FUSION 1.0 INTRODUCTION The rapid expansion in the use of arc welding during the early part of the last war was followed by a great increase in the use of automatic welding machines. This increase has continued as the demand for improved production methods has grown. As engineers become more familiar with the possibilities of machine welding, its field of application is continually widening The use of new materials and the more stringent regulations governing welding tends to limit manual arc welding with an electrode 460mm. The manual metal arc process is limited by speed and length of continuou! run possible. This, plus the shortage of highly skilled welders and high wages, has contributed towards a growing demand for machines which enable welding to be done with greater reliability, speed and con- tinuity, The trend over the last decade has been from manual welding to machine welding and this trend shows no sign of abating 1.1 Advantages of Automatic Welding Processes Among the more important advantages of automatic welding are the factors of arc length and welding speed; the automatic control o: these variables has enabled high quality welds to be consistently reproduced. The introduction, close to the arc of high welding currents giving high current densities, has resulted in high welding speeds and deep penetration. With the use of a continuous electrode coil has come a vast improvement in the ratio of arcing time to total weld time, a very important factor in reducing labour costs. With machine welding heat input can be more accurately known, hence dis— tortion more easily controlled. Minimum distortion is achieved by welding at a high speed and with the minimum of passes, thus localising the heat input. The smooth appearance of automatic welds, particularly those made with the submerged arc process, give a finish to the work which is always desirable and sometimes essential. 1.2 Disadvantages of Automatic Welding Processes With automatic processes operating at current values of over 300A, care must be taken because the arc is an intense source of light with high infra-red and ultraviolet content. Since the welding head is not able to cover any irregularities, correct edge preparation is essential for first class welds, and setting up time tends to be longer than for manual arc welding. In submerged arc welding the operator cannot see the weld pool and hence judge the welding process: He must rely on the fit-up of the joint remaining constant, and must either pre-set the welding head accurately with respect to the joint or make adjustments to it by observing an indicator such as a pointer or a light beam focussed ahead of the powdered flux. Experienced users of the process would probably agree that the inability to see the weld in automatic submerged arc welding creates more physchological than practical difficulties.262 1.3 Automatic Arc Wel fie Although there are a number of different automatic welding processes today finding applications in many different fields, there are only two which seem to have found a wide acceptance and are in general use. They combine the important features of using a con tinuous coil electrode with high current densities. These processes known as Metal Inert Gas (MIG) and Submerged Arc/Fusare are widely used in all fields of the fabrication industry. The successful application of the MIG process to steel welding was developed in the early 1950's, being a lead on from the Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) process; whilst the Submerged are process was developed in the U.S.A. in the mid 1930's, in its early days commonly known as 'Unionmelt'. Another form of automatic welding is the electroslag process. Whilst not of true arc welding, it was developed in the U.S.S.R. from the submerged arc process. With its many varients, it has been successfully applied in the pressure vessel and shipbuilding industries, taking advantage of the natural vertical presentation of structural members. The ability to join thick sections in a single pass with minium distortion has also contributed to the success of this process.