Welding Inspector

TIG Welding
GTAW welding
TIG / GTAW Setup
 Tungsten Inert Gas Welding
The TIG welding process was first developed in the USA during the 2 nd
world war for the welding of aluminum alloys
• The process uses a non-consumable tungsten electrode.
• The process requires a high level of welder skill
• The process produces very high-quality welds.
• The TIG process is considered as a slow process compared to other
arc welding processes.
• The arc may be initiated by a high frequency to avoid scratch
starting, which could cause contamination of the tungsten and weld
• Ideal for root runs in plates as well as in pipes. And can weld a wide
verity of materials. e.g. CS, SS, Al etc.
 TIG - Principle of operation
Mechanism:
Melt, add and Move
Protect weld pool
Add electrical conductivity
to the Arc is preset to
between 8 to 12 L/min

15 0

Welding Direction
Tungsten Inert Gas Welding

Ceramic
Nozzle Current Conductor
Welding Torch

Shielding gas
Tungsten
Electrode
Contact Tube
Gas Shield

Filler Wire
Arc

Weld Pool
TIG Welding Variables

1.Welding Current
2.Current type and polarity
3.Travel speed
4.Shape of Tungsten Electrode tip and vertex angle
5.Shielding gas flow rate
6.Electrode extension
TIG Welding Variables
1. Welding Current
The current is adjusted proportionally to the tungsten
electrodes diameter being used.
Weld penetration is directly proportional to Current,
The higher the current the deeper the penetration and fusion

Too low Too High

Tungsten electrode tip will Tungsten electrode tip might
not be properly heated overheat

Unstable Arc may result leading to tungsten

inclusions
Current Type & POLARITY

Polarity
The best welding results are usually obtained with DC –ve
With DC +ve, connected electrode, heat is concentrated at the
electrode tip so the electrode needs to be of greater diameter than
when using DC –ve , if overheating of the tungsten is to be avoided.
A water cooled torch is recommended if DC positive is used.

When welding aluminium and its alloys AC current is used

 Influence of Current type

+ - + - + -
+ - + - + -
+ - + - + -

Current type & polarity DCEN AC (balanced) DCEP

Heat balance 70% at work 50% at work 30% at work

30% at electrode 50% at electrode 70% at electrode
Penetration Deep, narrow Medium Shallow, wide
Oxide cleaning action No Yes - every half cycle Yes
Electrode capacity Excellent Good Poor
(e.g. 3,2 mm/400A) (e.g. 3,2 mm/225A) (e.g. 6,4 mm/120A)
 Affects both weld width and penetration but the effect on
width is more pronounced.
Low Travel speed High travel speed

increases the penetration and reduced penetration and

width. width.

High Heat input Low Heat input

 4. Tungsten Electrode Types
Pure Tungsten, Thoriated, ceriated and lanthaniated, zirconiated

Pure tungsten electrodes:

no alloy additions
low current carrying capacity
Used when welding light metals with AC because they
maintain a clean balled end but possess poor arc initiation and
stability in AC mode compared with other types.
4. Tungsten Electrode Types

Thoriated tungsten electrodes:

Alloyed with thorium oxide to improve arc initiation and have
higher current carrying capacity compared to pure tungsten
electrodes
longer life - greater resistance to contamination
thermionic - easy arc initiation, more stable arc
maintain a sharpened tip for longer
recommended for DCEN, seldom used on AC (difficult to
maintain a balled tip)
slightly radioactive and dust during tip grinding should not be
inhaled.
4. Tungsten Electrode Types

Ceriated & Lanthaniated tungsten electrodes:

operate successfully with AC or DC

Are alloyed with cerium oxides and lanthanum oxides
to improve arc initiation and have higher current
carrying capacity
Cerium and lanthanum are not radioactive – have
been used as replacement for thoriated types
4. Tungsten Electrode Types

Zirconiated tungsten electrodes:

operating characteristics fall between those of pure

and thoriated electrodes
retains a balled end during welding – so
recommended for AC welding
high resistance to contamination so are used for high
integrity welds
 5. Shape of tungsten electrode tip

Penetration
Length of ground portion =
2 ~2.5 x Dia increase

Increase

Vertex Vertex angle

angle

Decrease

Dia
Bead width
increase
Electrode tip prepared for low Electrode tip prepared for high
current welding current welding
5. Shape of tungsten electrode tip

Electrode tip with flat end Electrode tip with

balled end
5. Shape of tungsten electrode tip

The electrode diameter, type and vertex angle are all critical
factors considered as essential variables.

DC -ve AC

Vetex angle
Note: when welding
aluminium with AC
Note: too fine an angle will
current, the tungsten end
promote melting of the
is chamfered and forms a
electrodes tip
ball end
 TIG Welding Variables
How many gases are generally used in TIG ?
1. Argon 2. Helium 3. Mixture of Argon and Helium
Argon Performance Helium
Item
Lower than with He, useful Arc voltage Higher, arc is hotter so helpful
for welding thin sections, in welding thick sections
less change in Arc voltage
with variations in arc length

Lower than He ,gives Heating power High, good for welding metals
reduced penetration of arc with high thermal conductivity
and thick materials.

Havier than air, so less Protection of Lighter than air, more gas
required to cover weld weld required to shield the weld
Lower cost and greater Availability Higher cost and Lower
availability and cost availability
 TIG Welding Variables

Gas type and flow rate

Generally two types of gases are used in TIG welding, argon
and helium.
~5% Hydrogen may be added for the welding of austenitic
stainless steels.
The gas flow rate is also important (10~12 liter/min).

Flow rate
Flow rate
too high
too low
Back Purging
Pipe root run shielding – Back Purging to prevent
excessive oxidation (in SS) during welding, normally
argon.
 ARC CHARACTERISTICS

Constant Current/Amperage Characteristic

Large change in voltage =
OCV Smaller change in
amperage
Volts
Large arc gap
Welding Voltage

Small arc
gap

Amps
 TIG - arc initiation methods
Arc initiation
method
Lift arc HF start
 simple method need a HF generator (spark-
 tungsten electrode is in contact gap oscillator) that generates a
with the workpiece! high voltage AC output (radio
 high initial arc current due to the frequency)  costly
short circuit
reliable method  required on
 impractical to set arc length in both DC (for start) and AC (to
advance
re-ignite the arc)
 electrode should tap the workpiece
- no scratch! can be used remotely
 ineffective in case of AC HF produce interference
 used when a high quality is not requires superior insulation
essential
 TIG torch set-up
 Electrode extension

Stickout 2-3 times

electrode
Electrode diameter
extension

Low electron Overheating

Too Electrode Too
emission Tungsten
small extension large
Unstable arc inclusions
TIG Welding Consumables
Filler wires, Shielding gases, tungsten electrodes (non-consumable).

Filler wires for TIG:

• Filler wires of different materials composition and variable
diameters available in standard lengths, with applicable
code stamped for identification
• Steel Filler wires of very high quality, with copper coating
to resist corrosion.
• shielding gases mainly Argon and Helium, usually of
highest purity (99.9%).
Tungsten Inclusion

May be caused by Thermal Shock of

heating to fast and small fragments
break off and enter the weld pool, so a
“slope up” device is normally fitted to
prevent this could be caused by touch
down also.
Most TIG sets these days have slope-
up devices that brings the current to
the set level over a short period of
time so the tungsten is heated more
slowly and gently

A Tungsten Inclusion always shows up as

bright white on a radiograph
 TIG typical defects
Most welding defects with TIG are caused by a lack of welder
skill, or incorrect setting of the equipment. i.e. current, torch
manipulation, welding speed, gas flow rate, etc.
• Tungsten inclusions (low skill or wrong vertex angle)
• Surface porosity (loss of gas shield mainly on site)
• Crater pipes (bad weld finish technique i.e. slope out)
• Oxidation of S/S weld bead, or root by poor gas cover
• Root concavity (excess purge pressure in pipe)
• Lack of penetration/fusion (widely on root runs)
Tungsten Inert Gas Welding
Advantages Disadvantages
 High quality  High skill factor required
 Good control  Low deposition rate
 All positions  Small consumable range
 Lowest H2 process  High protection required
 Minimal cleaning  Complex equipment
 Autogenous welding  Low productivity
(No filler material)  High ozone levels +HF
 Can be automated