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After you have mastered the gas tungsten arc welding of Chapter Objectives
commercial metals and their alloys in the form of plate,
you may gain further skill in the process by practic-
After completing this chapter, you will be able to:
ing on pipe. Gas tungsten arc welding produces welds
in pipe that are unusually smooth, fully penetrated, and 20-1 List the advantages for the GTAW process for pipe
free from obstructions and crevices on the inside. These welding.
welds have maximum strength and are highly resistant 20-2 Describe the joint designs associated with GTAW
to corrosion. on pipe.
The process may be used to weld both ferrous and non- 20-3 Describe proper techniques for making tack, root,
ferrous piping materials. It is a highly desirable process filler, and cover pass welds.
for the welding of nonferrous materials. 20-4 List causes of porosity in GTAW welds.
Gas tungsten arc welding is used in the fabrication 20-5 Produce acceptable weld beading on pipe.
of aluminum, stainless-steel, nickel, nickel alloys, and
20-6 Produce acceptable groove welds on steel, stainless
alloy steel piping. See Figs. 20-1 and 20-2. For tem- steel, and aluminum pipe in all positions.
peratures above 750F and for power plant work, low
alloy steel pipe containing small amounts of chromium
and molybdenum is used. Stainless-steel piping is used
for high and low temperature work, for chemical and
process piping, and in those situations in which the
pipe must resist corrosive chemicals. Copper, nickel,
and their alloys are selected for resistance to chemi-
cal attack, especially by saltwater. Aluminum pipe has
the advantages of being light in weight, resisting corro-
sion, and not forming toxic chemicals in the processing
of food and drugs. The GTAW process has applica-
tion in the welding of nuclear piping systems, reactor
630
vessels, and their auxiliary vessels. In these applica-
tions it is necessary to contain radioactive fluids under
high pressures at both low and high temperatures. Joint
tightness and cleanliness are absolutely essential be-
cause of the dangers of radioactive contamination.
Substantial quantities of carbon steel pipe are welded
with the gas tungsten arc process for the root pass only.
The thinnest section that can be manually welded is
approximately 132 inch. For pipe wall thicknesses from
to 38 inch, it is generally more economical to complete
the pipe weld, after the gas tungsten arc root pass, with
the gas metal arc or submerged arc process. The shielded
metal arc welding or flux cored arc welding process may
also be used. Some type of gas or metal backing improves
the quality of the weld and makes the job of the welder
somewhat easier.
Accurate joint preparation and good fitup are essential.
Cleaning in preparation for welding must be carefully
performed, and in some cases the base metal may require
chemical treatment. Some type of gas or metal backing
improves the conditions for welding. Welding may be
done in all positions.
Fig. 20-1 An A106B pipe of 2-34 inch O.D. and a wall thickness of 58
inch in the 6G position. For a welder qualification test coupon, this can
save 80% of the weld time and material vs. a 6inch O.D. double extra
heavy pipe coupons. This coupon will qualify for unlimited thickness and Joint Design
diameters as small as 1 inch O.D. using two weld processes. Such as The following information may be applied to the
GTAW on the root and filling half the joint and SMAW for the remainder
welding of steel, aluminum, and stainless-steel pipe.
of the joint. When welded in accordance to the current ASME Section IX
requirements. The purge set up may or may not be required, a lways fol- Five basic joints are in general use in the gas tungsten
low the welding procedure. Renee Bohnart
Gas Tungsten Arc Welding Practice: Jobs 20-J1J17 (Pipe) Chapter 20631
arc welding of pipe. Selection of a particular design the close control of dimensions and fitup needed to produce
depends on the type of material, the thickness of the satisfactory results.
material, and the nature of the installation. It is rec-
ommended that all pipe with a wall thickness of more Joint Preparation
than 18 inch be beveled to ensure sound welds. When pipe is of such thickness that beveling is necessary,
it should conform to the specifications given in Figs. 20-3
Standard V-Groove Butt Joint through 20-6 and Table 20-1. All beveling should be done
The V-groove, Fig. 20-3, with the 75 groove angle and a by machine. Grinding may deposit impurities on the sur-
root face of 116 inch is considered standard. On noncritical face of the metal, which contaminate the completed weld
jobs the joint may be butted together and welded without and make the welding operation more difficult. Prevention
a filler rod on the root pass. Code quality welding requires of surface contamination is especially important when
that the joint be spaced at the root from 116 to 332 inch as welding aluminum pipe.
shown.
Backing or Purging
371/2
Sharp V-Groove In order to obtain the smooth interior surface specified in
Butt Joint Fig. 20-7 and shown in Figs. 20-8 and 20-9, page 634 it
is necessary to protect the back as well as the face of the
This joint, Fig. 20-4, does
weld bead from oxidation. This may be done by introduc-
not have a root face like the
ing argon or helium into the pipe. This operation is known
/
1 16 / to 3/32
1 16 standard V-groove. It can be
as purging. The gas shields the molten pool on the inside
prepared by cutting with an
of the pipe. It should flow at a rate of about 6cubic feet per
Fig. 20-3 Standard V- oxyacetylene cutting torch.
groove butt joint. minute during the welding operation. Carbon steel and alu-
The root pass must be welded
minum do not typically require purging; verify by review-
with filler rod.
371/2
ing the welding procedure.
A fixture similar to that shown in Fig. 20-10 (p. 634)
U-Groove Butt may be used for purging. This fixture can be made with
Joint materials usually found in the school welding shop, and it
The U-groove joint, Fig. 20-5, may be fabricated and welded by the students.
is used when uniform welds of The conical pipe inserts D and E may be made with
high quality are required. This any desired diameter. They will fit all sizes of pipe up to
Fig. 20-4 Sharp V-groove
butt joint. joint is particularly adaptable the maximum diameter of the cone at its largest end. The
to position welding because it cone D is welded to the tube and is fixed while cone E
is possible to obtain complete is adjustable by slipping the clamp F along the tube H in
30 / R
3 16
out it.
Fig. 20-5 U-groove butt
joint. Consumable Insert
Butt Joint
30 Penetration
/
1 16 This type of joint, Fig. 20-6, Bead Width
18 / R produces welds of the highest 1/8 Minimum
Type of Position of No Backing With Backing Type of Gas Bevel Bead Root Root
Material Welding Ring Ring Shielding Angle1 Face2 Opening3
Aluminum 2&5 x Helium 3712 1
16 None
Aluminum All x Helium 37 2
1 1
16 3
16
Aluminum 5 bottom only x Helium 60 1
16 None
Aluminum 1 x Argon 3712 1
16 1
16
Aluminum 2&5 x Argon 55 1
16 1
16
Aluminum 1 x Argon 37 2
1 1
16 3
16
Aluminum 2&5 x Argon 55 1
16 3
16
Steel &
stainless steel
1
16 to
5
32 thick All x Argon None Total 1
16
All x Argon None Total 1
8
5
32 to
1
4 thick All x Argon 3712 1
16 3
32
All x Argon 3712 1
16 3
16
1
Bevel angle may be 2 2.
1
2
Root face may be 132 inch.
3
Root opening may be 116 inch.
The nut adjustment B permits positioning of the weld the gas outlet holes G in the tubing and inside the pipe
at any point around the circle. The pipe support C may be joint for purging.
inserted into a larger fixed pipe in a stand, or it may be In order to be able to weld under the most favor-
attached to the welding table so that the height of the unit able of conditions, some kind of pipe-rotating device
can be adjusted. The purging gas passes from a flow valve is necessary for the rolled-position welds. Figure2011
through the welding hose A and into the tube which is (p. 634) illustrates a manually operated unit that may
plugged at the far end. This forces the gas to flow through be made quickly in the school shop. The gas-purging
unit for the pipe interior, shown in Fig. 20-10, may
also be a ttached to the rotating unit. This unit
may be driven by an electric motor having a
control unit with a speed control range up to
10r.p.m.
The inside of the pipe may also be protected
by painting with the proper flux. Welds backed
up by flux are high quality, and they are al-
most equal in physical properties to those made
with gas purging. Flux permits more penetra-
tion through the back side, whereas gas purg-
ing reduces the inside buildup and causes a very
smooth inside bead.
Tack Welds
Fig. 20-8 The underside of a root pass in steel pipe welded with the gas
tungsten arc welding process. Filler metal has been added. The joint shows Tack welds are used to hold the sections of pipe
complete penetration free of notches, icicles, crevices, and other obstructions to together in preparation for welding. In pipe
flow. Reinforcement is between 132 and 332 inch. welding by the gas tungsten arc process, tack
Gas Tungsten Arc Welding Practice: Jobs 20-J1J17 (Pipe) Chapter 20633
If filler rod is to be used for the root pass,
you should use filler rod for the tack weld. Tack
welds should be about 1 inch long. Four to six
tacks per joint, depending on the pipe size,
should be spaced evenly around the pipe. Too
large a tack weld interferes with the weld that is
to follow. If the torch is withdrawn too rapidly,
the tack weld will crack.
When the root pass is welded, the tack weld
Fig. 20-9 The back side of a root pass in stainless-steel pipe. This is the must be re-fused and become a part of the
inside of the pipe. weld. To aid in this, the beginning and end of
the tack weld should be filed or ground with
a cutting disk, starting approximately
3
8 inch from the edge and tapering to a
B D G E F feathered edge, as shown in Fig. 20-12.
This will allow proper fusion when com-
ing off a tack weld or when approaching
the tack weld.
In some critical applications the tack
welds are completely removed. This
requires the root pass to be stopped
slightly before the tack weld is reached.
The tack weld is then removed and the
root pass is continued until the next
A C H tack weld is encountered, and the pro-
cedure is repeated until the root pass is
Fig. 20-10 Conical fixture used for purging the inside of piping and tubing. This can
complete and all tack welds have been
be made in the school welding shop. removed. Care must be taken when re-
moving the tack welds so as not to alter
the original joint design. Another tech-
nique is the use of bridge tack welds. This prevents
any issues in the root of the joint from the tack welds.
They are removed as the root pass is made around the
joint, Figs. 20-13 and 20-14.
Vent Holes
Argon
Discharge
Holes
Argon Supply
/
38
Practice Jobs
The equipment needed is the same as that used for the gas
tungsten arc welding of plate, Fig. 20-15, p. 636.
Gas Tungsten Arc Welding Practice: Jobs 20-J1J17 (Pipe) Chapter 20635
To Gas
Gas-Water Backing
Shutoff Valve Device
(Optional) (If Used)
Argon
Inlet Hose
Water Inlet Hose
Torch
Regulator and
Power Cable
Flowmeter
Adaptor
Power Cable
and Water
Pipe Return Hose
Workpiece
Water
Out Hose
Argon
Cylinders
Work
Clamp on
Worktable +
D.C.
Water
Welding
Supply Line
Generator
or
Rectifier
Drain
An a.c. welding power
supply is sometimes used.
Practice on steel, aluminum, and stainless-steel pipe in Roll Butt Joint Groove Welds:
sizes ranging from 2 to 6 inches in diameter. You are ex- Jobs 20-J1J7
pected to complete the jobs calling for mild steel pipe before
practicing with aluminum and s tainless-steel pipe. Welding Root Pass Practice on pipe 4 to 6 inches in diameter. After
should be done in the rolled, horizontal fixed, and vertical you have practiced stringer and weaved beading around the
fixed positions. Use the same general welding techniques outside of the pipe (Job 20-J1), begin practice on joints with
you learned in Chapter 19 for metal of the same thickness. the standard V-joint (Job 20-J2). Prepare the edges as in-
The procedures used in welding these practice joints structed in Fig. 20-3, page 632. Tack the pipe in about three
in pipe are those that are practiced on the job. No single places with small tacks so that they do not interfere with
point is overlooked in making sure that the procedure will welding. Brush, file or grind, and clean tacks before pro-
produce welds that are sound. Piping installations are ceeding with the welding. Set up the pipe so that it can be
such that a weld failure would not only damage property purged with argon to protect the underside of the weld bead
but also endanger the safety of human beings. and to assist in making a smooth bead. Flux may be used
Study the various joint designs and weld procedures instead of gas purging. A 2 percent thoriated-tungsten elec-
carefully. The nature of the material, the size of pipe, and trode with a diameter of 332 or 18 inch is preferred for weld-
the position of welding are the three important variables ing. It should be ground to a point as shown in Fig.20-16.
that determine the joint design, the pass sequence, and Point the electrode toward the center of the pipe,
all that this implies. Quality welding requires close con- Fig. 20-17. The arc length should be 132 to 116 inch long.
trol. It is truly a scientific process that demands a great Be careful to manipulate the torch so that the tungsten
deal of skill in its application. electrode does not become contaminated.
It is highly important that students who feel they want Start the arc halfway up the groove face approximately
to specialize in pipe welding become highly proficient centered in the area of the tack weld. Bring the weld
in the gas tungsten arc welding of aluminum and stain- pool down the groove face onto the tack weld. The filler
less pipe, since it is extensively used for piping made of rod can be preplaced in the tapered area of the prepared
these materials and alloys of steel. tack weld. The filler rod can be cut on an angle so it lies
/ D
15
D
Gas Tungsten Arc Welding Practice: Jobs 20-J1J17 (Pipe) Chapter 20637