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Investigation of viscosity of liquid welding slags and melts of electrode coatings

Article in Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenij. Chernaya Metallurgiya · April 2018

DOI: 10.17073/0368-0797-2018-4-280-287

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ISSN 0036-0295, Russian Metallurgy (Metally), Vol. 2020, No. 6, pp. 659–661. © Pleiades Publishing, Ltd., 2020.
Russian Text © The Author(s), 2019, published in Elektrometallurgiya, 2019, No. 11, pp. 15–18.

SPECIAL
ELECTROMETALLURGY

Petrographic Study of Welding Slags

M. A. Sheksheeva, *, S. V. Mikhailitsyna, A. B. Sychkova, V. A. Bigeeva, and S. V. Naumovb
a
Nosov Magnitogorsk State Technical University, Magnitogorsk, Chelyabinsk oblast, 455000 Russia
b
Perm National Research Polytechnic University, Perm, 614990 Russia
*e-mail: shecsheev@yandex.ru
Received June 16, 2019; revised June 26, 2019; accepted June 26, 2019

Abstract—The results of petrographic studies of the welding slags of electrodes UONI-13/55, Philips 27P,
OZS-4, and VSTs-4 are presented. These electrodes are found to form welding slags having various phase
compositions and morphologies. The phase compositions of the slags are shown to affect the physical prop-
erties of their melts, in particular, viscosity. The data obtained in the work are necessary for the development
of new advanced grades of electrodes for welding and surfacing.

Keywords: arc welding, welding electrode, electrode coating, welding slag, phase composition of slag, fluorite,
rutile, nigrine
DOI: 10.1134/S0036029520060166

INTRODUCTION
In the construction of main pipelines for gas and oil
transportation, pipes with a large diameter up to
1420 mm and a wall thickness up to 48 mm are used
[1]. For welding fixed rotary joints, electrodes with
basic and cellulose coatings were widely used [2, 3].
Electrodes with a basic type of coating, which allow
downward welding to be performed, are of consider-
able interest. Therefore, a set of studies was carried out
to develop new grades of electrodes.
In [4, 5], we presented the results of studying the
viscosity of welding slag melts and electrode coatings
of various grades of electrodes. This allowed us to find
the most rational coating composition in terms of
physicochemical properties. However, the properties
of welding slags depend on both their chemical com-
position and solidification conditions, an indicator of
which can be their mineral composition.
This is confirmed by a certain relation between the
structures of metallurgical slag and the physical prop-
erties of the melts.
Some foreign [6] and Russian [7] researchers stud-
ied the mineralogy structure of welding slags and
noted a relation between their structure, on the one
hand, and the type of coating and the welding–tech-
nological properties of electrodes.
Therefore, the aim of this work is to study the phase
composition of the solidified welding slags of electrodes
UONI-13/55, Philips 27P, OZS-4, and VSTs-4. In this
case, Philips 27P electrodes with a basic type of coat-
ing provide through melting during high-speed down-
ward welding of the root layer of a weld.
EXPERIMENTAL
Slag studies were carried out on samples taken after
beads were faced onto an St 3 steel substrate.
To determine the phase compositions of the slags,
the following petrographic specimens were prepared:
for research in transmitted light, transparent thin sec-
tions; in reflected light, sections polished on one side
(polished sections). To decrease the brittleness, all slag
samples were preliminarily welded on a sand bath in
rosin with the addition of a small amount of trans-
former oil and xylene for 1.5–2 h.
To prevent hydration of the 2СаО ⋅ SiO2 and
3Са ⋅ SiO2 compounds, the specimens were polished
on glass with an applied suspension of abrasive pow-
ders and transformer oil. Polishing was sequentially
carried out on powders with a particle size M20, M10,
M5, and M3. After each polishing operation, the spec-
imens were thoroughly washed in transformer oil and,
then, in xylene.
Final polishing was dry and performed on a filter
with an applied diamond powder with a grain size of
1 μm.
The transparent sections and the polished sections
were examined on an Amplival Pol microscope at a
magnification of 250.
We used colacryl to glue a transparent thin section
to a microscope slide and a cover glass to a polished
section.
The optical properties of mineral phases were
determined with a set of immersion preparations. For
investigation in immersion liquids, slag specimens
were powdered in an agate mortar.

659
660 SHEKSHEEV et al.
Fig. 1. UONI-13/55 slag. Transmitted light with an ana-
lyzer. Aggregates of dendritic cuspidine crystals, which
undergo simultaneous extinction at crossed Nicol prisms
(×250).
Fig. 3. Philips 27P slag. Transmitted light without an ana-
lyzer, ×250.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
As a result of petrographic studies, we found that
the phase composition of the slag of the UONI-13/55
electrodes consisted of cuspidine 3СаО ⋅ CaF2 ⋅ SiO2
(Fig. 1), calcium orthosilicate (shennonite) γ-2СаО ⋅
SiO2 (Fig. 2), an oxide phase, and a glass phase in the
form of quartz (its content does not exceed 10%). The
slag contains free fluorite (see Fig. 2), which causes a
low viscosity of its melts, especially at high tempera-
tures [2].
Shennonite is known to be the low-temperature
modification of dicalcium silicate [6]. Therefore, the
slag cooled relatively slowly in welding; therefore, it is
highly crystallized.
The slag porosity is nonuniform, the pore sizes are
different, and large pores (more than 160 μm in size)
prevail.
This slag combines the structural components of
basic and acidic slags and is a supercooled melt, the
solidification rate of which is lower than the cooling rate.
RUSSIAN METALLURGY (METALLY)
Fig. 2. UONI-13/55 slag. Transmitted light without an
analyzer. Bright cuspidine dendrites, gray elongated shen-
nonite prisms, and white rounded single fluorite grains
(×250).
Fig. 4. Philips 27P slag. Reflected light, ×250.
Therefore, having a high viscosity at the tempera-
ture of intense solidification [2] but not reaching a het-
erogeneous state in welding, the slag does not provide
downward welding at a low viscosity in the homoge-
neous region.
Rutile and CaO ⋅ TiO2 perovskite were detected in
the slag of the Philips 27P electrodes. Figure 3 clearly
shows elongated nigrine dendrites with characteristic
twins (black). Perovskite dendrites are the form of
short black crosses and the glass phase is located
between them. Figure 4 shows that the slag morphol-
ogy is characterized by long elongated cross-shaped
nigrine dendrites with characteristic twins (white).
The perovskite dendrites (white) are short, the glass
phase is located between them, and pores are black.
Rutile is characterized by rich black FeTiO3 (in the
form of a solid solution) called nigrine [8]. The pres-
ence of rutile is consistent with the data in [9], accord-
ing to which titanium dioxide is mainly present in the
form of rutile in slags.
Vol. 2020 No. 6
 PETROGRAPHIC STUDY OF WELDING SLAGS
Fig. 5. VSTs-4 slag. Reflected light. Cross-type white
nigrine dendrites. Light gray pyrophanite–heikolith phase
in the space between them. Slag glass cements dark gray
crystalline phases. Black pores (×250).
Fig. 6. OZS-4 slag. Reflected light. White rutile dendrites
and light gray pyrophanite–heikolith phase dendrites.
Black pores (×250).
The Philips 27P electrode slags are characterized
by a maximum ratio of metasilicates to orthosilicates
in the glass phase, a high content of calcium orthosili-
cate or acid titanates in the crystalline phase, the
absence of free fluorite, and the minimum amount of
cuspidine.
The slag porosity is insignificant and nonuni-
form: relatively small pores up to 80 μm in size are
predominant.
The slags of the VSTs-4 and OZS-4 electrodes con-
tain rutile in the form of nigrine and they have a high
degree of crystallization due to the pyrophanite–heiko-
lith phase, which relates to acidic titanates (Figs. 5, 6).
The slag porosity is average: pores 80–100 μm in size
are predominant.
CONCLUSIONS
(1) UONI-13/55 electrodes form welding slags
containing free fluorite, which causes a low viscosity
of their melts.
RUSSIAN METALLURGY (METALLY) Vol. 2020
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661
(2) The Philips 27P electrode slags are character-
ized by the absence of free fluorite and the absence or
small amounts of cuspidine.
(3) The slags formed by the VSTs-4 and OZS-4
electrodes contain rutile in the form of nigrine and
have a high degree of crystallization.
(4) The revealed trends indicate the possibility of
reaching close physical properties of the slags and,
hence, the welding–technological properties of elec-
trodes for slag systems with different structural com-
ponents.
(5) The slags of basic electrodes, which ensure
through melting during downward welding of the root
layer of the weld, are characterized by the maximum
ratio of metasilicates to orthosilicates in the glass
phase, a high content of calcium orthosilicate or acid
titanates in the crystalline phase, the absence of free
fluorite, and the minimal amount of cuspidine.
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Translated by K. Shakhlevich
No. 6