COPYRIGHT 1999 THE ESAB GROUP, INC.

LESSON I, PART A
AN INTRODUCTION TO METALS
1.1
SOURCE AND MANUFACTURING
Metals come from natural deposits of ore in the earths crust. Most ores are contaminated
with impurities that must be removed by mechanical and chemical means. Metal extracted
from the purified ore is known as primary or virgin metal, and metal that comes from scrap
is called secondary metal. Most mining of metal bearing ores is done by either open pit or
underground methods. The two methods of mining employed are known as selective in
which small veins or beds of high grade ore are worked, and bulk in which large quantities
of low grade ore are mined to extract a high grade portion.
1.1.0.1 There are two types of ores, ferrous and nonferrous. The term ferrous comes
from the Latin word ferrum meaning iron, and a ferrous metal is one that has a high iron
content. Nonferrous metals, such as copper and aluminum, are those that contain little or
no iron. There is approximately 20 times the tonnage of iron in the earths crust compared
to all other nonferrous products combined; therefore, it is the most important and widely
used metal.
1.1.0.2 Aluminum, because of its attractive appearance, light weight and strength, is the
next most widely used metal. Commercial aluminum ore, known as bauxite, is a residual
deposit formed at or near the earths surface.
1.1.0.3 Some of the chemical processes that occur during steel making are repeated
during the welding operation and an understanding of welding metallurgy can be gained by
imagining the welding arc as a miniature steel mill.
1.1.0.4 The largest percentage of commercially produced iron comes from the blast
furnace process. A typical blast furnace is a circular shaft approximately 90 to 100 feet in
height with an internal diameter of approximately 28 feet. The steel shell of the furnace is
lined with a refractory material, usually a hard, dense clay firebrick.
1.1.0.5 The iron blast furnace utilizes the chemical reaction between a solid fuel charge
and the resulting rising column of gas in the furnace. The three different materials used for
the charge are ore, flux and coke. The ore consists of iron oxide about four inches in
diameter. The flux is limestone that decomposes into calcium oxide and carbon dioxide.
The lime reacts with impurities in the ore and floats them to the surface in the form of a
slag. Coke, which is primarily carbon, is the ideal fuel for blast furnaces because it
produces carbon monoxide gas, the main agent for reducing iron ore into iron metal.
Lesson 1
The Basics of Arc
Welding
Lesson 2
Common Electric
Arc Welding
Processes
Lesson 3
Covered Electrodes
for Welding
Mild Steels
Lesson 4
Covered Electrodes
for Welding Low
Alloy Steels
Lesson 5
Welding Filler Metals
for Stainless Steels
Lesson 6
Carbon & Low Alloy
Steel Filler Metals -
GMAW,GTAW,SAW
Lesson 7
Flux Cored Arc
Electrodes Carbon
Low Alloy Steels
Lesson 8
Hardsurfacing
Electrodes
Lesson 9
Estimating &
Comparing Weld
Metal Costs
Lesson 10
Reliability of Welding
Filler Metals
Page 1 of 1 Lesson 1 - Basics of Arc Welding
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