Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) Welding or Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) welding is reputed for its accuracy and quality of the joining. Nevertheless, when performing this kind of welding, it is not entirely immune to the difficulties faced by conventional welders. Increased awareness of these issues and possible remediation procedures can positively affect welding. Below is a list of common problems that a TIG welder may face and ways to address these issues:
Contamination
Problem:
This is the inability to achieve a perfect mixture between the parent metal and the filler material due to interferences from foreign particles like dirt, oil, or other metals, resulting in defects and less effective welds.
Solution:
- Material Preparation: Production welding should always be done on a clean base metal, so remember to wash the surface before welding. Treatment involves using a stainless steel wire brush or solutions to clean the surfaces of the items.
- Clean Environment: Ensure workplace conditions are maintained to minimize interference of particles that harm the weld quality.
- Electrode Handling: Avoid contact with the exposed end of the tungsten electrode with bare hands or any metal objects. Doing so will minimize contaminant exposure and reduce the risk of errors or complications.
Arc Stability
Problem:
Vibration in the welding arc may also cause poor weld quality due to variations in the arc’s size, shape, and crack formation, leading to porosity and lack of fusion defects.
Solution:
- Electrode Preparation: Afterwards, a special grinding wheel should be used to ground the cut face of the tungsten electrode well to a round or chisel shape. This helps to give a stable arc and increase control with the bevel gears.
- Correct Settings: Several factors should be observed, including the welding current, voltage, and flow rate of the shielding gas, which are appropriate to the type and thickness of the metal to be welded.
- Consistent Gas Flow: Employ the suitable shielding gas (typically argon) and maintain optimal flow rate to shield the weld area against access by atmospheric products.
Heat Control
Problem:
High temperatures can distort the image, cause unpleasant deformations on the material, and burn through, mainly if the layered material is thin.
Solution:
- Amperage Adjustment: Select a low amperage for thin materials to prevent the welding machine from melting them. Use a foot pedal or finger control to control the amperage while welding to make gradual changes.
- Pulse Welding: Reduce heat input by controlling the pulse function in your TIG welding machine. Pulsing enables the current to be applied at a high rate and then have low current rates, thereby minimizing the heat transferred to the workpiece.
- Heat Sinks: Heat sinks or backing bars should also be incorporated where heat could come in large quantities to avoid deformation.
Tungsten Inclusion
Problem:
Flake—This is a condition in which particles of the tungsten electrode are chipped off and lodged in the weld seam, leading to imperfections.
Solution:
- Electrode Quality: They should always use good-quality tungsten electrodes that do not crack or chip, as this will affect their performance.
- Proper Technique: Do not immerse the electrode directly into the weld pool. After completing one line, ensure that the hand does not waver and that the arc length is consistent to minimize inclusions.
- Inspection and Maintenance: To ensure quality welds, it is advised to frequently check the electrodes and replace those that are rusty or damaged.
Tungsten Inert Gas welding is the technique, although it is efficient in creating high-quality, accurate welding, which entails several complications the welder is bound to encounter. To check contamination, arc stability, or heat control, including tungsten, porosity, and cracking, welders may opt for the following: As a welder, you can acquire standard quality work with products from Micro Weld. These techniques help one achieve strong and visually appealing quality welds, thus making TIG welding a valuable skill in numerous industries.
