Gerbec Feature Sept 09:Layout 1 8/7/09 11:14 AM Page 78

THE AMERICAN WELDER

Minimizing Defects
in Submerged Arc
Welding
Understanding and controlling the submerged arc welding
process can help you reduce or avoid defects

BY DAN GERBEC

Submerged arc welding (SAW) can be a highly productive tool for

fabricators, but as with most welding technologies, defects can occur.
This leads to rework and a reduction in overall productivity.

Defects can be reduced or avoided by un- • High-speed welding on thin sheet steels
derstanding and controlling the process.
Many defects can be eliminated in the • Almost no fume or light emission.
preweld stage. Let’s take a look at the
process and some common defects and Nothing is perfect, however, and sub-
how they can be avoided. arc welding does have its limitations. This
form of welding is limited to the flat and
The SAW Process horizontal positions, requires precise joint
preparation, and does not allow observa-
The submerged arc welding (SAW) tion of the arc and the process during the
process was first patented in 1935 and li- weld. Despite its limitations, the sub-
censed by Union Carbide a year later. merged arc process is popular in a num-
Union Carbide marketed the process and ber of industries, notably shipbuilding,
related products under the “Unionmelt” wind tower fabrication, ASME vessel fab-
Fig. 1 — Excessive voltage or travel speed, trademark. Since that time, many ad- rication, pipe mills, and fabrication of util-
insufficient current, or improper joint de- vances have been made to the process, in- ity poles and trailer beams.
sign can lead to insufficient penetration in cluding multiwire, cored wire, and
the weld. cladding applications, but the fundamen- The Role of Flux
tals remain the same: an arc is created
using a bare wire under a granular flux Submerged arc fluxes are generally
covering. The flux contributes to the me- grouped into neutral and active fluxes.
chanical properties of the weld, deoxidizes Many fluxes alloy some Si and Mn to the
the base metal, and protects the molten weld metal while others melt off these el-
weld metal from atmospheric contami- ements. The intensity of this chemical re-
nants. When the weld is complete, it is action depends on the quantity of flux in-
covered by an easily removed layer of slag. teracting with the wire. An increase in
Submerged arc welds are typically made voltage or arc length will lead to increased
using some form of automation, although alloying or melt-off of these elements.
it is possible to make a subarc weld with Neutral fluxes are used in multilayer
a hand-held torch. welding of unlimited plate thickness with
Submerged arc welding offers many appropriate wires. The alloying of ele-
advantages over other welding processes, ments, especially Si and Mn, is carefully
including the following: controlled.
Active fluxes add a significant amount
• High weld quality of Si, acting as a deoxidizer, and Mn to
DAN GERBEC (dgerbec@esab.com) is the weld metal. They enhance resistance
product manager, Submerged Arc • High deposition rate to porosity and improve bead appearance
Consumables, ESAB Welding & Cutting and toughness in high-dilution applica-
Products, Hanover, Pa., www.esabna.com. • Deep penetration tions. Active fluxes are primarily used for

78 SEPTEMBER 2009
Gerbec Feature Sept 09:Layout 1 8/7/09 11:14 AM Page 79

THE AMERICAN WELDER

single-pass or multilayer welding with lim- reduced penetration and increased depo-
itation of layers, with three to five layers sition. The increased deposition is caused
normally the maximum. by the I2R resistive heating of the wire.

Process Variables Identifying Submerged

Submerged arc welding can be done Arc Welding Defects
with either direct current (DC) or alter-
nating current (AC) power supplies. Di- In most cases, a SAW defect has more
rect current is the most commonly used than one cause and more than one possi-
because it is easiest to control and pro- ble cure. The cure to the problem is often
vides the best arc starting and stability, ex- to do the opposite. For instance, if the de-
cept at high currents, when arc blow can fect is caused by excess current, simply Fig. 2 — Porosity is most commonly caused
be a problem. Direct current electrode lowering the current will usually resolve by the presence of moisture in the weld.
positive, or reverse polarity, is used most the defect. But selecting the proper cure
often and yields the deepest penetration. will depend on your objective. For exam-
Direct current electrode negative, or ple, melt-through can be resolved by de-
straight polarity, provides up to 25% less creasing the welding current, increasing
penetration but offers the highest deposi- travel speed, or reducing the bevel angle.
tion rates and is useful in cladding appli- In most cases, reducing the bevel angle is
cations or applications with poor joint fit- not a realistic option, so you must either
up. The characteristics of AC power fall reduce the current or increase travel
between straight polarity and reverse po- speed. Since most fabrication applications
larity but offer the benefit of eliminating favor higher productivity, it generally
arc blow because the rapidly changing po- makes sense to increase travel speed.
larity prevents magnetic fields from Here are some common weld defects
forming. and their most likely causes:
Once the polarity of the power supply
is chosen, amperage, voltage, travel speed, • Insufficient penetration. Caused by low
wire size, and electrode extension all play current, high voltage, high travel speed, Fig. 3 — Undercut generally occurs when
a role in the shape, size, and quality of the and/or improper joint design — Fig. 1. the amount of wire deposited is not great
weld deposit.
enough to fill the gaps in the material
Amperage is directly related to depo- • Melt-through. Caused by high current, caused by the voltage. This can be avoided
sition rate and depth of penetration, so an too great a bevel angle, too small a root by reducing travel speed, increasing current,
increase in amperage will increase both face or root opening, and/or slow travel or decreasing voltage.
deposition rate and penetration. speed.
Arc voltage is a measure of arc length
and has an inverse relationship to depth
• Porosity. Caused by joint contamination
of penetration and a direct relationship
by rust or moisture, a shallow flux bur-
to bead width. An increase in arc voltage,
den, insufficient penetration into the
therefore, will cause a decrease in pene- • Reinforcement, or bead, rollover. Typi-
backing weld, a contaminated backing
tration and an increase in bead width. cally caused by high current, low volt-
weld, improper joint fitup, flux fines,
Travel speed, also known as feed rate, age, or low travel speed.
and/or flux moisture — Fig. 2. In the
is inversely related to bead size and pen-
cases where porosity is caused by joint
etration, so a reduction in travel speed in- • Undercut. Occurs when there is insuf-
contamination or a high level of atmos-
creases bead size and penetration. ficient molten metal added to the pool
pheric moisture (humidity), the problem
Wire size also affects deposition rate to fill the gaps in material created by the
may be solved by using a more active flux
and penetration, but contrary to popular voltage — Fig. 3. The simplest ways to
or preheating to remove moisture.
belief, a larger-diameter wire may not be fix undercut are to reduce travel speed,
better than a smaller-diameter wire. A increase current, or decrease voltage.
small-diameter wire has a smaller cross- • Surface pock marks. Can be caused by Improper wire alignment may also be
sectional area, and therefore, at the same joint contamination, moisture on the the culprit and is easy to remedy.
current, a smaller-diameter wire will pro- plate, and/or moisture in the flux. Sur-
vide a faster melt-off and consequently a face pock marks can be avoided by using • Slag sticking. Slag will tend to stick in
higher deposition rate and increased pen- an active flux, preheating the plate, and a deep groove, especially if the weld is
etration vs. a larger wire. keeping the flux in an oven at concave. The cure is usually to reduce
Electrode extension is the distance 250°–300°F. voltage. Increasing travel speed and de-
from the end of the contact tip to the sur- creasing current may also work.
face of the workpiece. As a rule of thumb, • Arc blow. Caused by an imbalance in the
electrode extension should be about eight magnetic field surrounding the work- Understanding the SAW process and
times the wire diameter. For example, the piece. Arc blow is typically experienced understanding your own objectives in
electrode extension for a 1⁄8-in.-diameter at high DC welding currents and can be using that process are the keys to success-
wire should be approximately 1 in. Using cured by reducing the current, using AC, fully dealing with submerged arc welding
a longer electrode extension will result in and demagnetizing the fixture. defects. ◆

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