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Welding consumables

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BS EN 499 MMA Covered Electrodes

E 50 3 2Ni B 7 2 H10
Covered Electrode
Yield Strength N/mm2
Toughness
Chemical composition
Flux Covering
Weld Metal Recovery
and Current Type
Welding Position
Hydrogen Content

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Welding consumables
Welding consumables are any products that are used up in
the production of a weld

Welding consumables may be:

Covered electrodes, filler wires and electrode wires.

Shielding or oxy-fuel gases.

Separately supplied fluxes.

Fusible inserts.

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Welding Consumable Standards

MIG/MAG (GMAW) TIG (GTAW)
MMA (SMAW)

BS 2901: Filler wires

BS EN 499: Steel electrodes

BS EN 440: Wire electrodes

AWS A5.1 Non-alloyed steel

AWS A5.9: Filler wires

BS EN 439: Shielding gases

electrodes
AWS A5.4 Chromium electrodes

SAW

AWS A5.5 Alloyed steel

BS 4165: Wire and fluxes

BS EN 756: Wire electrodes

BS EN 760: Fluxes

AWS A5.17: Wires and fluxes

electrodes

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Welding Consumable Gases

welding gases
GMAW, FCAW, TIG, Oxy- Fuel

Supplied in cylinders or storage

tanks for large quantities
Colour coded cylinders to minimise
wrong use

Subject to regulations concerned

handling, quantities and positioning
of storage areas
Moisture content is limited to avoid
cold cracking
Dew point (the temperature at which
the vapour begins to condense)
must be checked

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Welding Consumables
Each consumable is critical in respect to:
Size, (diameter and length)
Classification / Supplier
Condition
Treatments e.g. baking / drying
Handling and storage is critical for consumable control
Handling and storage of gases is critical for safety

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MMA Welding Consumables

MMA Covered Electrodes

The three main electrode covering types used in MMA welding

Cellulosic - deep penetration/fusion

Rutile - general purpose

Basic - low hydrogen

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MMA Welding Consumables

Welding consumables for MMA:
Consist of a core wire typically between 350-450mm in
length and from 2.5mm - 6mm in diameter

The wire is covered with an extruded flux coating

The core wire is generally of a low quality rimming steel
The weld quality is refined by the addition of alloying
and refining agents in the flux coating
The flux coating contains many elements and
compounds that all have a variety of functions during
welding

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MMA Welding Consumables

Function of the Electrode Covering:
To facilitate arc ignition and give arc stability
To generate gas for shielding the arc & molten metal from air
contamination
To de-oxidise the weld metal and flux impurities into the slag

To form a protective slag blanket over the solidifying and

cooling weld metal
To provide alloying elements to give the required weld metal
properties

To aid positional welding (slag design to have suitable

freezing temperature to support the molten weld metal)
To control hydrogen contents in the weld (basic type)

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Covered electrode inspection

1: Electrode size (diameter and length)

2: Covering condition: adherence, cracks, chips and concentricity

3: Electrode designation
EN 499-E 51 3 B

Arc ignition enhancing materials (optional!)

See BS EN ISO 544 for further information

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MMA Welding Consumables

Plastic foil sealed cardboard box

Courtesy of Lincoln Electric

Tin can
cellulosic electrodes

Vacuum sealed pack

extra low hydrogen electrodes

Courtesy of Lincoln Electric

rutile electrodes
general purpose basic electrodes

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MMA Welding Consumables

Cellulosic electrodes:
covering contains cellulose (organic material).
produce a gas shield high in hydrogen raising the arc
voltage.
Deep penetration / fusion characteristics enables welding
at high speed without risk of lack of fusion.

generates high level of fumes and H2 cold cracking.

Forms a thin slag layer with coarse weld profile.
not require baking or drying (excessive heat will damage
electrode covering!).
Mainly used for stove pipe welding
hydrogen content is 80-90 ml/100 g of weld metal.

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MMA Welding Consumables

Cellulosic Electrodes
Disadvantages:
weld beads have high hydrogen
risk of cracking (need to keep joint hot during welding to allow
H to escape)
not suitable for higher strength steels - cracking risk too
high (may not be allowed for Grades stronger than X70)
not suitable for very thick sections (may not be used on
thicknesses > ~ 35mm)

not suitable when low temperature toughness is required

(impact toughness satisfactory down to ~ -20C)

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MMA Welding Consumables

Cellulosic Electrodes

Advantages:

Disadvantages:

Deep penetration/fusion

High in hydrogen

Suitable for welding in all

positions

High crack tendency

Fast travel speeds

High spatter contents

Large volumes of shielding gas

Low deposition rates

Low control

Rough weld appearance

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MMA Welding Consumables

Rutile electrodes:
covering contains TiO2 slag former and arc stabiliser.
easy to strike arc, less spatter, excellent for positional
welding.

stable, easy-to-use arc can operate in both DC and AC.

slag easy to detach, smooth profile.
Reasonably good strength weld metal.

Used mainly on general purpose work.

Low pressure pipework, support brackets.
electrodes can be dried to lower H2 content but cannot be
baked as it will destroy the coating.

hydrogen content is 25-30 ml/100 g of weld metal.

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MMA Welding Consumables

Rutile electrodes
Disadvantages:
they cannot be made with a low hydrogen content
cannot be used on high strength steels or thick joints cracking risk too high
they do not give good toughness at low temperatures
these limitations mean that they are only suitable for general
engineering - low strength, thin steel

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MMA Welding Consumables

Rutile Electrodes

Advantages:

Disadvantages:

Easy to use

High in hydrogen

Low cost / control

High crack tendency

Smooth weld profiles

Low strength

Slag easily detachable

Low toughness values

High deposition possible

with the addition of iron
powder

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MMA Welding Consumables

Rutile Variants
High Recovery Rutile Electrodes
Characteristics:
coating is bulked out with iron powder

iron powder gives the electrode high recovery

extra weld metal from the iron powder can mean that weld
deposit from a single electrode can be as high as 180% of
the core wire weight
give good productivity
large weld beads with smooth profile can look very similar to
SAW welds

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MMA Welding Consumables

High Recovery Rutile Electrodes
Disadvantages:
Same as standard rutile electrodes with respect to hydrogen
control
large weld beads produced cannot be used for all-positional
welding

the very high recovery types usually limited to PA & PB

positions
more moderate recovery may allow PC use

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MMA Welding Consumables

Basic covering:
Produce convex weld profile and difficult to detach slag.
Very suitable for for high pressure work, thick section steel
and for high strength steels.
Prior to use electrodes should be baked, typically 350C for
2 hour plus to reduce moisture to very low levels and
achieve low hydrogen potential status.

Contain calcium fluoride and calcium carbonate compounds.

cannot be re-baked indefinitely!
low hydrogen potential gives weld metal very good
toughness and YS.
have the lowest level of hydrogen (less than 5 ml/100 g of
weld metal).

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MMA Welding Consumables

Basic Electrodes
Disadvantages:
Careful control of baking and/or issuing of electrodes is
essential to maintain low hydrogen status and avoid risk of
cracking
Typical baking temperature 350C for 1 to 2hours.

Holding temperature 120 to 150C.

Issue in heated quivers typically 70C.
Welders need to take more care / require greater skill.
Weld profile usually more convex.
Deslagging requires more effort than for other types.

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MMA Welding Consumables

Advantages

Basic Electrodes
Disadvantages

High toughness values

High cost

Low hydrogen contents

High control

Low crack tendency

High welder skill

required

Convex weld profiles

Poor stop / start
properties

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BS EN 499 MMA Covered Electrodes

E 50 3 2Ni B 7 2 H10
Covered Electrode
Yield Strength N/mm2
Toughness
Chemical composition
Flux Covering
Weld Metal Recovery
and Current Type
Welding Position
Hydrogen Content

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BS EN 499 MMA Covered Electrodes

Electrodes classified as follows:
E 35 - Minimum yield strength 350 N/mm2
Tensile strength 440 - 570 N/mm2
E 38 - Minimum yield strength 380 N/mm2
Tensile strength 470 - 600 N/mm2
E 42 - Minimum yield strength 420 N/mm2
Tensile strength 500 - 640 N/mm2

E 46 - Minimum yield strength 460 N/mm2

Tensile strength 530 - 680 N/mm2
E 50 - Minimum yield strength 500 N/mm2

Tensile strength 560 - 720 N/mm2

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AWS A5.1 Alloyed Electrodes

E 60 1 3
Covered Electrode
Tensile Strength (p.s.i)

Welding Position
Flux Covering

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AWS A5.5 Alloyed Electrodes

E 70 1 8 M G
Covered Electrode
Tensile Strength (p.s.i)

Welding Position
Flux Covering
Moisture Control
Alloy Content

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MMA Welding Consumables

TYPES OF ELECTRODES

(for C, C-Mn Steels)

BS EN 499 AWS A5.1

Cellulosic

E XX X C

EXX10
EXX11

Rutile

E XX X R

EXX12
EXX13

Rutile Heavy Coated E XX X RR EXX24

Basic

E XX X B

EXX15
EXX16
EXX18

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Electrode efficiency
up to 180% for iron powder electrodes

Mass of weld metal deposited

Electrode Eficiency =
Mass of core wire melted

75-90% for usual electrodes

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Covered electrode treatment

Cellulosic
electrodes

Rutile
electrodes
Vacuum
packed basic
electrodes

Use straight from the

box - No baking/drying!

If necessary, dry up to
120C- No baking!

Use straight from the pack

within 4 hours - No
rebaking!

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Covered electrode treatment

Basic electrodes

Baking in oven 2 hours

at 350C!

Limited number of
rebakes!

After baking, maintain in

oven at 150C

If not used within 4

hours, return to oven
and rebake!

Use from quivers at

75C

Weld

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Welding Consumables:
TIG Consumables

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TIG Welding Consumables

Welding consumables for TIG:
Filler wires, Shielding gases, tungsten electrodes (nonconsumable).
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%).

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TIG Welding Consumables

Welding rods:
supplied in cardboard/plastic tubes

Courtesy of Lincoln Electric

must be kept clean and free from oil and dust

might require degreasing

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Fusible Inserts
Pre-placed filler material

Before Welding

After Welding

Other terms used include:

EB inserts (Electric Boat Company)
Consumable socket rings (CSR)

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Fusible Inserts
Consumable inserts:
used for root runs on pipes
used in conjunction with TIG welding
available for carbon steel, Cr-Mo steel, austenitic stainless
steel, nickel and copper-nickel alloys
different shapes to suit application

Radius

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Fusible Inserts
Application of consumable inserts

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Shielding gases for TIG welding

Argon
low cost and greater availability
heavier than air - lower flow rates than Helium

low thermal conductivity - wide top bead profile

low ionisation potential - easier arc starting, better arc
stability with AC, cleaning effect

for the same arc current produce less heat than helium reduced penetration, wider HAZ
to obtain the same arc arc power, argon requires a higher
current - increased undercut

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Shielding gases for TIG welding

Helium
costly and lower availability than Argon
lighter than air - requires a higher flow rate compared with
argon (2-3 times)
higher ionisation potential - poor arc stability with AC, less
forgiving for manual welding

for the same arc current produce more heat than argon increased penetration, welding of metals with high melting
point or thermal conductivity
to obtain the same arc arc power, helium requires a lower
current - no undercut

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Shielding gases for TIG welding

Hydrogen
not an inert gas - not used as a primary shielding gas
increase the heat input - faster travel speed and increased
penetration
better wetting action - improved bead profile
produce a cleaner weld bead surface
added to argon (up to 5%) - only for austenitic stainless
steels and nickel alloys
flammable and explosive

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Shielding gases for TIG welding

Nitrogen
not an inert gas
high availability - cheap
added to argon (up to 5%) - only for back purge for duplex
stainless, austenitic stainless steels and copper alloys

not used for mild steels (age embritlement)

strictly prohibited in case of Ni and Ni alloys (porosity)

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Welding Consumables:
MIG / MAG Consumables
(Gases Covered previously)

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MIG/MAG Welding Consumables

Welding consumables for MIG/MAG

Spools of Continuous electrode wires and shielding gases

variable spool size (1-15Kg) and Wire diameter (0.61.6mm) supplied in random or orderly layers
Basic Selection of different materials and their alloys as
electrode wires.
Some Steel Electrode wires copper coating purpose is
corrosion resistance and electrical pick-up
Gases can be pure CO2, CO2+Argon mixes and Argon+2%O2
mixes (stainless steels).

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MIG/MAG Welding Consumables

Welding wires:
carbon and low alloy wires may be copper coated
stainless steel wires are not coated

Courtesy of Lincoln Electric

Courtesy of ESAB AB

wires must be kept clean and free from oil and dust
flux cored wires does not require baking or drying

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Welding Consumables:
Flux Core Wire Consumables

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Flux Core Wire Consumables

Functions of metallic sheath:

provide form stability
to the wire
serves as current
transfer during
welding

Function of the filling powder:

stabilise the arc
add alloy elements
produce gaseous
shield
produce slag
add iron powder

Types of cored wire

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Seamless

Butt joint

Overlapping

cored wire

cored wire

cored wire

not sensitive to moisture

pick-up
can be copper coated, better
current transfer
thick sheath, good form
stability, 2 roll drive feeding
possible
difficult to manufacture

good resistance to
moisture pick-up
can be copper coated
thick sheath
difficult to seal the
sheath

sensitive to
moisture pick-up
cannot be copper
coated
thin sheath
easy to
manufacture

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Core elements and their function

Aluminium - deoxidize & denitrify
Calcium - provide shielding & form slag
Carbon - increase hardness & strength
Manganese - deoxidize & increase strength and toughness
Molybdenum - increase hardness & strength

Nickel - improve hardness, strength, toughness & corrosion

resistance
Potassium - stabilize the arc & form slag

Silicon - deoxidize & form slag

Sodium - stabilize arc & form slag
Titanium - deoxidize, denitrify & form slag

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Welding Consumables:
SAW Consumables

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SAW Consumables
Welding fluxes:
are granular mineral compounds mixed according to various
formulations
shield the molten weld pool from the atmosphere
clean the molten weld pool
can modify the chemical composition of the weld metal
prevents rapid escape of heat from welding zone
influence the shape of the weld bead (wetting action)
can be fused, agglomerated or mixed
must be kept warm and dry to avoid porosity

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SAW Consumables
Welding flux:
might be fused or agglomerated
supplied in bags
must be kept warm and dry

handling and stacking requires care

Courtesy of Lincoln Electric

Fused fluxes are normally not hygroscopic but particles can

hold surface moisture so only drying

Agglomerated fluxes contain chemically bonded water. Similar

treatment as basic electrodes
If flux is too fine it will pack and not feed properly. It cannot be
recycled indefinitely

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SAW Consumables
Fused Flux
Flaky appearance

Lower weld quality

Low moisture intake
Low dust tendency
Good re-cycling
Very smooth weld
profile

Fused Flux:
Baked at high temperature, glossy, hard and black in colour,
cannot add ferro-manganese, non moisture absorbent and
tends to be of the acidic type

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SAW Consumables
TYPES OF FLUX
FUSED (ACID TYPE)
name indicates method of manufacture
minerals are fused (melted) and granules produced by
allowing to cool to a solid mass and then crushing or by
spraying the molten flux into water
flux tends to be glass-like (high in Silica)
granules are hard and may appear shiny
granules do not absorb moisture
granules do not tend break down into powder when being
re-circulated
are effectively a low hydrogen flux
welds do not tend to give good toughness at low
temperatures

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SAW Consumables
Fused fluxes advantages:
good chemical homogeneity
easy removal of fines without affecting flux
composition
normally not hygroscopic easy storage and
handling
readily recycled without significant change in
particle size or composition
Fused fluxes disadvantages:
difficult to add deoxidizers and ferro-alloys (due to
segregation or extremely high loss)
high temperatures needed to melt ingredients limit
the range of flux compositions

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SAW Consumables
Agglomerated Flux
Granulated appearance
High weld quality

Addition of alloys
Lower consumption
Easy slag removal
Smooth weld profile

Agglomerated Flux:
Baked at a lower temperature, dull, irregularly shaped, friable,
(easily crushed) can easily add alloying elements, moisture
absorbent and tend to be of the basic type

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SAW Consumables
Agglomerated fluxes advantages:

easy addition of deoxidizers and alloying elements

usable with thicker layer of flux when welding
colour identification

Agglomerated fluxes disadvantages:

tendency to absorb moisture
possible gas evolution from the molten slag leading to
porosity
possible change in flux composition due to segregation or
removal of fine mesh particles

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SAW Consumables
TYPES OF FLUX
AGGLOMERATED (BASIC TYPE)

name indicates method of manufacture

basic minerals are used in powder form and are mixed with a
binder to form individual granules
granules are soft and easily crushed to powder
granules will absorb moisture and it is necessary to protect
the flux from moisture pick-up - usually by holding in a
heated silo

granules tend to break down into powder when being recirculated

are a low hydrogen flux - if correctly controlled
welds give good toughness at low temperatures

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SAW Consumables
Mixed fluxes - two or more fused or bonded fluxes are
mixed in any ratio necessary to yield the desired
results
Mixed fluxes advantages:
several commercial fluxes may be mixed for highly
critical or proprietary welding operations
Mixed fluxes disadvantages:
segregation of the combined fluxes during
shipment, storage and handling

segregation occurring in the feeding and recovery

systems during welding
inconsistency in the combined flux from mix to mix

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SAW filler material

Welding wires can be used to weld:
carbon steels

low alloy steels

creep resisting steels
stainless steels
nickel-base alloys
special alloys for surfacing applications
Welding wires can be:
solid wires
metal-cored wires

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SAW filler material

Welding wires:
carbon and low alloy wires are copper coated
stainless steel wires are not coated

Courtesy of Lincoln Electric

Courtesy of Lincoln Electric

wires must be kept clean and free from oil and dust

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SAW filler material

Copper coating functions:
to assure a good electric contact between wire
and contact tip
to assure a smooth feed of the wire through the
guide tube, feed rolls and contact tip (decrease
contact tube wear)
to provide protection against corrosion