Welding Technology

B.Tech NASB 2nd year

UNIT- II

Lecture 6: Oxy-Fuel Gas Welding

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 Introduction
❑ Oxyfuel Gas Welding (OFW) is a manual welding process in which
the metal surfaces to be joined are melted progressively by heat from
a gas flame, with or without filler metal, and solidify without the
application of pressure to the parts being joined.

➢ Oxygen + Fuel Gas Oxy Fuel Gas Welding.

✓ Commonly used fuel gas for OFW are H2, CH4, C3H8(Propane), C2H2.

❖ Oxy Acetylene Welding (OAW) is one of the popular Oxyfuel Gas

Welding process in which acetylene is used as a gas to produce
flame.

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 Oxy Fuel Welding Setup
❑ The simplest and most frequently used OFW system consists of:
▪ Compressed gas cylinders
▪ Gas pressure regulators
▪ Hoses, and
▪ A welding torch

❑ The gas regulator attached to each cylinder, whether fuel gas or

oxygen, controls the pressure at which the gas flows to the welding
torch.
❑ Oxygen cylinder : Right hand threads , black colour, 120 kg/cm2
C2H2 cylinder : Left hand threads , maroon colour, 15 kg/cm2

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 Oxy Fuel Welding Setup (Cont.)
❑ Oxygen and fuel gases are
stored in separate cylinders.
❑ At the torch, the gas passes
through an inlet control valve,
through tubes within the
handle, and into the mixing
chamber of the welding nozzle
attached to the welding torch.

❑ The mixed gases then pass

through the welding tip and
produce the flame at the exit
end of the tip.
❑ Filler metal, when needed, is provided by a welding filler rod that is melted
progressively along with the surfaces to be joined.

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 Oxyacetylene Combustion
❑ Combustion takes place in two stages:
✓ The first stage: In the first stage the oxygen uses for combustion is
supplied from the oxygen cylinder. The reaction can be seen as the
small inner cone of the flame. The highest temperature is at the point
of this cone.
C2H2 + O2 → 2CO + H2 + heat .................................................(1)
✓ The second stage:
2CO + O2 → 2CO2 + heat.....................................(2)
H2 +1/2 O2 → H2O +heat
uses the oxygen supplied from the air surrounding the flame. This
combustion zone constitutes the outer envelope of the flame.

❖ Note: About two-fifths (1 unit) of the oxygen necessary for the complete
combustion of acetylene comes from the oxygen cylinder; the remainder
(1.5 units) comes from the air. 5
 Type of Oxy-Acetylene Flames
❑ The type of flame produced depends upon the ratio of oxygen to
acetylene in the gas mixture which leaves the torch tip.

❑ There are three distinct types of oxy-acetylene flames, usually termed:

i. Carburizing flame (Excess Acetylene flame)

ii. Neutral flame
iii. Oxidizing flame (Excess Oxygen flame)

Neutral flame :
• O2/C2H2 = 1 and inner cone length N= 10-15 cm
• Maximum temperature is 3300 ℃
• Inner cone : yellow red and Outer cone : light blue colour
• Used for ferrous and non- ferrous metals expect brass, Zn in brass evaporates

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 Type of Oxy-Acetylene Flames
Oxidizing flame :

• O2/C2H2 = 1.15 to 1.5 and inner cone length is N/3 to N/2

• Maximum temperature is 3380 ℃
• Lean mixture : supplies more oxygen hence more efficient burning
• Not used for joining of highly reactive metals like Al , Mn
• Used for high melting point materials
• Also used for joining brass : Zn and excess oxygen form ZnO which floats on
weld pool and prevent Zn evaporation further

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 Type of Oxy-Acetylene Flames
Carburizing flame:

• O2/C2H2 = 0.85 to 0.95 and inner cone length is 2N to 3N

• Maximum temperature is 3040 ℃ , Average Temperature is 1800-1900 ℃
• Rich mixture : supplies less oxygen – flame travels longer distance
• Not used for joining of high melting point materials
• Not used for ferrous material : un-burnt carbon cause brittleness and hardness
• Used for high carbon steels
Type of Oxy-Acetylene Flames

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 Classification of OFW Technique
❖ OFW Technique is classified in following two categories:

➢ Leftward or Forehand OFW Technique.

➢ Rightward or Backhand OFW Technique.

✓ Most OFW is done with the one-pass Leftward or forehand

technique, particularly on thinner materials.

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 Leftward or Forehand Technique
❑ The flame is focused towards non-welded portion
❑ Filler rod, when used, is directed towards the welded part of the joint.
❑ Since the flame is pointed in the direction of the welding, it preheat the edges of
the joint.
❑ Good control and neat appearance are characteristics of leftward method.
❑ It is usually used on relatively thin metals i.e., having thickness less than 5 mm.
 Rightward or Backhand Technique

❑ Flame is focused towards already welded portion .

❑ This is used on heavier or thicker (above 5 mm) base metals, because in this
technique the heat is concentrated into the metal.
 Filler rods
• It supplies additional molten metal to weld bead
• Due to joint preparation, gap between joints need additional metal
• When thickness is > 5 mm and some types of joints like U , V , J
filler rods are used
• Commonly used filler rods : low carbon steels, medium carbon steel
and brass

Characteristics:
• Density nearly equals to parent metal
• Melting point temperature equals to parent metal
• Readily mix with parent metal in liquid state
 Fluxes Requirement
• During welding filler rod is removed from welding zone and dipped
in a powder periodically called flux powder.
• Borax is most used flux during gas welding

Functions :
• To deoxidize the molten metal
• To absorb gases, present in weld zone
• To provide slag over weld bead for protecting the weld bead from
atmospheric contamination.

Characteristics:
• Should readily melt (MP less than parent metal)
• Should readily react with oxides
• Its specific gravity should be less than that of parent metal
 Applications of OFW
✓ It can be used for preheating, post heating, welding, braze welding,
and torch brazing, and it is readily converted into oxygen cutting.

✓ The process can be adapted to short production runs, field work and
repairs.

✓ Metals that can be oxy-fuel gas welded: Most ferrous and nonferrous
metals can be oxy fuel gas welded.

✓ Oxyfuel gas welding can be used to join thin carbon steel sheet and
carbon steel tube and pipe.

✓ Oxyfuel gas welding is frequently used for repairs and alterations

because the equipment is portable, welding can be done in all
positions, and acetylene and oxygen are readily available.
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 Advantages of OFW
❖ Advantages of OFW:
✓ The equipment is versatile, low-cost, self-sufficient, and usually
portable

✓ It includes the ability to control heat input, bridge large gaps, avoid
melt-through, and clearly view the weld pool.

✓ Carbon steel sheet, formed in a variety of shapes, can often be

welded more economically by OFW than by other processes.

✓ Oxyfuel gas welding is capable of joining small-diameter carbon

steel pipe (up to about 75 mm diameter) with resulting weld quality
equal to competitive processes and often with greater economy.

✓ Pipe with wall thickness up to 4.8 mm ( 3/16 in.) can be welded in a

single pass. 31
 Limitations of OFW
❖ Limitations:

✓ Metals unsuited to OFW are the refractory metals, such as niobium,

molybdenum, tungsten and tantalum.

✓ As well as the reactive metals, such as titanium and zirconium.

✓ The disadvantage in using oxy-fuel welding is that the heat input

may cause the crack to propagate through differential expansion in
the workpiece.

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