The Process Of Stainless Steel Welding

By Sherry Gross


Stainless steel is a metal with chromium content of more than ten percent. Three metal classes have stainless steel; ferritic, Austenitic and martensitic. They are classified on the basis of their crystal structure. Autenistic grades have low carbon content.Below are steps used in connecting stainless steel welding.

First ensure safety. Ensure self-protection and protect the others. Fumes and the gases used affect health and electric shock is dangerous. Read manufacturers guidelines and educate workers on their safety, Protect head form fumes. Ventilate the area and keep exhaust in the arc, Put on protective gears and avoid touching live wires.

Decide on the best joint design. This is important in ensuring strength of the welded steel. When joining the base metals, consider strength, thickness of the metal, bonding position and accessibility of the joint. There are five joints which are; lap, edge, butt, corner and t. The joints are arranged in various combinations to create varieties of welds. Use fixtures and jigs to help in securing work pieces. When joining, clamp the sheet metal, lap joints and fillet tightly.

There are many processes that you can choose from when working on the steel. One of them is the stick electrode which has an electric arc that is between metal base and metallic electrode that produces heat required in bonding. This process is both cheap though inefficient due to coating of slang and loss of stub. The tig process is easily performed on many metals. The arc that produces heat lies between the metallic base and the tungsten electrode and it is protected by inert gases. A filler metal may be added in case it is deemed necessary.

Mig welding is quicker on metals of thin gauge and heavy plate. The arc between the base metal and filler electrode provides heat for the process. Shielding is by a gas. There are two types of Mig welding; the short circuit transfer and the spray transfer. Short circuit transfer is used in small, thin gauges and it produces shallower weld. In spray transfer method, continuous spraying of metal droplets is done to transfer metal on the arc.

If your method of welding requires shielding, determine which gas to use. The Shield electrode does not require a shielding gas. For the tig process, shield with argon if the metal thickness is approximately half. Use argon helium mixture or just helium if the metal is thicker. Employ helium for deeper penetration. Two percent thiorated is used mostly. For mig welding, use between one percent and two percent argon or combined oxygen and argon. Mostly, one percent oxygen is used.

Next, select filler metal. If metal pieces are same, make use of a filler metal with the same composition as the base metals for uniform properties of the weld. Consider the mechanical characteristics, the possibility of cracking and the compatibility when you choose a filler metal having different applications of base metal.

Make use of direct or an alternating current when using stick electrode method. The direct current has a one direction of flow. It makes use of straight polarity or a reverse polarity. It has an advantage as it works in settings of a low current. Use a direct current with a straight polarity.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment