170
90 degrees. In welding submerged arc using the
F = width:height ratio 280 467 918 183
tandem process the trailing head, normally on al-
B = width of the weld 300 500 984 197
Electrode stick-out is normally measured as the dis-
ternating current is angled towards the leading D = height/depth of the weld
tance from the contact nozzle to the surface of head so that the electrode meets the trailing edge
the workpiece. F should be at least 1-1.5, as there is otherwise a risk of Conversion factors
of the molten pool. hot cracking. m/h x 1,66 = cm/min
metres x 3,281 = feet
When welding low alloyed steels a normal Electrode angle Trailing Vertical Stick-out Deposition rate meter x 39,37 = inches
An approximation of the deposition rate can be calculated cm/min x 0,6 = m/h
electrode extension is between 22 and 27 mm. Penetration Large Normal Small using the following formulae: fot x 0,305 = metres
When cladding with wire the electrode exten- Narrow inches x 25,4 = mm
Throat Normal Wide (small) Deposition rate (kg/h) = Amp/(50 x Diam0,3) single wire,
sion can be up to 40 mm with certain wires (large)
plus pole
and with straight polarity (electrode negative) Tendency towards
Normal Small Deposition rate (kg/h) = Amp/(40 x Diam0,3) single wire,
undercut alternating current
the deposition rate can be increased at the Temperature conversion
same time as dilution with the parent metal The electrode feed speed (m/min with the plus pole) can
Celcius C = F (F-32) x 5
is reduced. The flux height should be adjusted be calculated more exactly using the following formula:
9
according to the size of the molten pool. Fahrenheit F = (C x 9) + 32

)
) AMP + 221,41 5
WFS =
44,7 x diam1,79
30mm 45mm 60mm 80mm

Penetration is reduced when electrode stick-out

increases.

6 7
Submerged arc welding methods Comparison between single and twin wires
Type of Diameter Area Welding Deposition rate
electrode mm mm2 current A max kg/h
3,0 7,06 650 8,0

Single wire welding 1. Two separate welding power sources, one direct Single electrode 4,0 12,56 850 11,5
current and one alternating current. 5,0 19,62 1100 14,5
Electrode diameters ranging from 1.2 to 6.0 mm 2. Two separate process controllers 2,0 6,28 1000 14,0
Double electrode
can be used with current ranges from 120 am- 3. Two separate wire feeding systems 2,5 9,81 1200 17,0
peres for small diameters up to 1 500 amperes for
the larger diameter wires. The leading electrode is carrying direct current
  To enable higher production the single wire and the trailing electrode is carrying alternating
method can be easily modified into a twin wire current. The trailing welding head is angled to-
or tandem system. Both solid wires and metal or wards the leading head so that the electrode enters
flux cored wires can be used with submerged arc the trailing edge of the molten pool. Even tandem
welding. systems can be equipped with twin wire configu-
rations. This enables a maximum of 4 wires to be
fed into the joint to be welded. Deposition rates
  Twin-wire welding
with these systems reach up to 30 kg per hour.
Instead of welding with one single 3 mm Ø wire When welding a butt joint, electrode diameters
the feed mechanism of the wire feeder can be mod- can vary between 2 x 2, 2 x 2.4 and 2 x 3 mm. Tandem twin 4 electr. – 2 welding heads
ified enabling welding with two wires each having The distance between the twin wires is 8 mm. Di-
a diameter of 2.4 mm. The wires protrude 8 mm rect current is the preferred type welding current,
from each other from the contact jaws and can be which gives the best arc stability.
inline or traversing the joint to be welded. Advan-   Straight polarity or electrode negative, as it is
tages are increased deposition and deeper penetra- also known as, is used in hard facing applications.
tion. One power source is used and the welding Penetration is less and deposition is higher.
current is travels through both wires. The electrode
 Electrode positioning,
polarity is positive. This type of modification is
simple and economically viable. advantages and disadvantages

• Twin wire welding makes possible the position-

  Tandem welding
The ultimate in reaching high deposition rates is to
use the tandem submerged arc method.
  This system is really two separate systems
working together as one unit. The required com-
ponents are:
ing of the electrodes between transverse to paral-
lel to the joint. This is made possible by rotating
the contact tube between zero and 90 degrees.
• Having the electrodes parallel to the joint
improves penetration and reduces the risk of un-
dercut and porosity. As the molten pool is longer
in this case gases within the pool have more time Tandem + tandem, twin
to escape.
• When the electrodes are transverse to the weld-
ing joint penetration decreases. Joints having
large angles can be filled much quicker once the
root runs are concluded. The root runs can be
done with the electrodes parallel and the fill runs
and capping can be done using the wires trans-
verse to the joint.
• Electrodes can also be placed diagonally across
the joint too in cases where smaller joint angles
are used.

8 9

  Strip cladding   Narrow gap welding   Synergic cold wire systems

The equipment used for submerged arc welding motors that allow for slow feeding. The advantage The ESAB Narrow Gap submerged arc welding In addition, a cold wire attachment can be added
with different variants of wire can also be convert- of strip cladding is the low level of dilution ob- method is designed to work on pressure vessels to the current bearing welding head. The idea is to
ed for strip cladding. Instead of wires a strip to- tained between the weld and parent metals. Weld- having a wall thickness up to 350 mm. The joint be able to feed a non current bearing electrode into
gether with special fluxes is used as the electrode. ing currents can range from 600 to 1500 amperes. width is approximately 18 mm at the top and the the molten pool thus significantly augmenting dep-
  Strip dimensions are usually 30, 60 or 100 mm Strip cladding is used to surface thick walled joint angle no more that 3 degrees. If convention- osition rates. The cold wire is fed into the molten
wide and 0.5 mm thick. Strip cladding is a slow vessels with a liner of stainless steel. This makes al joints were to be used having this thickness it pool simultaneously as the current bearing wire.
process. The strip feed speed is very slow so feed- possible vessels to be built in carbon manganese would take a very long time to fill. Costs for la- The same feed motor is used together with a gear
ers must have the appropriate gear ratios and drive steels bring down the cost substantially. bour, consumables, manpower and energy would box with two axles. One will feed the hot wire and
soar. This is where narrow gap welding has its ad- the other will feed the cold wire. The most success-
vantages. It makes welding thick walled vessels so ful ratio of wire diameters is where the cold wire is
900 A 700 A 750 A 750 A
= ~ ~ ~ much easier and above all more economic. one or two dimensions smaller than the hot wire.
+
1150 A 20 mm   After the root run has been deposited, narrow
=
90 mm + 50 mm gap welding is then carried out by alternating the   Iron powder
weld bead from the left side to the right side of
the joint after each revolution of the vessel. NGW Another way of increasing deposition rates is to
can naturally be carried out on circumferential and add iron powder. Special iron powder dispensers
20 16 longitudinal narrow joints. Because the weld bead are available that feed out iron powder into the
is deposited on the alternately on each side the slag molten pool. When using DC current, the wire be-
detachability does not become a problem because comes magnetic and the iron powder sticks to it and
the beads are narrower that the joint itself. Using is feed into the molten pool.
highly basic welding fluxes ensures that the weld
800 A 750 A is tough. In all, the following points
600 A ~ ~
800 A
~ 850 A
~ 15 mm are the advantages with NGW.
~ 15 mm
20 mm
• Reduced arc time
• Less consumables
• Reduces stresses in the weld
• Narrower heat affected zone HAZ
16 20 • Low heat input
• High quality
• Economic
1000 A
800 A ~
= 950 A
_ ~
900 A 100 mm
1100 A ~
= 1200 A
+ 110 mm 100 mm
•••• •
~
•• •••••• •• • 25 mm
• ••• •• • ••
••• ••• ••• • •
• • • •
• • •• • • •
• •••• •• •••••• • •
• • •
•••••••••••••••• •••
••••••• ••• ••••
••••• ••
••••
••

FCB + GRAIN FCB

Placing electrode, arc voltage and welding current Deposition rates for
different SAW methods.

10 11

Joint preparation
To take full advantage of the economic benefits
of automatic welding, joint preparation must be
performed with the greatest accuracy. The edges
of the plate must be machined or cut with narrow
tolerances to obtain optimal penetration. The root
face of a V-joint or double Y-joint must be suf-
ficient to achieve the desired root run and avoid
perforation. The edges of the metal must be abso-
lutely clean – in other words, free from moisture,
grease, oil, paint, mill scale and rust to avoid po-
rosity and cracking. If plasma cutting is used, the
joint edges must be cleaned by grinding.
12
Measurement errors during joint preparation
cause defective welds thus making automatic
welding more difficult to achieve. The result of a
poor fit up in the joint is burnt through or lack of
penetration, i.e. root defects.
Submerged arc welding demands a more elab-
orate joint preparation compared to welding with
manual metal arc coated electrodes. Nothing can
be gained if optimal joint preparation for sub-
merged arc welding is not performed.
  Joint backing
The advantage of using backing is to ensure that
correct penetration is secured and that an accept-
able appearance of the root run is acquired.
  Backing bar
Defining the backing bar can be expressed as
a support for the root run when the root gap is
wide. A backing bar is common in most static
longitudinal welding stations. Other types of
backing are ceramics or fibreglass tapes used si-
multaneously with a copper backing bar.
I joint
V joint
Double Y joint
I joint
13
  Backing strip
Backing strip takes the form of a flat metal bar
or a profile, normally of the same grade as the
workpiece, which is tack-welded under the joint
and is allowed to remain a part of the structure.
  Backing
An easily applied backing in the form of ceram-
ics designed for use with welding objects that
cannot be turned, such as ship’s decks, fixed struc-
tures and so on. The use of backing bars saves air
gouging and subsequent welding.

Consumables
In submerged arc welding, the consumables are
made up of two components, an electrode and
flux. More recently, a third component, iron
powder, has been used on an increasing scale.
  Electrodes for SAW
Most carbon steel electrodes are coated with a
few micrometers of copper. The copper coating
does several things. It creates an optimal current
transfer between the welding head and the elec-
trode itself and partially protects the wire from
rusting. One must keep in mind though that this
coating does not inhibit rusting of the wire and
the wire must be stored according to the manu-
facturers instructions.
Several different types of electrode are avail-
able on the market, solid wire, tubular types and
strips. All of these types of wires are used for
joining and surfacing. Tubular wires are from a
development point of view much easier to attain
optimal alloying elements. This means that neu-
tral fluxes can be used instead of alloying fluxes.
14
  Fluxes for SAW
Different steels demand different wire and flux
combinations. Therefore a multitude of different
fluxes exist. Some fluxes are designed to accom-
modate good mechanical properties and others
to provide less stringent weld qualities. As men-
tioned before there are fluxes with alloying prop-
erties and neutral fluxes that provide protection
to the molten pool from atmospheric oxygen and
other impurities. Therefore welding consumable
manufacturers produce fluxes depending upon
the type of steel to be welded.
Combinations of fluxes and wires are com-
mon in acquiring special properties needed for
the steel type in question to be welded. Combi-
nations can take three different configurations,
namely all alloying elements can be added to
the weld metal through the wire, the flux or both
wire and flux.
Fluxes come in three different forms, agglom-
erated, fused and sintered. Fused fluxes are ho-
mogeneous where the components of the flux are
fused to form a glass like mass which is crushed,
ground and finally sieved to obtain a suitable
grain size.
Agglomerated fluxes can absorb moisture (hy-
groscopic). They are made in a completely dif-
ferent manner than fused fluxes. The components
in agglomerated fluxes are bonded together with
potassium or sodium silicate and rotating the
compound in a cone shape or drum and finally
dried in a rotating tubular kiln at temperatures
between 800 and 900 °C. When dry the granules
are sieved to the required grain size. Sintered
fluxes are form baked and dried into discs that
are later crushed to the required grain size.
Fused fluxes are non hygroscopic meaning
that they do not absorb dampness from the at-
mosphere and are ideal for welding outdoors and
in environments having high relative humidity.
Agglomerated fluxes are hygroscopic and do
absorb moisture. These fluxes must be handled
in a manner where moisture is kept from them
by storing in a special flux drier. Agglomerated
fluxes should always be dried before use.
Flux type Advantages
Non-hygroscopic
Fused
High grain strength
Relatively high hygroscopicity
Sintered
Relatively low volume weight (ca 1,3 kg/l)
Alloying elements like Cr and Ni can be
Agglomerated included via the flux
Low volume weight (approx. 0.8 kg/l)
  ESAB fluxes and characteristic properties
From a chemical point of view, fluxes are nor-
mally divided into the following groups:
• Acid and neutral fluxes (with basicity
B = < 1.2)
• Basic fluxes (B = 1.2-2.0)
• High-basic fluxes (B = > 2.0)
• Special fluxes
Special fluxes are not defined chemically; they
are defined by application for example for weld-
ing of stainless steel and hard facing.
  A. Acid and neutral fluxes
Some fluxes in this group are neutral and others al-
loying types. In other words the neutral fluxes do
not add any alloying elements to the weld metal
where the alloying types do e.g. Mn, Cr, Si, Mo to
name a few.
  ESAB has several fluxes available in this group
two of them being OK Flux 10.80 which is a neu-
tral flux and OK Flux 10.81 which adds silicon and
manganese to the weld metal.
  OK Flux 10.80 is specifically developed to be
used with high current and slow welding speeds
where is possible to weld butt joints in plate thick-
ness up to 30 mm. The basicity index for this flux
is 1.1.
15
Disadvantages
Alloying elements like Cr and Ni cannot
be included via the flux
High volume weight (approx. 1.6 kg/l)
Alloying elements cannot normally be
included via the flux
Relatively low grain strength
Hygroscopic
Relatively low grain strength
OK Flux 10.81 is an acid agglomerated alloying
flux adding both Mn and Si to the weld metal. It is
designed to weld at higher speed on thinner plates
using moderate amperage settings. The basicity
index for OK Flux 10.81 is 0.6. High basic fluxes
produce purer and stronger weld metal.
  All agglomerated fluxes are hygroscopic. This
means that they absorb moisture and they must be
stored in a dry place and dried before use. After use
and at the end of the day they must be stored in a
heated container to keep it dry.
  B. Basic fluxes
Fluxes within the basicity range of 1.2 to 2.0 are
generally characterized by:
• Excellent welding characteristics
• Excellent mechanical properties
(grade III approvals with impact strength re-
quirements down to -20 degrees Celsius
• They can be both alloying and non alloying
• Designed to be used with low alloyed elec-
trodes.
Within this group, ESAB has two fluxes available,
OK Flux 10.70 and OK Flux 10.71.
OK Flux 10.70 has a basicity of approximately
1.7 and can be described chemically as being of
the aluminate-basic type. This flux is of the alloy-
ing type and is characterised among other things
by the fact that its basicity has been chosen to en-
able welding to be performed with both direct and
alternating current.
It is also characterised by good slag detach-
ability, run formation, pore resistance and current
resistance. As a result of these characteristics, this
flux can be used for welding vertical and horizon-
tal fillet welds using both single- and multi-elec-
trode systems and for normal butt welding. As a
result of its good storage characteristics, this flux
is designed eventually to replace OK Flux 10.80.
OK Flux 10.71 has a basicity of approximately
1.6 and can be described chemically as being of
the aluminate-basic type. This flux separates itself
from OK Flux 10.70, by compensating or weakly
alloying in terms of its alloying elements and it
should therefore be welded in combination with
alloying electrodes.
The general welding characteristics of this flux
are identical to those of OK 10.70. But the actual
difference is for metallurgical reasons, is more
suitable for multilayer welding in thicker material,
such as fine-grain-treated steel.
  C. High-basic fluxes
This group, which has a basicity between 2.0-3.5,
is generally characterised by:
• Moderately good welding characteristics (can
normally only be welded on DC+)
• Excellent mechanical properties (this flux type
is used for welding LPG material with impact
strength requirements down to –55°C)
• These fluxes are neutral – in other words, they
are designed to be welded using alloying elec-
trodes (OK Autrod 12.34)
Within this group, ESAB supplies OK Flux 10.61
and OK Flux 10.62.
OK Flux 10.61 has a basicity of approximately
2.8 and can be described chemically as being of
the calcium-basic type. This flux is compensating
or produces a slight burn-off in terms of alloying
elements. OK Flux 10.62 has such good welding
16
characteristics that tandem welding with the elec- Single-run welding with the separate addition of
  Choice of consumable
trode connected to direct current is possible. iron powder calls for backing or root runs in or-
The slag removal, run formation, aversion to der to prevent the iron powder sipping through the In fabrication welding, it is most important to
porosity and current resistance of this flux can be joint. choose a consumable that produces a weld met-
regarded as being among the most optimum for Iron powder is normally fed from hopper with al that matches the analyis of the parent metal.
fluxes of this type. a dispenser unit attached to it. The dispenser sup- Needless to say, it is not always possible to expect
OK Flux 10.62 has a higher basicity than OK plies the desired amount of iron powder through complete analysis similarity. It also needs to be
Flux 10.61 and better welding characteristics with tubes to the welding wire. When welding with DC generally balanced to enable it to be used for com-
direct and alternating current. current the wire is magnetic and the iron powder paratively large groups of similar steels. In spite
is attracted to the wire and is fed into the joint with of this, the main principle is that consumables
  D. Special fluxes the wire. should produce a weld metal which, in terms of
Iron powder is normally alloyed with manga- mechanical strength, is at least equivalent to the
As the introduction stated, these fluxes are gener- nese (approx. 1.8%), but nickel-alloyed powders rest of the material. Over the years, in-depth ex-
ally only defined according to their applications. are also available. perience of the characteristics of dissimilar weld
ESAB sells the following fluxes. OK Grain 21.85 is made up of low-alloy iron metals has been acquired by both manufacturers
OK Flux 10.92 is intended for welding stainless granules measuring 0.5-0.7 mm. If it is added to and users of consumables. It is always a good
steel and is alloyed with Cr to compensate for Cr the weld joint, it helps to facilitate welding in idea to conduct tests in advance to ensure that the
burn-off during welding. It is neutral and has a ba- thick plate or in situations where large throats in selected consumable in the steel in question will
sicity of around 0.8. The reason for this is because horizontal fillet joints are needed, as the joint can produce a weld joint with the desired properties.
it is designed for surfacing with stainless strips be filled with a smaller number of runs. Penetra- Weld defects can occur in connection with any
and therefore the welding characteristics need to tion is reduced, reducing the risk of burnthrough kind of automated welding. They are basically
be optimal. at gap openings or root faces that are too small. In the same as those occuring during handwelding.
OK Flux 10.92 is most suitable for welding some cases, the reduced penetration of the parent
with austenitic strip electrodes as well as 308L, metal is an advantage.
367, 316C and 318 wires.
OK Flux 10.96 is of the alloying type and is
designed for hardfacing. With an unalloyed elec-
trode (OK Autrod 12.10), it produces a hardness
of approximately 36 HRC.
OK Flux 10.16 is designed for surfacing with
Inconel strips and is also used for joint welding
with duplex electrodes and solid wire. To our
knowledge, nothing corresponding to this flux is
currently available on the market.
  Iron powder
To increase productivity when welding materi-
als of a thickness more than 20 mm or more, iron
powder or cold wire is added to the filling runs.
With the same heat input, the addition of iron
powder produces a narrower HAZ than conven-
tional SAW, which is an advantage when it comes
to the strength of the welded structure. The heat
input is reduced in relation to the amount of iron
powder added.
Productivity can be improved by almost 50%.
This means that the labour cost of welding is re-
duced accordingly, the throughput time of the Flux consumption Ψ
welded object in the workshop is shorter. (flux consumption per weight unit of molten electrode)
17
The following table lists the most important
types of OK fluxes and electrodes for SAW, their Weld defects
combinations and the materials with which they
are used.
Welding defects cannot be ruled out when us- are caused by segregation which occurs when
Applications for different fluxes and electrode types ing automated welding. The defects that occur the molten pool solidifies. Carbon and sulphur
Flux Elektrode typ Application resemble those that are found in manual metal then concentrate in the centre of the bead and at
OK Flux 10.70 OK Autrod 12.10 arc welding. Defects that occur on the surface are high temperature the strength of the material is
OK Flux 10.71 OK Autrod 12.20
General structural steel, pressure vessels, steel with increased easily detected but defects like slag inclusions, considerably reduced. However, the cause of hot
strength (max. approx. 600 N/mm2 class)
OK Flux 10.80 lack of fusion and sub surface porosity can only cracks in automatic welding is the formation of
OK Flux 10.81 be detected through radiographic and ultra sonic a pipe, combined with the segregation of carbon
OK Flux 10.61 OK Autrod 12.20 Low-alloy steel Domex, testing of the welded object. To maintain defect and sulphur. Pipes occur in a weld bead in com-
OK Flux 10.62 OK Autrod 12.24 Ox etc free welds the welding procedure specifications bination with segregation of carbon and sulphur.
OK Flux 10.71 OK Autrod 12.34
(WPS) must be adhered to under all circumstanc- Pipes also occur when the bead form factor or
OK Flux 10.91 OK Autrod 16.10 18/8-steel
es. Weld defects can be summarised as follows: ratio between the width of the bead and the pene-
OK Flux 10.92 OK Autrod 16.30 18/8-Mo-steel
• Root defects tration depth are not acceptable. In this situation,
• Hot cracking it is in fact a case of shrinkage and not cracking.
OK Band Surfacing
• Pipes Hot cracking can be eliminated by forcing the
OK Flux 10.96 OK Autrod 12.10 Surfacing HRC 32/40
• Surface porosity molten pool to cool from the bottom to the sur-
OK Autrod 12.40 Surfacing HRC ca 46
• Sub surface porosity face, so that the primary crystals are forced to
OK Flux 10.71 OK Tubrod 15.40 Surfacing HRC 27/34
• Slag inclusions grow upwards at an angle towards the surface of
OK Tubrod 15.42 Surfacing HRC 35/44
• Undercut the run – in other words, by welding against a
OK Tubrod 15.52 Surfacing HRC 55/60
• Lack of fusion cooling base.
Surfacing HRC 45/65
OK Flux 10.61 OK Tubrod 15.74
Cr=11,5-14,5 % When welding heavier gauge metals, hot
OK Flux 10.16 Inconel cracking occurs if the cooling rate is too fast.
OK Flux 10.69 Backing powder for Cu bar
  Root defects Pre-heating can be utilised to combat this.

The effect of flux type on different welding characteristics and welding quality A root defect is quite simply incomplete penetra-
  Surface porosity
Characteristics
OK Flux OK Flux OK Flux OK Flux OK Flux OK Flux tion of a joint cross-section. They appear on X-
10.40 10.80 10.81 10.70/10.71 10.61 10.62 rays as clear, straight lines. In automatic weld- Surface porosity occurs due to the fact that there
Current resistance XXX XXX XX XX X X ing, penetration in the joint is an important factor could be impurities in the flux, rusty electrodes,
Alternating current and in cases where root defects occur, penetration
welding
X (X) XX oil, paint or grease in the joint and hydrogen due
is described as incomplete. to moisture in the flux. The gases that form po-
Fillet weld properties XXX XX XX XX XX XX
If the welding is performed from two sides rosity have not been able to exit the molten pool
Gap bridging ability X XX XXX XX X X
and the root runs do not converge, an explana- and become entrapped when the molten metal is
Slag removal X XX XXX XX XX XX
tion could be that the root face of the joint is too in the solidification phase. Pores that escape the
Welding speed X XXX XXX XX XX XX
thick, the joint angle is too small or both. Other molten pool become trapped beneath solidified
Run appearance XX XX XXX XX X X
explanations could be that the current was too slag and become so called surface pores. They
Crack resistance XXX XXX XXX XX X XXX
low, the travel speed was too high, or the weld migrate to the centre of the weld bead and ap-
Spricksäkerhet X X X XX XXX XXX
runs were not performed symmetrically. pear as a string of pin holes along the solidified
Mechanical properties X X X XX (X) XXX XXX
The current is the welding variable that has the weld metal. Surface porosity can be eliminated
x = normal, xx = good, xxx = very good greatest impact on penetration depth. by decreasing the welding travel speed making
sure that the joint is clean and preheating thicker
  Hot cracking, pipes work pieces.
Other defects that occur on the sur-
Hot cracks generally occur in the centre of a face of the weld are pockmarks or indenta-
welded bead and they then run in a straight line in tions and wormholes where gases have not
the longitudinal direction of the weld head. Hot been able to escape through the slag before
cracks can occur in butt welds and fillet welds. it solidifies.
Hot cracks occur at approximately 1200°C and

18 19

  Pores
Sub-surface porosity is not visible from the sur-
face. These pores are formed by gas pockets held
in the solidifying weld metal. There are two main
types of sub-surface porosity. One type occurs
when the two root beads do not meet in an appro-
priate manner. Rest slag from previous runs can
cause porosity and release gases if not properly
removed before welding.
  Slag inclusions
Slag inclusions can occur in submerged arc
welding but are rare in single passes. Mainly in
multi-run joints slag inclusions will occur. Slag
removal is an important factor that must not be
overlooked.
  Undercut
Undercut is due to high arc voltage in compari-
son to wire feed speed. Undercut is when there
are small grooves adjacent to the weld bead.
Undercut should always be eliminated either by
reducing the arc voltage to the required level or
by decreasing the travel speed.
20
  Other defects
If the welding current is too high in relation to
the diameter of the wire, uneven beads will be
the result as the arc will break through the flux
covering the slag and cause uneven ripples in the
bead appearance.
Wire feed speed controls the amperage. High
current means high wire feed speed. For a given
diameter of wire a certain arc voltage is neces-
sary. If the arc voltage is insufficient in compari-
son to the amperage an unstable arc will be the
result.
Action in the event of weld defects
Undercut Difficulty removing the slag in butt joints
• Reduce arc voltage and I-joints
• Reduce welding speed • Change electrode dimension
• Increase electrode diameter • Increase arc voltage in I-joints
• Reduce welding speed
Cracks in fillet joints • Remove rolling mill scale, corrosion and
• Reduce arc voltage contaminants
• Reduce welding speed • Check to see if joint geometry is sufficient
• Increase electrode diameter
• Pre-heat Slag trapped in deep or narrow joints
• Change to another electrode, perhaps a • Reduce arc voltage
different flux • Reduce current and voltage
• Reduce the effect of flux bed height
Cracks in butt-joints
• Reduce welding speed Root porosity
• Check the fixation and gap opening of the • Change electrode, twin-arc
plates • Reduce welding current
• Make sure no copper is being extracted from • Change the electrode to positive polarity
the root support • Use gas flames in front of the arc
• Clean the joint very carefully
Poor penetration • Reduce welding speed
• Increase welding current
• Change the electrode to positive polarity Organic porosity
• Check stick-out length • Change electrode
• Increase joint angle • Change the electrode to positive polarity
• Reduce welding speed
Transverse cracks in multi-run welding • Remove all grease from the joint very carefully
• Increase inter-pass temperature
• Reduce welding speed Porosity caused by magnetic arc blow
• Reduce arc voltage • Change electrode
• Reduce current and voltage • Change the electrode to positive polarity
• Change consumable • Reduce arc voltage and welding speed
• Reduce current and voltage
Cracks in root runs • Make sure the earth lead is in the right place
• Reduce current and voltage • Use alternating welding current
• Do not use an electrode dimension that is too
small, in comparis on to the rootface
• Pre-heat
• Make sure that back gouging is not too nar-
row and deep
21
Finding and rectifying mechanical and electrical defects
Symptom
Varying, unstable values on the volt-
meter and ammeter
Difficult to adjust arc voltage and
welding current.
Abnormally fast wear and run-out in
the contact jaws for bare or covered
electrodes.
There is play in the welding wire as it
passes through the contact jaws.
Burned or internally verdigris-cov-
ered contact jaws.
Uneven, irregular electrode feed.
When welding with an electrode
with a smalldiameter electrode, the
electrode wanders and becomes
twisted.
Overheating of the welding current
cables.
Welding data tables
Defect Action
The contact jaws are worn or the wrong
size, which results in poor contact. Too
little pressure on the pressure and feed
Fit new contact jaws.
rollers.
  Welding data, butt joints
Turn the rheostat repeatedly in both
Oxidised rheostat. directions. This removes oxide from Applies for direct current (plus pole). If alternat- Flux 10.71, OK Flux 10.80 and OK Flux 10.81.
the contact surfaces. With OK Flux 10.40, the arc voltage should be
ing current is being used, the arc voltage should
The clamping screw in the clamping be about two volts higher. Typical welding data for slightly higher, about two volts.
sleeve has lost its clamping effect. This
results in poor contact pressure and the Fit a new clamping screw. the SAW of C-Mn steel using OK Flux 10.70, OK
formation of sparks between the elec-
trode and contact jaws. Butt joint welded from both sides
The contact jaws are worn or have the Fit new contact jaws of adjust the ex- Plate Elektrode Welding Welding speed
Weld run no Arc voltage V
wrong dimensions. isting ones. thickness mm diameter mm current A cm/min
Poor electrical contact between the con- Clean the contact jaws. If they are 6 3-4 1 30-32 350-400 50-70
tact jaws. badly burned, fit new ones.
2 31-33 400-450 50-70
The pressure on the feed roller is too high Adjust to normal pressure. Check the
8 3-4 1 30-32 450-500 60-70
or too low. Wrong roller dimension or roller dimension or change the roller if
worn electrode groove in the feed roller. necessary. 2 30-33 500-550 50-60
10 4 1 30-32 450-500 60-70
Tighten the adjustable washer on the
The brake hub in the wire drum has not
brake hub so that sufficient braking 2 31-33 550-600 60
been tightened sufficiently..
effect is obtained.
12 4-4 1 32-35 600-650 60
Oxidised or loose connections. The Clean and tighten the connections. If 2 33-35 700-750 60-65
welding cables have the wrong dimen- the welding current requires it, change
14 4-4 1 33-35 650-700 50-60
sions for the welding current. to two cables
2 33-35 750-800 40-50

Weld metal strength, typical values for all-weld-metal samples

OK Flux 10.40/ Tensile yield limit Ultimate tensile Impact strength Charpy V
OK Autrod N/mm2 strength N/mm2 J °C
12.10 370 470 60 -20
12.20 410 510 50 -20

Approval
OK Flux 10.40/
ABS LR2 DnV BV GL RS
OK Autrod
12.10 2TM 2TM IITM A2M 2TM 2TM
2T, 3M 2T, 3M IIT A2T 2T
12.20
3YM 3YM IIIYM A3YM 3YM K2T3M

  Welding data, butt joints

Typical welding data for SAW of low-alloy steel

with OK Flux 10.61 and 10.62.
Butt joint welded from both sides with a gap opening
Plate Elektrode Welding Welding speed
Weld run no Arc voltage V
thickness mm diameter mm current A cm/min
6 3 1 29 300-350 60-67
2 30-31 375-425 60-67
8 3 1 30-31 450 60-67
2 31-32 500 65-67
10 4 1 30-31 500 60-67
2 30-32 575-600 60-67
12 4 1 30-32 600 60
2 30-32 600 60

22 23

Weld metal strength, typical values for all-weld-metal samples   Welding data, fillet welds
OK Flux 10.40/ Tensile yield limit Ultimate tensile Impact strength Charpy V
OK Autrod N/mm2 strength N/mm2 J °C
Reference values for SAW fillet joints in unal-
12.22 420 510 100/50 -40/-60
loyed and low alloyed structural welding steel
12.24 520 600 50/- -40-
OK Flux 10.70 and OK Flux 10.81.
12.32 470 570 100/70 -40/-60
12.34 580 660 100/60 -40/-60
One welding head
13.10 430 560 200 +20
Plate Elektrode Welding Welding speed
13.20 450 590 100 +20 Weld run no Arc voltage V
thickness mm diameter mm current A cm/min
13.21 470 560 120/60 -40/-60 6 3 3 26-28 450 75
13.27 500 570 120/80 -40/-60 8 4 4 28-30 575 70
13.40 630 700 60/40 -40/-60 10 4 5 28-30 650 60
13.43 710 800 70/50 -40/-60
One welding head, positional welding, horizontal fillet
Plate Elektrode Weld run Welding Welding speed
Arc voltage V
thickness mm diameter mm no current A cm/min
 Welding data, butt joints,
8 4-5 4 26-28 450 83
V-joints, X-joints
12 5 6 32-34 850 60
15 5-6 7 33-35 850-875 42-45
Typical welding data for the SAW of C-Mn steel
using OK Flux 10.40, OK Flux 10.70, OK Flux Double wire (twin-arc)
10.71, OK Flux 10.80 and OK Flux 10.81. Plate Elektrode Weld run Welding Welding speed
Arc voltage V
thickness mm diameter mm no current A cm/min
V-joint 60° with a root face of 8 mm – 2x2,5 4 26-28 800 110
Plate Elektrode Welding Welding speed – 2x2,5 5 26-28 800 75
Weld run no Arc voltage V
thickness mm diameter mm current A cm/min
16 5-6 NA 32-34 700-750 40-45 Two welding heads +~
NA 33-36 650-750 40-45 Plate Elektrode Weld run Welding Welding speed
Arc voltage V
thickness mm diameter mm no current A cm/min
18 5-6 NA 32-34 800-850 37-40
– 4 4 +29 550 125
NA 36 850 45
~34 630
20 5-6 NA 32-34 925 30
– 4 5 +29 550 120
NA 34-36 850 42-46
~34 630
X-joint 70° with a root face of 6-8 mm
Plate Elektrode Welding Welding speed
thickness mm diameter mm
Weld run no Arc voltage V
current A cm/min

  Welding data for stainless steel
18 5-6 NA 3-34 700-750 60-67
NA 34-36 800-850 60-67 Typical welding data for SAW in stainless “18/8”
20 5-6 NA 34-36 750-800 60-67 steel. Joint types and reference values. Consuma-
NA 34-36 800-850 65-67 bles OK Autrod 16.10, OK Flux 10.91 and OK
25 5-6 NA 34-36 750-850 60-67 Flux 10.92.
NA 34-36 900-950 60-67
30 5-6 NA 32-36 900 60 I-joints
NA 34-36 1000 60 Plate Elektrode Weld run Welding Welding speed
Arc voltage V
N.B. 30 mm should be welded with two runs from either thickness mm diameter mm no current A cm/min
side to take account of impact strength etc. Welding pa- 6 3 1 30-32 350 60-70
rameters other than those given in the table then apply.
2 32 400-450 60-70
8 4 1 32-33 400-450 60-70
2 34 550 60

24 25
V-joint 60° with a handwelded bottom run, gap 0-2 mm, root face 2 mm Practical instructions
Plate Elektrode Weld run Welding Welding speed
Arc voltage V
thickness mm diameter mm no current A cm/min
10 3-4 1
• Check that the feed rollers, contact jaws and • The air pressure that is used to recycle flux
2
contact tips have the correct dimensions. should not be higher than necessary. If the air
12 3-4 1
• Make sure that the wire is correctly straight- pressure is too high, the flux will become pulver-
2-3
ened to avoid abnormal wear and tear on the con- ised.
20 4 1
tact jaws and tips. Worn contact jaws result in • The contact jaws and nozzles must be regarded
2
an unstable welding process and unstable instru- as wear parts.
3-5
ment readings. If the grooves in the feed roller • When welding cylindrical objects with a small
X-joint 70° with a root face of 4-5 mm
are worn, wire feed will be uneven. diameter, a flux support should be used. This
• In joint welding with direct current, the elec- produces improved control of the flux bed and
Plate Elektrode Weld run Welding Welding speed
Arc voltage V trode should be connected to the plus pole. reduces the unwanted loss of flux around the
thickness mm diameter mm no current A cm/min
12 4 1 32-34 500 60 • The distance between the workpiece and the wire.
2 32-34 600 60 contact jaws should be kept between 25 and • The same care should be given automatic
14 4 1 32-34 550 50 35 mm. welding equipment as is given to the other costly
2 32-34 600 50
• To ensure good arc striking at the start of weld- equipment.
ing, the electrode should be cut at an angle, re- • To obtain the best welding results, mill scale
X-joint 60° with a handwelded bottom run, gap 0-2 mm, root face 2 mm ducing electrical resistance in the wire for trou- and the like should always be removed from the
Plate Elektrode Weld run Welding Welding speed ble free start. area to be welded.
Arc voltage V
thickness mm diameter mm no current A cm/min • The return leads must have good contact with
25 4 1 28-30 550-600 60 the workpiece.
2 32-34 550-600 50 • All the cables should be organised in such a way
3-4 32-34 550-600 50 that they do not disrupt the welding process.
5 28-30 550-600 50
6 30-32 550-600 50
7-8 32-34 550-600 50-60

26 27
Notes Notes

28 29
Notes Notes

30 31
Content

• General information • Cold wire addition

• The principles of submerged arc welding • Iron powder
• Rules for welding • Joint preparation
• Parameters • Joint backing
• Setting welding data • Consumables
• Formulae • Electrodes
• Conversion table • Flux
• Submerged arc welding methods • ESAB fluxes and characteristics
• Single-wire welding • Iron powder
• Twin-wire welding • Weld defects
• Tandem welding • Action in the event of weld defects
• Strip cladding • Welding data tables
• Narrow gap welding • Practical instructions

XA 00140420

ESAB AB
Box 8004, SE-402 77 Göteborg, Sweden
Phone: +46 31 50 90 00. Fax: +46 31 31 50 93 90
info@esab.se www.esab.com