Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW)

Aim
To study the influence of process parameters on weld geometry and melting efficiency in Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW).

Theory of Operation
The base plate is attached to the ve terminal of the battery. Wire from wire reel is given +ve polarity. Voltage is typically between 20-30 V. Then the shielding gun is brought closer to the plate the arc is developed between the wire and base plate. Wire is continuously fed from wire reel.

The shielding gun controls the wire feeding from reel. It also has a gas nozzle through which an inert or reducing gas is directed toward the welding pool. The gas prevents the oxidation of metal in the weld pool. The gun also has a coolant water supply in case of high temperatures. The schematics of the weld gun are shown below.

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All commercially important metals such as carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum, and copper can be welded with this process in all positions by choosing the appropriate shielding gas, electrode, and welding conditions. One of the most common gas used is CO2. The bead geometry is given below.

Procedure
Produce weld bead on different plates with different current settings. Record the mean voltage(V) and current(I) and time taken for each. Cut transverse section on each weld sample and note down height(h), width(w), penetration(p). Also measure the gain in weight of the sample

Parametres
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. V= Voltage I= Current p= Penetration w= Width h= Height T= Time m= Mass E= Energy

Observation Table

S. no.

Time for single pass (s) 8 6 14

Voltage Vp (volt) 24.2 28 17.6

Current I (A) 140 190 195

Width (w) (mm) 4.76 6.57 8.02

Height (h) (mm) 3.32 2.18 3.89

Penetration(p) (mm)

1 2 3

1.7 1.5 1.5

mass of electrode used(m) (gm) 3.2985 4.9378 8.2322

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Calculations:
Ein(effective energy input) =process*Vp*I Where process==0.55, Vp=voltage during welding, I= current during welding Eutilized=m1C(T1-Tamb)+m2C(T2-Tamb)+m1L+m2L Where, m1= Rate of melting of mass of bass material (we are considering m1=0 in our experiment) m2= Rate of melting of mass of electrode used, C= Specific heat (622 J/Kg K for steel) T1,T2= Melting temperature for base material and electrode ( 1800 K for steel) Tamb= Ambient temperature ( 300 K) melt=Eutilized/Ein Cross sectional area of the weld= * *w*(h+p)+/4 Where , w, h, p are width, height and penetration of the weld.

Table for melt efficiency (melt) and cross sectional area of weld
S.no. 1 2 3 Cross sectional area (mm2) 18.75773 18.97942 33.93382 Ein (J/s) 2541 3990 2574 Eutilized (J/s) 493.9504 985.9141 704.4411 melt 0.194392 0.247096 0.273676

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Graphs

melt Vs Current
0.3 0.25 0.2

melt

0.15

0.1 0.05
0 0 50 100 150 200 250

Current (Ampere)

width Vs Current
9 8 7

Width (w)

6 5 4 3 2 1

0
0 50 100 150 200 250

Current (in Ampere)

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Penetration Vs Current
1.75 1.7

Penetration (mm)

1.65 1.6 1.55 1.5 1.45 0 50 100 150 200 250

Current (Ampere)

Height Vs Current
4.5 4 3.5

Height (mm)

3
2.5 2 1.5 1 0.5 0 0 50 100 150 200 250

Current (Ampere)

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Area Vs Current
40

Cross sectional area (mm2)

35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 0 50 100 150 200 250

Current (Ampere)

Possible Errors
Current was not constant. Bead was not completely uniform. Penetration was not completely visible. Velocity of gun was not constant.

Some advantages of GMAW are:

The major advantage of gas metal-arc welding is that high quality welds can be produced much faster than with SMAW or TIG welding. Since a flux is not used, there is no chance for the entrapment of slag in the weld metal. The gas shield protects the arc so that there is very little loss of alloying elements as the metal transfers across the arc. Only minor weld spatter is produced, and it is easily removed. This process is versatile and can be used with a wide variety of metals and alloys, including aluminum, copper, magnesium, nickel, and many of their alloys, as well as iron and most of its alloys. The process can be operated in several ways, including semi- and fully automatic. MIG welding is widely used by many industries for welding a broad variety of materials, parts, and structures.

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Some disadvantages of GMAW are:

The major disadvantage of this process is that it cannot be used in the vertical or overhead welding positions due to the high heat input and the fluidity of the weld puddle. The equipment is heavy compared to equipment used for the shielded metal-arc welding process. The equipments are costly.

Conclusion
Effect of current was studied on weld geometry and efficiency. Average weld efficiency was 0.22.

-Vrushiket Patil(09003044) Mechanical Btech 2009 Date: 30 / 8 / 2011

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