Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
consumable-Consumable electrodes
The piece of wire or rod used to carry current for welding is known as an electrode or welding electrode. It
may or may not have flux covering. The electrode produces arc at one end and other end is gripped by a
electrode holder. In this article we will discuss the classification of welding electrode as well as explain
different welding electrodes types.
Non-consumable electrodes are those which do not melt away or consumed during the welding process.
These electrodes involves the use of high melting point materials such as carbon - MP 6700 degree
Fahrenheit, pure tungsten MP 6150 degree Fahrenheit, or alloy tungsten.
Consumable Electrodes
This electrodes are low melting point electrodes. When electrode and job is struck the arc starts to melt
the end of the electrode. The molten electrode is transferred to the job in the form of metal droplets.
1. Bare electrodes: They don't have any flux coating only the alloy or the metal wire.
2. Light coated electrodes: These are electrodes having coating factor of 1.25 . coating factor = diameter
of the electrode / diameter of the core wire .
example : Citobest electrode from AO or Advani Oerlikon.
3. Medium coated electrodes: These have coating factor of about 1.45 .
example : Overcord
4. Heavily coated electrode : Coating factor is between 1.6 and 2.2 . example : citofine .
Depending upon the material of the electrode, it may melt and supply filler metal; if it is non-consumable,
a separate filler metal addition becomes necessary.
o Core Wire composition
The core wire is prepared by keeping in mind the type of metal to be welded. The composition of core
wire is different for each metal. When mild steel is needed to be welded the core wire must have have
similar composition to get a homogeneous weld joint.
The size (diameter) of the electrode core wire totally depends on the amount of metal deposition needed
and the type of gap between the two metal plates to be joined. The length of the core depends of the
electrical resistance, rigidity and diameter of the electrode. Typical coated electrode dimensions are 150
to 460 mm (6 to 18 in.) in length and 1.5 to 8 mm (j to in.) in diameter. As the thickness of the sections to
be welded decreases, the required current and electrode diameter also decrease.
o Current Requirements
If bigger diameter welding electrodes are used then the requirement of the current will also be higher.
Specifications for electrodes and for filler metals, including dimensional tolerances, quality control
procedures, and processes, are stated by the American Welding Society (AWS) and the American
National Standards Institute (ANSI); some appear in the Aerospace Materials Specifications (AMS) by the
Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE).
Electrodes are identified by numbers and letters (Table 27.2), or by color code, particularly if they are too
small to imprint with identification.
Among other requirements, the specifications state that
(a) the wire diameter must not vary more than 0.05 mm (0.002 in.) from nominal size, and
(b) the coatings must be concentric with the wire.
Welding Electrode is sold by weight and are available in a wide variety of sizes and specifications.
Selection and recommendations for electrodes for a particular metal and its application can be found in
supplier literature and in the various handbooks
o Electrode coating
Claylike materials are used to coat the electrodes. These materials include silicate binder as well as
powdered materials such as various oxides, metal alloys, fluorides and carbonates and cellulose.
Cellulose includes cotton cellulose and wood flour.
Brittle electrode coatings has some functions and they take part in complex interactions at the time of
welding. The basic functions are
To ensure a good weld the deposited coating or slag must be removed after each pass. A wire brush can
be used for cleaning the deposited coating.
Bare electrodes are also available which are made of stainless steel of aluminum alloys