38 Welding Technology and Design

(d) less arc wandering.

PAW process as compared to TIG process has the following advantages:
(a) greater concentration of energy
(b) improved arc stability at low currents
(c) higher heat content
(d) higher velocity of plasma
(e) less sensitivity to variations of arc length
(f) solid backing is avoided by adopting keyhole technique
(g) no tungsten contamination.
In normal TIG, the arc is of conical shape and so the area of heat input to the
work piece varies as the square of the arc length. Thus in TIG, a slight variation of
arc length will cause appreciable change in unit area heat transfer rate. But the
plasma jet is cylindrical and so changes of arc length have no effect on the area of
heat input and the arc intensity. In normal TIG, the arc plasma spreads over a large
area of the work piece and the arc is easily deflected by weak magnetic fields. In
plasma process, the arc is stiff and very little affected by magnetic fields. The
constriction of the arc in PAW results in higher plasma temperature and arc power.
However, in PAW
(a) equipment cost is high
(b) life of constricting nozzle is short
(c) consumption of inert gas is increased.
A comparison of the different energy processes is of welding with tungsten
inert gas welding is shown in Table 1.5.

1.2.5 Special methods

1.2.5.1 Explosive welding (EW)

Explosive welding is a process based on the controlled application of enormous
power generated by detonating explosives. The surfaces of the parts to be joined
must be clean without contamination of oxides etc. These clean surfaces are pressed
at pressure of the order of million kg/sqcm generated by the explosive. Combination
of dissimilar metals-aluminium to steel or titanium to steel - can be readily obtained
by this process.
Metals which are too brittle to withstand the impact of explosion cannot be
welded by this process. EW is a well suited process for cladding application.There
is no upper limit for the thickness of the backer plate. EW can also be used for
cladding the inner or outer surfaces of right cylinders.
The principle of operation is schematically shown for pipe welding in Fig. 1.21.
The prime metal (external pipe) is oriented to the backer plate (internal pipe) with
a small air gap, maintained by support metallic inserts. The backer plate rests on
the anvil. The explosive in plastic liquid or granular form is placed uniformly over
the prime metal and a moderating layer of polythene, water or rubber may be
placed in between the explosive and the prime plate. This protects the surface of
the prime plate from the explosion effects. The explosion is initiated by means of
a detonator attached to it. Once the detonator is ignited, the wave front progresses
forward and welds the prime plate with the backer.