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 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: 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 is directed to a tubular welding electrode with a sheath encapsulating a flux core, where the sheath comprises a number of added pores. The added pores may provide escape paths for the outgassing of moisture and hydrocarbons from the flux core when the tubular welding electrode is baked. In addition, the added pores may be used to hold a liquid, such as a lubricant. The added pores may be introduced using a process such as laser drilling or chemical etching, and may be added to a strip of sheath material prior to forming the strip into a tubular welding electrode.

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: A microporous tubular welding electrode having a length and a circumference may comprise a granular flux fill core extending substantially along the length of the electrode and a sheath extending substantially along the length of the electrode and substantially surrounding and substantially encasing the granular flux fill core. The sheath may comprise a plurality of pores distributed around the circumference and along the length of the microporous tubular welding electrode. The microporous tubular welding electrode may be formed by first creating a plurality of pores in a strip of material (such as a steel or aluminum alloy) using a process such as laser drilling or chemical etching. Second, the strip may be formed into a tubular welding wire electrode containing a core of a granular powder flux material.

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: Systems, methods, and apparatus to preheat welding wire for low hydrogen welding are disclosed. An example apparatus to reduce hydrogen associated with a consumable welding electrode includes: a welding-type power source configured to provide welding-type current to a welding-type circuit, the welding-type circuit comprising a welding-type electrode and a first contact tip of a welding torch; an electrode preheating circuit configured to provide preheating current through a first portion of the welding-type electrode between a wire feeder supplying the welding-type electrode and at least one of the first contact tip or a second contact tip of the welding torch.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and apparatus to heat welding wire for low hydrogen welding are disclosed. An example method includes drawing a supply material through a die to form a wire; and applying electrical current to a portion of the wire to reduce a hydrogen content of the wire.