A Seminar Presentation on

“FLUXES USED IN SAW(EFFECTS)”

MATERIALS AND METALLURGY ENGINEERING

THE MAHARAJ SAYAJIRAO UNIVERSITY OF BARODA
VADODARA

Prepared By:
Trushar Parmar (300)
 INTRODUCTION
 SAW fluxes are granular fusible minerals containing
oxides of manganese, silicon, titanium, aluminium,
calcium, zirconium, magnesium and other compounds
such as calcium fluoride.

 The flux is specially formulated to be compatible with

a given electrode wire type so that the combination of
flux and wire yields desired mechanical properties.

 All fluxes react with the weld pool to produce the weld
metal with chemical composition and mechanical
properties.
 FUNCTION OF FLUX
 To protect the arc and weld pool from contamination
with atmospheric oxygen and nitrogen.

 Provides arc stabilization.

 Clean the molten weld pool; modify the chemical

composition of the weld metal and influence the
shape of the weld bead and its mechanical properties.

 Furnished the additional alloying element.

 Control the flow characteristics of the molten weld

pool.
 CLASSIFICATION OF SAW FLUX

SAW FLUX

PRODUCTION EFFECT ON ALLOY

BASICITY CHEM.
CONTENT OF
METHOD INDEX COMPO.
WELD DEPOSIT

ACTIVE ALLOY
NEUTRAL FLUX

BONDED/ ACIDIC BASIC NEUTRAL

FUSED OR AGGLOMER
GRNULATED ATED
 INGREDIENTS OF SAW FLUX & THEIR
FUNCTION
Manganese oxide
• Improves the arc stability.
• Reduces the viscosity and thereby favours high
welding speed.
• Reduces the harmful effect of sulphur.

Silica
• Improves good weld appearance and slag
detachability.
• Increases the viscosity and current carrying capacity.
• Strong effect, especially on the susceptibility to hot
cracking of the weld deposit.
 CONTINUE….
Halides
• Affects the oxidizing and reducing reaction taking
place at the slag metal boundary and hence
transfer of alloying elements.
• Halides of alkali metals improves the
metallurgical and mechanical properties by
providing uniform distribution of non-metallic
inclusions.
Potassium oxide
• Gives improved arc stability.
CONTINUE….
Calcium fluoride
• Provides protection from the atmosphere and lower the melting
range of the slag. Too much fluoride adversely affects the arc
stability and can increase the tendency for undercutting at the
edges of the weld bead.
• Increased the fluidity of the flux, which in turn resulted in better
weld coverage and helped to escape gases from the weld pool.
• Addition of calcium fluoride reduces the dissolved hydrogen and
silicon content of weld metal.

Sodium oxide
• The sodium oxide is present as a silicate, which functions as a
binder for the fluxes.
• Enhances the arc stability.
 CONTINUE…
Rutile
• Reducing the viscosity, and added for bead appearance.
• Promotes the formation of acicular ferrite and refines the grains
that results in increase of ductility and toughness of the weld
metal.
• Provides good slag removal after the weld has solidified.
• Reduce the oxygen content of the weld metal.

Calcium oxide
• Increases the basicity index, and hence, decreases the sulphur
and phosphorous content in the weld metal.
• Improves the arc stability.
• Decrease the viscosity of the slag.
• Maintain the desired fluidity and oxygen content in the weld
metal.
 CONTINUE…
Aluminium oxide

• Added for maintaining good weld bead appearance

and easy detachability of slag.

• Promotes acicular ferrite and refines the grain,

thereby improves the mechanical properties of the
weld metal.

• Improves the slag detachability.

 PROPERTIES OF SAW FLUX

PROPERTIES

Classification

PHYSICAL METTALURGICAL TECHNOLOGICAL

e.g. grain size, viscosity,
Penetration,
Basicity index, Detachability, Flux
melting point, heat
capacity
oxidation power etc. usage
 EFFECT OF FLUX IN WELDING
(BASED ON ITS PROPERTY)
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
1. Particle size and distribution
• Influences feeding, recovery, amperage level, and
weld bead smoothness and shape. As amperage
increases, the average particle size for fused fluxes
should decrease and the percentage of small particle
should increase.
• Particle size influenced the dimensional instability of
the weld bead especially at higher current.
• Influence the flux consumption rate, weld bead
shape, surface quality and arc stability.
2. Electrical Conductivity
• Influences the arc stability and slag current, which
heat the slag and therefore improves the transition
region between weld and parent metal.

• It increases with the increase in basicity index and

temperature.

• Flux consumption rate increases with the increase in

electrical conductivity.

• Influenced the heat-affected zone.

3. Interfacial Tension
• Influences welds bead surface quality.
• Influences the spreading tendency of weld pool and
thus nature of the heat transfer during welding.
• high interfacial tension gives rise to undercut.
• low interfacial tension easy separation of slag.
• Increase in interfacial tension between flux and
molten weld causes an increase in penetration.
• surface tension of the fused fluxes should be
between 250-450 dynes/cm depending on welding
application.
 4. Viscosity
• Preferred range of viscosity for the satisfactory welds was
between 22-35 poise at the temperature range of 1450-
15500C.

• Affects the inclusion rating of the weld, internal gas porosity,

pocking, and weld bead appearance, welding position and
heat transfer during welding.

• High viscosity flux gives deeper penetration.

• Influences the velocity of separation of the liquid metal from

the liquid slag.
5. Melting Point

• Influences the weld metal protection characteristic,

flux viscosity, current carrying capacity and flux
consumption rate.

• The flux consumption rate increases whereas the

current carrying capacity and viscosity decreases
with the decrease in melting point.
 METALLURGICAL PROPERTY
1. Oxidation power
• Influences the oxidation-reduction reaction-taking place
during welding.

2. Basicity Index
• Influences the oxygen content in the weld pool, which
further affects the porosity, inclusions level, and oxidation
of alloy and mechanical properties of the weld metal.

• Affects the dephosphorization and desulphurization

process in the weld pool.
 TECHNOLOGICAL PROPERTY
• Influence the economics and the productivity of the
welding.

1. Flux usage
• Flux consumed in SAW influences the pick up or reduction
of alloying elements and therefore affects the mechanical
soundness and metallurgical properties of the weld metal.
• The flux consumption depends on physical properties of the
flux such as melting point, density, thermal properties,
chemical composition, basicity index and welding
parameters.
• Flux consumption increases with the decrease in melting
point and decreases with the decrease in the density of the
flux and thermal conductivity of the base material.
2. DETACHIBILITY
• Defined as the ease with which the slag is removed
from the weld metal after solidification.

• Important factor for higher production rate, better

mechanical properties of the weld metal.

• Depends upon the type of flux used.

• Addition of corundum, zirconia, rutile and alumina in

a flux improves detachability.
3. Penetration
• Determines the load carrying capacity of a welded
structure.

• Affects the weld strength.

• Flux ingredients and welding parameters influence the

penetration.

• Penetration increased with the increase in slag viscosity

and interfacial tension.
 ANY
QUESTION