THE UNIVERSITY OF ZAMBIA
SCHOOL OF ENGNEERING
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING
AEN 4112: MACHINE DESIGN
LAB 1
INTRODUCTION TO WELDING
GROUP 1 MEMBERS
1. BRIGHT MUMBA - 2016132678
2. JOHN LWEENDO MICHELO - 2016133911
3. MAJOR BWALYA - 2016134944
4. JOSEPH PHIRI - 14111454
5. MWANSA MULENGA - 14028085
6. PETERS MWANDIRA - 15028062
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1.0 OBJECTIVES
The objectives of this laboratory session were to:
• To be familiarize ourselves with the working principle of the welding machine.
• To evaluate the performance of the welding machine.
• To join two pieces of metal using arc welding.
2.0 THEORY
Arc welding is a welding process that is used to join metal to metal by using electricity to create
enough heat to melt metal, and the melted metals when cool result in a binding of the metals. It is
a type of welding that uses a welding power supply to create an electric arc between a metal stick
("electrode") and the base material to melt the metals at the point of contact. Arc welders can use
either direct (DC) or alternating (AC) current, and consumable or non-consumable electrodes.
Welding is extensively used in fabrication as an alternative method for casting or forging and as a
replacement for bolted and riveted joints. It is also used as a repair medium e.g. to reunite metal at
a crack, to build up a small part that has broken off such as gear tooth or to repair a worn surface
such as a bearing surface. In contrast, Soldering and Brazing do not involve melting the work piece
but rather a lower-melting-point material is melted between the work pieces to bond them together.
2.1 WELDING TYPES:
The number of different welding processes has grown in recent years. These processes differ greatly in the
manner in which heat and pressure (when used) are applied, and in the type of equipment used. There are
currently over 50 different types of welding processes; we’ll focus on 3 examples of electric arc welding,
which is the most common form of welding. The most popular processes are shielded metal arc welding
(SMAW), gas metal arc welding (GMAW) and gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW). All of these methods
employ an electric power supply to create an arc which melts the base metal(s) to form a molten pool. The
filler wire is then either added automatically (GMAW) or manually (SMAW & GTAW) and the molten
pool is allowed to cool. Finally, all of these methods use some type of flux or gas to create an inert
environment in which the molten pool can solidify without oxidizing.
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SHIELDED METAL ARC WELDING (SMAW)
Shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) is the simplest, least expensive, and mostly widely used arc
welding process. It is often referred to as ‘stick welding’ or manual metal arc welding. This process
produces coalescence of metals by heating them with an arc between a covered metal electrode
and the base metal work piece. Shielding is provided by decomposition of the electrode covering.
The main function of the shielding is to protect the arc and the hot metal from chemical reaction
with constituents of the atmosphere. The electrode covering contains fluxing agents, scavengers,
and slag formers. Pressure is not used in the process, and the filler metal is obtained from the
electrode. All ferrous metals can be welded in all positions using SMAW.
Some of the biggest drawbacks to SMAW are;
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• that it produces a lot of smoke & sparks.
• there is a lot of post-weld cleanup needed if the welded areas are to look presentable.
• it is a fairly slow welding process and
• it requires a lot of operator skill to produce consistent quality welds.
GAS METAL ARC WELDING (GMAW)
Gas metal arc welding (GMAW) is a welding process where the heat is generated by an electric
arc incorporating a continuous-feed consumable electrode that is shielded by an externally
supplied gas.
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GMAW is extremely fast and economical. This process is easily used for welding on thin-gauge metal as
well as on heavy plate. It is most commonly performed on steel (and its alloys), aluminum and
magnesium, but can be used with other metals as well. The high welding rate and reduced post-weld
cleanup are making GMAW the fastest growing welding process.
NB; GMAW is mostly applied in car chasis parts, where it is important to secure the strength and rigidity
of the joint.
GAS TUNGSTEN ARC WELDING (GTAW)
In the GTAW process, an arc is established between a tungsten electrode and the base metal(s).
Under the correct conditions, the electrode does not melt, although the work does at the point
where the arc contacts and produces a weld pool. The filler metal is thin wire that’s fed manually
into the pool where it melts. Since tungsten is sensitive to oxygen in the air, good shielding with
oxygen-free gas is required. The same inert gas provides a stable, inert environment to protect the
weld pool as it solidifies.
Consequently, GTAW is commonly known as TIG (tungsten inert gas) welding. Because fluxes
are not used (like SMAW), the welds produced are sound, free of contaminants and slags, and as
corrosion-resistant as the parent metal. Tungsten’s extremely high melting temperature and good
electrical conductivity make it the best choice for a non-consumable electrode. The arc
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temperature is typically around 11,000° F. Typical shielding gasses are Ar, He, N, or a mixture of
the two. As with GMAW, the filler material usually is the same composition as the base metal.
GTAW is easily performed on a variety of materials, from steel and its alloys to aluminum,
magnesium, copper, brass, nickel, titanium, etc. Virtually any metal that is conductive lends itself
to being welded using GTAW. Its clean, high-quality welds often require little or no post-weld
finishing. This method produces the finest, strongest welds out of all the welding processes.
However, it’s also one of the slower methods of arc welding.
General guidelines for selecting one process over another
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3.0 APPARATUS
•Leather apron
•Welding gloves
•Arc welding shield/helmet
•Safety goggles
•Pair of pliers
•Welding machine
•Welding rods
•Steel work pieces
•Angle grinder
•Wire brush
•Slag hammer.
4.0 PROCEDURE
First the welding machine was examined and it was made sure that;
(i) the electrode holder and the cables were free from defects and that they were tightly
connected,
(ii) the welding unit was properly grounded to avoid overheating.
(iii) It was ensured that all equipment was in good condition: the fire extinguisher was available
and charged.
(iv) It was also ensured that the workshop had adequate ventilation and lighting. The voltage
regulator was set to the manufacturer specification.
(v) The ground clump was connected to the metal on the working table.
(vi) The metal pieces were cleaned with a metal brash after which the welding rod was
connected to the stick holder.
(vii) A demonstration was done by the technician and then the students each took turns in
making a few strikes and a line on their work pieces. Then, keeping in mind the direction
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of travel, the speed, the arc height and the angle of strike, two pieces of metal were joined
together in the horizontal position using arc welding.
(viii) Finally, after the work piece had cooled, the slag was chipped off using a slag hammer
and smoothened using a metal.
5.0 RESULTS
After the joints were made, the following picture was taken .
6.0 DISCUSSION
The laboratory session was conducted successively. The finished work pieces were seen to be
inconsistent and unprofessionally done due to the lack of experience of the students. From this
laboratory session it was observed that welding is an art and requires a lot of practice and training
for it to be successfully and neatly done. Welding is a very important skill due to the demands that
come with the job, any inconsistency may result in weak points on the welded material and this
may cause the material to easily fail. Knowledge on welding safety, clothing and safe welding
practice was also gained. Welding involves high temperatures, hot objects and sparks fly around
so it is important to have on a leather apron, heat resistant safety footwear, welding helmet and
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welding gloves whenever one is welding. Tight connections and proper wiring (earthed) must
always be in place when welding.
There were challenges in striking the arc on the work piece because of the need for the students to
protect their eyes from the bright welding arc. The safe handling of the hot weld-finish when
hammering the slug and brushing it off increased the duration of the lab, and meant the student
had to wait long periods to get their turn at welding. The grinder was present but was not used.
7.0 CONCLUSION
A welding machine is used in welding to provide power that is used to create and maintain an
electric arc between an electrode and the work piece to melt metals at the welding point. As the
electrode melts, the (flux) coating disintegrates, giving off shielding gases that protect the weld
area from atmospheric gases and provides molten slag which covers the filler metal as it travels
from the electrode to the weld pool. When the voltage is increased on the machine, the current is
reduced.
Arc welding is used to connect two pieces of metal together into different types of joints.
REFERRENCES
1. Budynas R.G., Nisbett J.K., (2006), Mechanical Engineering Design, Eighth Edition;
The McGraw−Hill Companies, Inc
2. Khurmi R.S., Gupta J.K., (2005), A Text Book of Machine Design, New Delhi;
Eurasia Publishing House (Pvt.) Ltd.
3. The University of Zambia dept. of Agricultural Engineering laboratory manual
handout, 2020
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