LECTURE 6

GAS TUNGSTEN ARC (TIG) WELDING

(GTAW)
I. GAS TUNGSTEN ARC WELDING (GTAW OR TIG) – THE PROCESS AND
ITS USES

A. The process and applications:

1. An electric arc is maintained between the base metal and a non–consumable tungsten
electrode.
a. Power may be AC, DC or combination.
2. The arc is maintained in an envelope of inert gas to shield the weld from atmospheric
contamination.
3. Filler metal is provided by a bare metal rod held by the operator.
4. The process was developed in the late 1930’s.
a. Originally known as heliarc welding.
b. Originally designed for non-ferrous metals such as aluminum and magnesium.
B. Advantages of TIG welding:
1. High quality welds.
2. Little or no cleanup after weld, is necessary.
3. Visibility of weld pool is good because no smoke is created.
4. Very little postweld cleanup because filler metal is not transferred along the arc.
5. It can be used in all positions.
6. No slag produced, hence no chipping and cleanup.
7. Allows maximum heat control for precision work.
8. On some setups, heat input can be controlled and fine tuned by the use of a foot
pedal or trigger.
9. When used on thinner metals the highly focused arc virtually eliminates warpage
(distortion).
C. Disadvantages of TIG welding:
1. Slow process / low productivity.
2. Equipment is expensive.

II. TERMINOLOGY AND DEFINITIONS

A. AC (Alternating Current): Electrical current that reverses its flow at set intervals.
B. Amperage: A measurement of the rate of flow of electrical current.
C. Arc: Flow of electricity through an air gap.
D. Arc Flash: Burn to the eyes or skin caused by the ultraviolet and infrared light
emitted by an arc.
 E. DC (Direct Current): Electrical current that flows in one direction only.
F. Direct Current Reverse Polarity (DCRP): A welding setup where the torch electrode
lead is connected to the welding machine’s positive output terminal, and the work
lead (ground) is connected to the welding machine’s negative output terminal.
G. Direct Current Straight Polarity (DCSP): A welding setup where the torch lead is
connected to the welding machine’s negative output terminal and the work lead
(ground) is connected to the welding machine’s positive output terminal.
H. Ground: An object that makes an electrical connection with the earth.
I. High Frequency: a very high voltage (several thousand volts), extremely low
amperage current that alternates at high frequency – several million cycles per
second. It is superimposed on the welding current to help establish and maintain
the arc.
J. Polarity: The direction of flow of electrical current in a DC circuit.
K. Tungsten: A common name for the virtually non-consumable GTAW electrode and
principle metal from which most are constructed.
L. Voltage: A measurement of the electromotive force or pressure that causes current
to flow in a circuit.
M. Arc Voltage: The voltage across the welding arc.
N. CFH: Cubic feet per hour; an abbreviation for the measurement of the amount of
shielding gas used while welding.
O. Electrode stickout: The amount past the cone or nozzle that the welding electrode
protrudes.
P. Penetration: The distance that the weld fusion line extends below the surface of the
base metal.

III. EQUIPMENT FOR TIG WELDING

A. Protective Equipment:
1. Cap (visor turned back).
2. Safety glasses.
3. Long sleeve shirt.
4. Pants (no cuff).
5. Leather boots.
6. Leather gauntlet type welding gloves.
7. Welding helmet with at least a number 8 lens.

Welding Current (Amps) Lowest Shaded Lens Comfort shaded Lens

Less than 50 amps 8 10
50-150 amps 8 12
150-500 amps 10 14

B. Welding equipment:
1. Torch:
a. Torch nozzles direct the flow of gas and insure that the gas is directed over the
weld puddle.
(1). The nozzle also helps to keep the gas focused around the tungsten to help
cool it.
 (2). Come nozzles can be fitted with wire screens toreduce turbulence.
(a). Reduced turbulence is desirable because it reduces the chance of having
the atmosphere pulled into the shielding gas.
b. Collet is used to hold the electrodes.
2. Electrodes:
a. Three main types of tungsten electrodes:
(1). Pure – used for AC welding.
(a). Has good arc stability, and are resistant to contamination.
(2). Zirconiated – also used for AC welding.
(a). Noted for easy arc starts and usually used when tungsten inclusions
are undesirable
(3). Thoriated – used for DC welding.
(a). Are easily struck.
(b). Can handle a slightly higher current.
(c). Less chance of melting these electrodes.
(d). Less likely to stick and freeze and are more resistant to
contamination.
COLOR CODES AND AWS CLASSIFICATIONS
Electrode Color Band AWS Classification
Pure Tungsten Green EWP
1% Thoriated Yellow EWTh –1
2% Thoriated Red EWTh –2
3% Thoriated Blue EWTh – 3
Zirconiated Brown EWZr

ELECTRODE CURRENT RATINGS

DCSP DCRP ACHF ACHF ACHF

Electrode Dia. EWP EWP EWP EWTh-1 EWTh-3
(inches) EWTh-1 EWTh-1 EWTh-2
EWTh-2 EWTh-2 EWZR
EWTh-3 EWTh-3
0.020 5-20 - 5-15 5-20 -
0.040 15-80 - 10-60 15-80 10-80
1/16 70-150 10-20 50-100 70-150 50-150
3/32 150-250 15-30 100-160 140-230 100-230
1/8 250-400 25-40 150-210 225-325 150-325
5/32 400-500 40-55 200-275 300-400 200-400
3/16 500-750 55-80 250-350 400-500 250-500
1/4 750-1000 80-125 325-450 500-630 325-630

3. Shielding gas(es):
a. The shielding gas is displaces the atmosphere with an inert gas that has a greater
density. The shielding gas also serves to cool and protect the electrode from
atmospheric contamination.
 b. Two main types of gasses used for shielding:
(1). Argon
(a). Provides quieter arc with lower arc voltage (the welder can vary the arc
gap with little variation of heat)
(b). Argon is almost ten times denser than helium making it more efficient
from a shielding aspect.
(c). Benefits of argon:
(1). Smother quieter arc
(2). Lower arc voltage
(3). Easier arc starting
(4). Better cleansing action when used in conjunction with AC current
(5). Lower flow rates because of greater density
(6). Better shielding in drafty areas, again because of greater density.
(2). Helium
(a). Used to obtain greater penetration and faster travel rates
(b). Lesser arc stability
(c). Helium is often mixed with Argon to produce a gas mixture that has the
best attributes of both gasses. It is usually 75% helium and 25% Argon
4. Power supply:
a. AC or DC or combination AC/DC TIG welders are available.
(1). DC power is used to weld stainless or mild steels.
(a). DCSP is
(2). AC power is used to weld aluminum.
5. High frequency:
a. Enables application of alternating electrical current with voltages 3000-5000V
and low amperage.
b. Advantages of high frequency:
(1). Little heat input because of low amperage,
(2). High arc stability – the arc can jump nearly a half-inch gap,
(3). Stabilizes AC currents.
c. Disadvantages of high frequency:
(1). It can really mess up electronics and telephone systems.
d. Uses of high frequency:
(1). It is used to start a DC current arc without having to touch the tungsten to
the workpiece (the machine should be set to start).
(2). It is also used to stabilize an AC current. In a sense AC current cycles both
DCSP and DCRP. Each time the polarity changes the arc wants to extinguish.
Thus, with the high frequency on continuously, the arc will not go out (the
machine should be set to continuous).
6. Remote current control devices.
a. There are two main types of remote current control devices.
(1). Foot control (foot pedal).
(2). Hand trigger.
b. The best and most useful remote devices control the following:
(1). High frequency current
(2). Shielding gas (pre and post flow)
 (3). Cooling water for the torch (if equipped)
(4). Welding current (variations from 0 amps to maximum set on welding
machine)

IV. TIG SETUP

A. Shaping the tungsten:
1. Hold the tungsten so that the color band is away from the grinder.
2. Rotate the tungsten smoothly so that the point stays even and in the middle.
3. Also remember to keep the grinding marks pointing to the electrode.
B. Balling the tungsten:
1. Only pure tungsten and Zirconated tungsten can be balled properly.
2. To make the ball strike an arc against a clean piece of copper.
3. If using low amperage DCEP (DCRP), then grind the sides of the ball to form a blunt
end. The ball will form on the end anyway once the electrode heats up.
C. Equipment setup:
1. Ensure that the machine has the ability to use the GTAW equipment.
2. Check to see that the welding equipment is plugged in; if not, plug it in.
3. Locate and attach the necessary equipment.
4. Check the TIG torch to verify proper collet diameter for the electrode, if not, install
the proper collet. Then insert the tungsten electrode.
5. Verify that the proper gas nozzle is attached. If not, then attach the proper gas
nozzle.
6. Set up remote current control device, TIG lead, and ground clamp near the welding
operation.
7. Attach ground clamp to workpiece. Ensure that no cables are tangled.
8. Make sure that argon, helium or an Ar/He mix is attached as a shielding gas.
9. Set the welding machine’s parameters, i.e. DCSP, DCRP, AC, HF start, HF
continuous, etc.
a. Note: The voltage on shown on the machine only occurs when the remote
current control device is fully open. Most operators use the desired current at
three quarters of the remote current control. Thus, the settings on the machine
must be slightly higher. For example: If you needed to weld at one
hundred amps, then most operators would set the machine to one-hundred and
twenty-five amps. The remote current control device will allow the operator to
add or subtract heat as needed.
10. Open the shielding gas cylinder all the way.
11. Set the flowmeter to the appropriate rate.
12. Touch the remote current control device to allow the preflow to purge the lines.
13. When ready to weld, depress the remote current control device.
14. When the weld is ended remove the pressure from the remote current control device
to break the arc.
15. Hold the torch over the weld until postflow stops.
V. TIG WELDING PROCEDURE
A. Torch angle: The torch should be perpendicular to the workpiece, and the lean twenty
degrees in the direction of weld (forehand).
B. Techniques:
1. Freehand: The tip of the electrode is held, by the operator over the weld puddle with
the proper lead and work angles. The electrode tip is held as close to the puddle as
possible without contaminating it with molten metal. The gun nozzle is not resting on
anything.
2. Resting on the cup: In this technique the operator rests the gun nozzle on the
workpiece. The welder then works the motion. The benefit to this technique is that
all the operator has to do is apply the motion in the same fashion. There is less risk of
contamination to the electrode.
C. Beads:
1. Stringer: Stringer beads are made by using little or no side-to-side motion. The bead
ends up being two to three times the diameter of the electrode.
2. Weave: Weave beads are made by, moving the puddle back and forth across the
weld area. The bead is wider than the puddle. The weave bead applies more
heat to the base metal, therefore, it is generally not used on heat sensitive metals or
thin-gauged metals.
D. When you are ready to weld, simply drop your hood and depress the remote current
control device. Continue welding; remember that the harder you press the pedal
or trigger the more heat comes out. Then when finished release the remote current
control device to break the arc, and keep the nozzle over the weld area during the post
flow process.

VI. WELD QUALITY – TIG OR FCAW WELDING

A. Common weld problems with TIG welding
1. Burn–through.
a. Appearance: an open hole appears in the weld bead and base metal.
b. Cause(s): excessive heat input (i.e., current).
c. Correction: reduce current; increase travel speed.
 2. Incomplete fusion.
a. Appearance: when both metals are not completely joined by the weld (see figure
below).
b. Cause(s): insufficient heat (i.e., current); tight root opening, fast travel speed;
short arc length.
c. Correction: increase heat (current); open root opening during setup; slow travel
speed; increase arc length.

4. Undercut.
a. Appearance: a groove left unfilled by deposited metal along the side of the weld
bead (see figure below).
b. Cause(s): high amperage; improper work angle; long arc length, rust.
c. Correction: lower amperage, proper work angle; hold shorter arc length; clean
work–piece before welding.
d. Repair of undercut: weld into and over the undercut with smaller electrode
5. Cracks.
a. Appearance:
(1). Crater cracks (generally in the shape of an "X") appear in the crater left at
the termination of the weld bead.
(2). Longitudinal cracks run in the direction of the weld bead and may be found
in either the weld bead itself or in the base (parent) metal.
(3). Transverse cracks run into or inside a weld in a direction that is generally
perpendicular the direction of the weld bead.
 b. Cause(s):
(1). Crater cracks are caused by the center of the weld pool becoming solid
before the outside of the weld pool, pulling the center of the pool apart during
cooling.
(2). Longitudinal cracks are generally caused by insufficient preheat and/or a
fast cooling problem. They may also be caused by shrinkage stresses (i.e.,
residual stresses) in high constraint areas.
(3). Transverse cracks are caused by a weld metal hardness problem.
c. Correction:
(1). Crater cracks can be eliminated by proper welding technique to fill the
crater at the end of the weld, i.e.,:
(a). As you near the end of the weld bring the electrode perpendicular to the
workpiece and slow down.
(b). Stop moving forward.
(c). Angle the electrode about ten degrees towards the weld.
(d). Move about an 1/8” toward the start of the weld.
(e). Weld is completed when crater is filled.
(f). Pull the electrode away to break the arc.
(2). Longitudinal cracks can be eliminated by either welding toward areas of
less constraint and/or by using preheat to even out cooling rates and/or by
using a less ridged joint design.
(3). Transverse cracks can be prevented by properly matching the welding rod
electrode to the parent or base metal; allow the weld zone to cool more
slowly.
6. Porosity.
a. Appearance: refers to the pinholes in the surface of the weld bead.
b. Cause(s): formed by trapped gas that result from impurities in the base metal or
from the lack of shielding (see figure below).
c. Correction: properly clean surfaces before welding; properly chip and clean
multiple pass welds; be sure that shielding is not blown away by wind or a draft.
B. Tips to maintain quality TIG welds:
1. Maintain cleanliness of welding wire and metal.
2. Maintain cleanliness of joint.
3. Use the correct type of welding electrode for the application.
4. Use the correct heat input for the application.
5. Progress at a steady pace at the correct travel speed.
6. Use the correct work and lead angles.
7. Use the correct weld pattern.
8. Be sure that wind does not blow the shielding gases away.
9. Maintain cleanliness of tungsten tip.