by Naddir M Patel
(Calgary, Alberta)
Submerged arc welding is considered one of the most economical and efficient methods of welding.
Yet, in the search for fine tuning this process, obvious solutions have been ignored at the expense of exotic and expensive welding heads and power sources.
I came across such an item a few years back.
I ran a Submerged Arc Welding flux manufacturing facility in Mumbai, India (Silico Products). Optimizing clients SAW operations was therefore part and parcel of the sales efforts.
One thing I noticed that, in-spite of the SAW process being the most efficient weld metal depositor, there was a tremendous time loss between processes. There were also defects of "burn-through" because welders were not proactively measuring the inter-pass temperatures.
The ideal Poke-Yoke (fool proofing) solution was therefore to somehow control the heat input to the parent metal.
India, having a very cost conscious business style, opting for twin wire, tandem wire or Power wave were not viable options simply from the capital cost point of view.
Re-training welders and/or re-qualifying weld procedures would also pump up the capital costs of the project. This high capital investment would still have limited versatility in a typical multi-tasking weld shop with circumferential welds changing from 6" to 42" diameters in various plate thicknesses.
A literature survey, however, indicated that increasing electrode extension would seem to be the ideal remedy for increasing production rates and decrease the heat input.
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