Use of Metal Powder Additions for One-Pass and Two-Pass Double-Sided Submerged-Arc Welding of Steel Plate

TWI Industrial Member Report Summary 299/1986

By K W Middleton

Background

Metal powder additions during the SAW of 12.5, 25 and 30mm thick steel plate have been investigated in order to demonstrate the potential economic and technical benefits of this technique. Selected process parameters have been considered and optimised with respect to the weld integrity, weld geometry and joint completion rate. The process parameters examined include powder addition rate, backing system type, electrode wire diameter, joint preparation angle and root gap dimension. Additionally, the effects of metal powder additions and the backing system type on the thermal cycle of comparable welds made with the same nominal arc energy have been determined.