WELDING FOR ENGINEERS

GAS WELDING

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 Introduction
• Gas welding is a fusion welding process
whose welding heat is the product of the
combustion of fuel gas with oxygen.
• The fuel gas used are: Acetylene, Propane,
Hydrogen, Butane and Methane.
• Among the above fuel gases, acetylene is the
most commonly used because it provides
higher flame temperature (32000C ) than
other welding gases.

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 Useful fuel gases for Gas welding and
their burning temperature

No: Inflammable gas Flame Temp ( 0C )

1 Butane Oxy-Butane Flame 1800

2 Methane Oxy-Methane Flame 2700

3 Propane Oxy-Propane Flame 2800
4 Hydrogen Oxy-Hydrogen Flame 2800
5 Acetylene Oxy-Acetylene Flame 3200

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 Production of Acetylene
• Acetylene (C2H2) is produced in acetylene gas generators by the
exothermal transformation of calcium carbide with water.
• Calcium carbide is obtained from the reaction of lime and carbon
in the arc furnace. Acetylene tends to decompose already at a
pressure of 0.2 MPa.
• Commercial quantities can be stored
when Acetylene is dissolved in acetone (1 ltr of acetone dissolves
approx. 24 l of C2H2 at 0.1 MPa).

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 Acetylene Generator

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Acetylene Cylinder is not free inside like Oxygen but filled with
porous materials, The porous materials inside the cylinder filled
with liquid materials called Acetone.

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 Storage of Acetylene Gas.

• Acetylene gas is mixed in a liquid acetone for

safe storage , transportation/handling and
usage.
• Acetone in acetylene cylinders helps to
dissolve and stabilize the gas making it non-
reactive within the cylinder , Hence avoid
explosion of the cylinder during transportation
or when using it.

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 Oxygen Gas
• Oxygen is an element which exists free in
nature and forms about 20% of dray air by
volume.
• About half of the materials on earth consist of
oxygen i.e. Sand (SiO2), limestone (CaCO3)
• In plant and animals oxygen appears in
combination of carbon, sulphur, nitrogen etc.

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 Production of Oxygen gas

• The commercial manufacture of oxygen

gas takes advantage of the abundance of
oxygen in air
• The extraction of oxygen from air is
achieved by Linde process.
– Cleaning air from atmosphere with caustic
soda in an air cleaner
– Compressed and cooled below -2000C

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 Production of Oxygen gas (Cont..).

• The liquid air so obtained is sent to a

separator where it vaporises in sequence
according to the vaporization temperatures o
constituent liquid gases
• Nitrogen being the first gas to vaporize (-
1960C) leaving oxygen which vaporizes at -
183 0C
• Oxygen is then tapped as either liquid or gas
and filled in tanks at 200 bars

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 Production of Oxygen gas (Cont..).

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Applications of Oxy-acetylene Flame
Used for:
i. Cutting of steel
ii Welding
iii. Cleaning
iv. Brazing
v. Preheating and postheating when welding cast iron
vi. Soldering
vii. Case hardening of steel
viii. Metal assembly, fitting of machine parts.

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 Oxy-acetylene Welding Equipment
1. Gas Cylinders
Two large steel cylinders
i. Acetylene Cylinder- For storing Acetylene gas normally filled at low
pressure 10-40 bars to avoid explosion.
ii. Oxygen Cylinder-For storing oxygen gas normally filled at high
pressure of 100-400bars.
Never use a flame when testing for leaks.
Oxygen bottle has right hand thread.
Acetylene bottle has left hand thread.

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 Identification of Cylinder

Acetylene cylinder Oxygen Cylinder

• Painted maroon/red for • Painted black for british std
British std in other std in other std painted blue.
painted yellow • Nuts are small
• Nuts are large • Nuts are plain.
• Nuts are grooved. • Hoses are black/blue/green.
• Hoses are
yellow/red/maroon.

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2.Pressure Regulator

Each of the cylinder should be equipped with Pressure Regulator at

the top.

Functions:
i. To reduce cylinder pressure to working pressure
ii. To provide constant flow of gas volumes regardless of
the falling pressure in the cylinder
iii. To indicate cylinder pressure and working pressure
through pressure Gauges

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 REGULATOR

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3. Hose Pipes
Are used to carry gases from their respective Cylinders to Blowpipe.
Hose pipe are of rubber with long life.
For Oxygen BLUE or BLACK, and for Acetylene MAROON or
RED

4. Blowpipe (Torch)
Are used in welding or cutting. Also for mixing both Oxygen and
Acetylene to ratio (proportion) needed and pass the mixture of the
two gases to the nozzle to be burnt by spark lighter.

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5. Gas Welding Safety Kit
Tools in the kit are:- Gas welding Goggles, Gloves, Apron , Safety
Hammer,Wire Brush, Spark lighter, Nozzle cleaner.

6. Chipping Hammer
It is used to remove adhering layer of slag on the weld

7. Trolley
Is used to carry Gas Cylinders and other related tools of welding
From one place to another.

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 Spark lighter

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 Nozzle cleaner

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 Gas welding Goggles

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 Trolley

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8. Welding Rods
These are also called Filler Rods (metal). Composition of filler metal
Must be the same as that of base metal.

9. Nozzle(tip)
Burning the mixing of the gases

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 Safety Precautions In A Gas Welding Shop.

• Always wear protective clothing, i.e. flame

retardant overalls.
• Use welding goggles to prevent infrared rays
• ( Or use other safety gears) .
• Always have the spindle key in the acetylene
cylinder valve while the plant is on operation.
• Acetylene cylinder must be upright whether in
use or storage and must be chained.
• Use soapy solution to test leakage before
ignition of the plant.
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 Safety Precautions In A Gas Welding Shop
(cont...)

• Do not use oil or grease as a lubricant for the

plant.
• Distribution pipes must be installed high up and
never on the ground.
• Never enter an acetylene battery room with a fire
(cigarette).
• Ignite upright while pointing away from others.

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2.5 Lighting of Oxy-Acetylene Flame
and flame adjustment.

• Open fuel gas valve ½ turn.

• Ignite flame with spark lighter.
• Increase fuel gas flow until flame leaves end of
tip and no smoke is present .
• Decrease until flame goes back to tip.
• Open Oxygen valve and adjust to neutral flame .
• Depress oxygen lever and make necessary
adjustments.

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 2.6 Shutting down of the Oxy-acetylene flame.

• 1st Close oxygen torch valve

• 2nd Close fuel gas torch valve to shut down
the flame.

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The Oxy-Acetylene Flame (Cont…)
• If sufficient oxygen is not provided, then the carbon is given off
into the air as black, sooty smuts.

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Types of Welding Flames and their Applications.
There are three distinct types of flame using acetylene as the fuel gas
and these are achieved by varying the proportions of acetylene
gas in relation to the proportion of oxygen gas at the welding nozzle:
1. Neutral Flame
This flame burns equal quantities of oxygen and acetylene. (In
practice, it is advisable to have the slightest possible acetylene haze at
the cone tip to begin with.)
Used for welding Mild steel and Copper

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2. Carburizing Flame
This flame has an excess of acetylene which results in a carbon-rich
zone extending around and beyond the cone.
Used for welding Cast Iron and Aluminium
Note: Both the Neutral and Carburizing flames are reducing in
nature.

Carburising Flame

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3. Oxidising Flame
This flame has an excess of oxygen which results in an oxygen-rich
zone just beyond the cone. This flame is obtained by setting to
neutral and then turning the fuel gas down.
Used for welding Brass, Bronze, Zinc and Zinc Alloy

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 Welding Techniques (Methods)
There are two techniques /Methods
1. The Leftward welding Technique (forward method)
2. The Rightward welding Technique (backward method)

Leftward welding Technique

i. It starts from RIGHT to LEFT
ii. Is used for welding steel plate up to 3mm in thickness.
iii. Motion of the Flame is zigzag
iv. Motion of the Filler Rod is Straight.
v. It can also be used for welding Non- Ferrous Metals.

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 The Leftward Technique of Gas Welding(Cont…)

Advantage Disadvantage

• Easy control of molten pool. • Blockage of welding torch nozzle

• High welding speeds through due to welding particles
pre-heating • Incomplete fusion and inferior
• Fine rippled weld beads. quality welds
• Inadequate protection of the
molten pool surface against air

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 The Leftward Technique of Gas Welding(Cont…)

Application
• Welding of steel plates and sheets of thin thickness
• Welding of non ferrous metals

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 Rightward Welding Technique

i. It starts from LEFT to RIGHT

ii. Is used for welding steel plate more than 3mm thick
iii. The motion of the Flame is Straight
iv. Motion of the Filler Rod is (circular) zigzag.
v. The Flame is directed onto the molten pool.

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 Rightward Welding Techniques(Cont…)

Advantages Disadvantages
• Low welding speed due to
• The molten pool and the inadequate pre-heating
weld key hole are easy to • Can not be used to weld
observe. non-ferrous metals.
• Good root fusion.
• Low gas consumption.
• Narrow welding seam.
• The bath and the melt weld
rod are permanently
protected from the air.

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 Rightward Welding Techniques(Cont…)

Application
• Quality Welding
• Good exploitation of heat, due to low welding
speed enable welding of up to 12 mm thickness in
steel and up to 30 mm thickness in cast iron.

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 Backfire
Is a condition of the flame to burn inside the Blowpipe.

Flame tends to go back to Blowpipe Body accompanied with a

big Ex sparking sound.

Causes of Backfire
i. The nozzle is abstracted (blockage) by small particles of metals
• Treatment
i. Rub the nozzle on a piece of wood(with the flame
on)
ii. Clean the nozzle with nozzle cleaner
ii. Flame touches the workpiece
• Treatment
i, Avoid Touching the workpiece with the nozzle
 Other Joining Processes by Oxy
Acetylene Flame.
Hard Soldering processes.

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 Brazing and Silver Soldering

i. Hard Soldering is the joining of metallic

surface by a non-ferrous filler metal, which has
a lower melting point than the parts to be joined,
Nearly all metals can be hard soldered.
ii. PREPARATION: The surface to be joined have
to fit closely , but not pressed together too
tightly. The parts are cleaned by filing ,
grinding.etc, fluxed , aligned and secured by
wire or clamps.

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 Brazing and Silver Soldering (Cont…)

i. HARD SOLDERING RODS.

ii. Brazing rods
brass rods contain Copper and Zinc and are
used for normal work.
Bronze rods contain Copper and tin and are
used for normal work.
iii. Silver soldering rods , contain Silver, Copper
and Zinc , and are used for special low temperature
work.

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 Brazing and Silver Soldering (Cont…)

i. HEATING ; Is done either by a furnace or

blowpipe.(620C-1020C).
ii. TECHNIQUE ; After the parts have been
heated to a hard soldering temperature ,flux
and filler metal are applied to the joint and
the heat kept on until the filler metal has
flown into the joints, Care must be taken not
to overheat the workpiece and filler metal.

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 Brazing

i. Brazing is a metal-joining process in which two or

more metal items are joined together by melting and
flowing a filler metal into the joint, the filler metal
having a lower melting point than the adjoining metal.
ii. In brazing , metals to be brazed should be heated to
red hot condition or ignition temperature .
iii. Then the filler metals is melted onto the heated area
by support from flux.
iv. Flux allows the brazing materials to flow easily onto
the heated area and during solidification a joint will
be made.

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 Brazing (Cont…)

i. The filler metal flows into the gap between

close-fitting parts by capillary action.
ii. The brazed area should be cleaned either
chemically ( flux) or physically
(grinding/filing ).
iii. The filler metal is brought slightly above its
melting (liquidous) temperature while
protected by a suitable chemical, usually a
flux.

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 Flux

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 The Function of Flux
i. To give the brazing material good fluidity
ii. To prevent oxidation to the molten metal.
iii. To clean metal chemically by dissolving
oxides films.

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 Advantages and disadvantages of Brazing.
disadvantages
Advantages
• Dissimilar metals and non-metals (i.e. • The lack of joint strength as compared to a
metalized ceramics) can be brazed. welded joint due to the softer filler metals
used.
• Brazing also produces less thermal
• The strength of the brazed joint is likely to
distortion than welding due to the be less than that of the base metal(s) but
uniform heating of a brazed piece. greater than the filler metal.
• Complex and multi-part assemblies can • brazed joints can be damaged under high
be brazed cost-effectively. service temperatures.
• Brazing can be coated or clad for • Brazed joints require a high degree of base-
protective purposes. metal cleanliness when done in an industrial
setting.
• Brazing is easily adapted to mass • Some brazing applications require the use of
production and it is easy to automate adequate fluxing agents to control
because the individual process cleanliness.
parameters are less sensitive to • The joint color is often different from that of
variation. the base metal, creating an aesthetic
• The brazed area never corrode disadvantage.
• Brazed members can be separated easily • Not applied where there is vibration
without destruction

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Difference between welding , brazing
and Soldering.
i. Brazing differs from welding in that it does not
involve melting the work pieces, Only the filler
metal are melted to join the base metals.
ii. Brazing differs from Soldering in their working
temperatures, the temperature used for brazing is
higher than that used in soldering.
Note: Cast Iron and Stainless steel can’t be brazed
because it does not expand much and Leave enough
space for the braze materials to adhere.
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 Flame Cutting
Flame cutting by oxy-acetylene flame takes
place into two stages:-
i. Pre-heating : metal to be cut should be
heated to red hot condition or ignition
temperature to change iron oxide to magnetic
oxides.
ii. Applying high pressure oxygen : blows out
oxides and a cut will be formed since
magnetic oxides are lighter.

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 Parameters That Control Flame Cutting
Cut quality is dependent on a number of parameters, the primary one
being the competency of the burner/operator.
Parameters That Control Cut Quality Includes:
i. Proper cutting tip selection
ii. Proper cutting oxygen pressure selection
iii. Proper preheat (a function of the cutting tip and the operator) this
iv. includes quantity of preheat as well as ratio of Oxygen to the fuel
gas
v. Proper cutting speed
vi. Proper tip to work
vii. Proper selection of the fuel gas
viii. A gas supply system (both fuel gas and Oxygen) that is sufficient
to
supply the quantity of gas required at the pressure required.

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 Parameters that control Flame Cutting
(cont…)
i. Most of these parameters may vary
depending on the material and surface
condition of the plate to be cut.
ii. All of these items are controlled by the
operator and emphasize the importance of a
well trained operator as well as a proper and
well maintained.

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 Properties Of Metals To Be Cut By
Oxy-Fuel flame.
i. Capability of burning in a stream of oxygen.
ii. Ignition temperature of burning must be
lower than its melting temperature.
iii. The burnt slag must be of low viscosity.
iv. Its heat conductivity must be low.

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 Materials that are cut by Oxy-fuel plant.
Note: Flame cutting are applicable for Ferrous Metals only except
Stainless Steel and Cast Iron

For:
• Cast Iron – Because of higher carbon content when high pressure
oxygen is released, it changes to graphite.

• Aluminium- Because of high thermal conductivity, and presence of

oxide layer which has higher melting point than the base metal.

• Stainless Steel – This has chromium which is added in it therefore

oxidation will not take place.

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 Types Of Flame Cutting
i. Manual flame cutting / hand cutting.
ii. Semi-automatic flame cutting.
iii. Full-automatic flame cutting (CNC ).

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 Flame
Cutting(Cont…)

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 Nozzle of Flame Cutting

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