Abstract: Using hydrogen in the shielding gas during laser welding is counter-intuitive to standard formulation design practices which often strive to limit or eliminate hydrogen from the shielding gas for laser welding (or from the welding arc and weld pool for other welding methods). The present disclosure is directed to a laser welding technique that utilizes hydrogen in the shielding gas to limit the production of slag, oxides, or silicates during welding or additive manufacturing.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method for producing a tubular welding electrode comprising the steps of providing a strip of metal material having a length and first and second surfaces, wherein at least the first surface of the strip is at least substantially coated with nickel or a nickel alloy and then copper or a copper alloy, forming the strip into a “U” shape along the length, filling the “U” shape of the strip with a granular powder flux, and mechanically closing the “U” shape to form a sheath of nickel- and copper-coated metal material that substantially encases the granular powder flux, thus forming a tubular welding electrode. In certain embodiments, the metal material may be steel. In certain other embodiments, the metal material may be nickel or a nickel alloy, which may be at least substantially coated with copper or a copper alloy.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates generally to an improved design of a metal-cored welding wire electrode for use on a high deposition rate welding process that resistively preheats the wire prior to being subjected to the welding current. The preheat circuit reduces the welding current drawn by the electrode so that higher wire feed speeds, and thus higher deposition rates, may be obtained. The metal-cored welding wire includes both a higher fill rate (a greater percentage of the welding wire is the granular core) along with added sulfur and an added bead wetting agent. The bead wetting agent may be one or more of selenium, tellurium, arsenic, gallium, bismuth, and tin. The improved metal-cored welding wire leads to an enhanced weld deposit appearance that means the weld deposits are less likely to be rejected as unusable.

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to flux-cored welding electrodes designed to produce higher toughness steel alloy weld deposits, and to the higher toughness weld deposits themselves. The weld deposits may comprise less than 0.20 (or less than 0.15) weight percent silicon. The flux-cored welding electrodes comprise a flux core and a tubular steel strip. The flux core may comprise, by weight percent of the electrode, 0.25-0.30% zirconium, 0.12-0.18% aluminum, and 0-0.11% silicon. The metallic zirconium, aluminum, and silicon may be added to the flux core in the form of silicon-zirconium metal powder and aluminum-zirconium metal powder.

Abstract: Using hydrogen in the shielding gas during laser welding is counter-intuitive to standard formulation design practices which often strive to limit or eliminate hydrogen from the shielding gas for laser welding (or from the welding arc and weld pool for other welding methods). The present disclosure is directed to a laser welding technique that utilizes hydrogen in the shielding gas to limit the production of slag, oxides, or silicates during welding or additive manufacturing.

Abstract: Utilizing a hydrogen compound source as an arc stabilizer is counter-intuitive to standard formulation design practices which often strive to limit or eliminate hydrogen from the welding arc and weld pool. The present disclosure is directed to a tubular metal-cored welding electrode that comprises a metallic sheath disposed around a granular metal core in which the granular metal core comprises an alginate arc stabilizer (as a hydrogen compound source) configured to release hydrogen near a surface of a workpiece during welding. The tubular metal-cored welding electrode may further comprise primary de-oxidizers such as manganese and silicon. In certain embodiments, the amount of manganese in the tubular metal-cored welding electrode may be minimized or eliminated. The tubular metal-cored welding electrode may also comprise nickel or titanium.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method for producing a tubular welding electrode comprising the steps of providing a strip of metal material having a length and first and second surfaces, wherein at least the first surface of the strip is at least substantially coated with nickel or a nickel alloy and then copper or a copper alloy, forming the strip into a “U” shape along the length, filling the “U” shape of the strip with a granular powder flux, and mechanically closing the “U” shape to form a sheath of nickel- and copper-coated metal material that substantially encases the granular powder flux, thus forming a tubular welding electrode. In certain embodiments, the metal material may be steel. In certain other embodiments, the metal material may be nickel or a nickel alloy, which may be at least substantially coated with copper or a copper alloy.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method for producing a tubular welding electrode comprising the steps of providing a strip of copper-coated steel material having a length and first and second surfaces, wherein at least the first surface of the strip is at least substantially coated with a copper alloy, forming the strip into a “U” shape along the length, filling the “U” shape of the strip with a granular powder flux, and mechanically closing the “U” shape to form a sheath of copper-coated steel material that substantially encases the granular powder flux, thus forming a tubular welding electrode.

Abstract: The invention relates generally to welding and, more specifically, to welding wires for arc welding, such as Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) or Flux Core Arc Welding (FCAW). In one embodiment, a method of manufacturing a tubular welding wire includes disposing a core within a metallic sheath. Further, the core includes an organic stabilizer component, in which the organic stabilizer component is an alkali metal or alkali earth metal salt of an organic molecule or an organic polymer.

Abstract: The invention relates generally to welding and, more specifically, to welding wires for arc welding, such as Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) or Flux Core Arc Welding (FCAW). In one embodiment, a tubular welding wire includes a sheath and a core, and the core includes an organic stabilizer component. Further, the organic stabilizer component includes an organic sub-component configured to release hydrogen near a surface of a workpiece during welding, and includes a Group I metal, Group II metal, or a combination thereof.

Abstract: The invention relates generally to welding and, more specifically, to electrodes for arc welding, such as Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) or Flux Core Arc Welding (FCAW). In one embodiment, a tubular welding wire includes a sheath and a core. The core includes a carbon source and a potassium source that together comprise less than 10% of the core by weight. Furthermore, the carbon source is selected from the group: carbon black, lamp black, carbon nanotubes, and diamond.

Abstract: This disclosure relates generally to welding, and more specifically, to submerged arc welding (SAW). In an embodiment, a welding system includes a gas supply system configured to provide a gas flow. The system also includes a wire supply system configured to provide welding wire, and a flux supply system configured to provide flux near a welding arc during submerged arc welding (SAW). The system further includes a welding torch assembly configured to receive the gas flow and the welding wire and to deliver the gas flow and the welding wire near the welding arc during SAW.

Abstract: This disclosure relates generally to welding, and more specifically, to submerged arc welding (SAW). In an embodiment, a welding system includes a gas supply system configured to provide a fluorine-containing gas flow. The system also includes a wire supply system configured to provide welding wire, and a flux supply system configured to provide flux near a welding arc during submerged arc welding (SAW). The system further includes a welding torch assembly configured to receive the fluorine-containing gas flow and the welding wire and to deliver the fluorine-containing gas flow and the welding wire near the welding arc during the SAW.

Abstract: This disclosure relates generally to arc welding. In an embodiment, a welding system has a welding gas supply system configured to supply a gas flow including a shielding gas and a fluorine-containing gas to a weld pool. Furthermore, the shielding gas is configured to control an atmosphere surrounding the weld pool, the fluorine-containing gas is configured to reduce diffusible hydrogen in the weld pool, and the fluorine-containing gas is substantially free of sulfur.

Abstract: A welding operation is performed by moving or rotating an arc in a welding torch, and feeding a metal cored wire through the torch in a direct current, electrode negative welding process. The electrode may include one or more arc stabilizers. The welding process may be pulsed or non-pulsed. Moreover, the process may be used with a number of different base metals intended to be welded, such as thin plate, galvanized metals, painted metals, coated metals, and so forth.

Abstract: The invention relates generally to welding and, more specifically, to welding wires for arc welding, such as Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) or Flux Core Arc Welding (FCAW). In one embodiment, a tubular welding wire includes a sheath and a core, in which the sheath includes less than approximately 0.06% carbon by weight. The core includes a carbon source and a potassium source that together comprise less than 10% of the core by weight.

Abstract: Provided is a welding method and electrodes (wires) with aluminum as a primary deoxidizer and a basic flux system for joining a workpieces with weld metal of comparable strengths and enhanced toughness. For instance, provided is a welding wire, comprising an aluminum content configured to act as a primary deoxidizer, and an overall composition configured to produce a weld deposit comprising a basic slag over a weld bead, wherein the aluminum content is configured to kill the oxygen in the weld pool, and wherein the oxygen comprises oxygen provided by a shielding gas or produced by heating of welding filler materials. Further provided is a welding method comprising arc welding a workpiece using an electrode having aluminum as a primary deoxidizer under a gas shield to produce a bead of weld deposit and a basic slag over the weld bead.

Abstract: The invention relates generally to welding and, more specifically, to welding wires for arc welding, such as Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) or Flux Core Arc Welding (FCAW). In one embodiment, a method of manufacturing a tubular welding wire includes disposing a core within a metallic sheath. Further, the core includes an organic stabilizer component, in which the organic stabilizer component is an alkali metal or alkali earth metal salt of an organic molecule or an organic polymer.

Abstract: The invention relates generally to welding and, more specifically, to welding wires for arc welding, such as Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) or Flux Core Arc Welding (FCAW). In one embodiment, a tubular welding wire includes a sheath and a core, and the core includes an organic stabilizer component.

Abstract: The invention relates generally to welding and, more specifically, to welding wires for arc welding, such as Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) or Flux Core Arc Welding (FCAW). In one embodiment, a tubular welding wire includes a sheath and a core, in which the sheath includes less than approximately 0.06% carbon by weight. The core includes a carbon source and a potassium source that together comprise less than 10% of the core by weight.