TECHNICAL
Shielding gases for welding AND THEIR EFFECTS ON STAINLESS STEEL PROPERTIES
Shielding gases form an integral part of all conventional welding processes. They serve multiple functions but are primarily there to shield the weld pool from the atmosphere and to provide a medium which can allow the flow of electricity from an electrode to a workpiece. Even processes that do not have an external gas supply such as Manual Metal Arc Welding (MMAW or MMA or SMAW) and Gasless Flux-cored Arc Welding (FCAW) all have a shielding gas which is generated by the decomposition of the flux in the presence of the welding arc. The shielding gas can also have an effect on arc stability, weld shape and depth of penetration as well as the mechanical properties and metallurgy of stainless steel weldments. The gas shielded processes such as Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW or TIG) and Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW or MIG) use shielding gases of a variety of compositions depending on the application. As the electrode in GTAW is made of tungsten, the shielding gas is typically argon or helium to prevent oxidation of the electrode. This restriction does not apply to GMAW and therefore the gas composition may include active gases such as carbon dioxide and oxygen. Small quantities of other gases such as nitrogen and hydrogen can be utilised with both of these processes as they are particularly advantageous for the welding of stainless steel. While neither gas is inert by definition, they can be used with GTAW as neither react with tungsten. There are three key properties of the shielding gas which control the way the weld pool behaves; the ionisation potential (how easily an atom will give up an electron), the thermal conductivity of the gas, and finally the surface tension between the weld pool and the shielding gas.
Ionisation potential
Thermal conductivity
The shielding gas allows transfer of electrons between the electrode and the workpiece. Upon arc initiation, electrons are emitted from either the workpiece or the electrode depending on which is positively charged. These electrons collide with gaseous atoms which results in these atoms liberating one of their electrons which results in a chain reaction that sustains the arc. The ionisation potential of the gas is the ease with which they will give up an electron. ‘Hotter’ gases are those which require more energy to ionise or release an electron. Helium has a higher ionisation potential than argon, so has a higher arc voltage and hence a higher heat input for the same current and arc length. A similar principle applies to molecular gases (H2, N2, O2, CO2) which dissociate in the arc into individual atoms and then recombine upon cooling, releasing energy in the process. Argon is often mixed with small amounts of other gases to improve weld penetration.
The thermal conductivity of a shielding gas affects its ability to transfer heat across the arc. It influences the radial heat loss from the centre to the periphery of the arc column as well as heat transfer from the arc to the molten weld pool. Gases with low thermal conductivity such as argon will tend to have a narrow hot core in the centre of the arc and a considerably cooler outer zone. The result is a weld with a narrow ‘finger’ at the root of the weld and a wider top. On the other hand, helium has a high thermal conductivity, so heat is more evenly distributed across the arc, but as a result the depth of penetration is lower. Mixing gases allows combination of the advantageous properties of each gas while limiting the drawbacks.
Ar
Ar-He
He
CO2
Figure 1: Influence on shielding gas properties on penetration profile. (Credit: TWI Ltd) 4 – Australian Stainless Issue 66
