Inert gas welding is an arc welding method where the heat necessary for the welding is generated by the arc formed between a consumable electrode and the workpieceThe solid wire electrode continuously supplied to the welding area form welding metal by being melted and consumed. The electrode, welding bath, arc and the areas of the workpiece near to the welding machine are protected against the hazardous impact of the atmosphere by the gas or mixed gas supplied from the welding torch. The gas should be able to fully protect the welding area, otherwise even a very small air ingress come out errors on the welding metal.
Benefits:
- The inert gas welding is a welding method faster than coated electrode arc welding due to the following reasons.
- Since the wire shaped welding electrode is continuously supplied to the welding area, the welder does not have to stop the welding to replace the consumed electrode as is in the coated electrode arc welding method.
- Since slag is not formed, there is no slag removing process after each welding pass and higher quality welds are obtained as there is no risk of forming slag residues in the welding metal
- Because electrodes with smaller diameter than the coated electrode arc welding It has high current density and high metal accumulation speed at same current range
- The welding metal obtained by the inert gas welding has a low hydrogen content, which is particularly beneficial for steels in hardening properties.
- Since deep ingression is possible in inert gas welding, it is possible to make small corner welds and it provides a smoother root penetration compared to coated electrode arc welding.
- Thin materials are often welded with TIG welding method or without using additional metal on the other hand the inert gas welding provides better results on the welding of thin materials than coated electrode arc welding.
- It is highly suitable for use in both semi-automatic and full-automatic welding systems.
Disadvantages:
- The inert gas welding equipment are more complex, more expensive and more difficult to transport than coated electrode arc welding equipment.
- Since the inert gas welding torch should be close to the workpiece, it is more difficult to weld in hardly accessible areas compared to coated electrode arc welding.
- The welding joints made with inert gas welding and steels having hardening property is more prone to cracking since there is no slag layer that decreases the rate of cooling of the welding metal as is the case in coated electrode arc welding.
- The inert gas welding requires additional protection against airflow to send away the gas protection from the welding area. Therefore, it is not as suitable as coated electrode arc welding for welding works in outdoor areas.