Welding Processes 57

welding. The arc penetration is shallow with minimum admixture. The bead is
smooth, free of ripples. Spatter is negligible and slag formation is heavy; but it
peels off easily. The commonly used Fast-Fill Electrodes in the welding of steel
are E 7024, E 6027, and E 7020-A1.
Some electrodes known as Fill-Freeze Electrodes, provide a compromise
between Fast Freeze and Fast-Fill characteristics and thus give a medium deposition
rate and penetration. The commonly used Fill-Freeze electrodes are E 6012, E
6013 and E 7014.
Conventional electrodes may not be suitable for high quality welds which should
not have any defects. In such cases low hydrogen electrodes are used. Typical
examples are E 7018 and E 7028. These electrodes give :
(a) X-ray quality welds requiring high mechanical properties.
(b) Crack resistant welds in medium or high carbon steels; welds that resist
hot-short cracking in phosphorus steels and welds that minimise porosity
in sulfur bearing steels.
(c) Welds in thick sections or in restrained joints in mild and alloy steels where
shrinkage stresses may promote weld cracking.
(d) Welds in alloy steels with strength of 500 MPa.
(e) Multipass, vertical and overhead welds in mild steels.
Low hydrogen electrodes must be used in dry condition, if they are to give
good result.
Fluxes : Fluxes are classified on the basis of the mechanical property of the weld
deposit made with a particular electrode. The classification designation given to
flux consists of a prefix “F”, indicating a flux, followed by two digit numbers
representative of tensile strength and impact requirements for test welds made in
accordance with the specification. This is followed by a set of numbers
corresponding to the classification of the electrode used with the flux.
Flux cored electrodes are tubular wire containing within it the flux with all the
ingradients for shielding the arc and weld pool, fluxing, deoxidizing and
conditioning the molten metal. Specifications for flux cored arc welding electrodes
are given in AWS A5.20-69 code.
1.3.3 Selection of electrodes
The selection of electrodes for any particular job has always been a compromise
between the requirements of weld quality and the overall cost of fabrication.
Where quality is important it is necessary to select an electrode type which will
give the appropriate weld metal properties. However, the skill of the operators and
conditions of electrode storage and usage must also be considered. In many cases
it may be preferable to sacrifice the maximum quality to ensure that sound defect-
free welds can be obtained under prevailing conditions of fabrication. Once the
required quality has been defined it is possible to select the electrode type and
make which will give the lowest fabrication cost or highest production rate.
Trends in electrode selections have been apparent for many years. For the highest
quality in mild and low alloy steel deposits, basic electrodes are selected. If the
parent plate quality is dubious or unknown, basic electrodes are again used. The