28 Welding Technology and Design

Flash feed rate must be properly controlled. Insufficient or intermittent flashing

will result in poor heating. Flash time and flashing current should also be to the
optimum level. Plasticity induced due to heating should not be very high or too
low. Too high an upset force will result in too much of flashing leading to poor
weld. If upsetting force is less oxides, inclusions and voids can be found in the
weld.
Flash butt welding is used in solid and tubular structural assembly, gears and
rings, super heater tubes in boiler etc.
1.2.3.2 Electro-slag welding (ESW)
Electro-slag welding offers good productivity and quality in heavy structural
and pressure vessel fabrications. The weld metal in ESW process is obtained by
fusion of electrode wire under the blanket of flux layers. The heat for melting is
obtained as resistance heat by passage of current through slag pool covering the
complete surface of the weld metal. The schematic diagram of the ESW process is
shown in Fig. 1.14. A pool of molten slag is formed between the edges of the parts
to be welded and the travelling moulding shoes. The metal electrode is dipped into
the molten slag. The current passing through the electrode and the molten slag
heats up the slag pool. The slag melting point is higher than those of the wire and
the parent metal. Hence the electrode wire melts and the molten metal settles at the
bottom of the slag pool and solidifies to form the weld metal. To keep welding
stable, it is necessary for the slag pool to maintain its temperature.
In electro-slag welding the slag pool is 40-50 mm deep and it offers a conductive
path between the electrode and base metal. Thus the current flow is maintained
after the arc is extinguished. In contrast, in the case of submerged arc welding
which appears to be similar to ESW, the arc remains stable under the molten slag,
as the arc voltage is around 25-30 V, and the slag layer is rather shallow.
Both non-consumable and consumable guides are used in ESW. The first method
has a contact tube which directs the wire electrode into the slag bath. The welding
head moves upwards steadily along with the shoes as the weld is deposited. In the
consumable guide arrangement, a consumable tube is used. The welding head
remains fixed at the top of the joint. The axis of the weld is vertical. The welding
machine moves upwards consistant with the deposition rate. The amount of slag
remains constant. A small amount of flux has to be added to the slag. When the
weld is complete the welding machine can be withdrawn.
The welding wire chosen must match with the base material and the diameter is
generally of the order of 3-4 mm. The flux should have high boiling point to
enable melting of base metal and the welding wires. It must have good conductivty
and viscosity so as to maintain the temperature of the slag pool and to prevent the
flow of the slag through gaps between work piece and the cooling shoes.
The ESW process is completely continuous and so productivity will be faster.
No edge preparation of the parts to be joined is necessary. There will be saving in
the quantity of filler metal and the flux. After the welding process, the welded
components require heat treatment. The process should be continuous and should
not be interrupted due to power failure etc. Otherwise the molten metal will shrink
forming a cavity at the centre. Normally other defects like slag inclusions, porosity,
undercuts, notches etc., are not encountered in ESW process.