GAS-TUNGSTEN ARC WELDING (GTAW), also known as HeliArc and tungsten inert gas (TIG). Tungsten Inert Gas welding (TIG) is the old name for TIG welding process was developed in the late 1930s when a need to weld magnesium became apparent. The process now known as gas tungsten arc welding GTAW and the new name became popular in the technical books.
The TIG Welding or GTAW process can be used to weld almost all metals and metal alloys in use today. It is a particularly effective and economic way for welding light gague metals (under 3mm thickness) and for welding metals difficult to weld with the conventional welding process. Such metals include the following:
TIG WELDING PRINCIPLE
In the Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) metals are fused together by heating them by an electric arc established between a non-consumable (does not melt) tungsten electrode and the work piece. A filler metal may not be used depending on the design of the joint. The molten metal, tungsten electrode and the welding zone are shielded from the atmosphere (the air around it ) by a stream of inert gas through the welding torch. The resulting welds have the same chemical integrity as the original base metal.
GTAW TIG Welding can be done in any welding position and in manual, semiautomatic and automatic modes; the method used depend on the available equipment and the application.
The melting temperature necessary to weld materials in the Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) process is obtained by maintaining an arc between a tungsten alloy electrode and the work piece . Weld pool temperatures can approach 2500 °C (4530 °F). An inert gas sustains the arc and protects the molten metal from atmospheric contamination. The inert gas is normally argon, helium, or a mixture of helium and argon
APPLICATIONSThe TIG Welding or GTAW process can be used to weld almost all metals and metal alloys in use today. It is a particularly effective and economic way for welding light gague metals (under 3mm thickness) and for welding metals difficult to weld with the conventional welding process. Such metals include the following:
- Aluminum and aluminum alloys
- Copper and copper alloys
- Nickel and nickel alloys
- Magnesium and magnesium alloys
- Low alloy steel and carbon steels Reactive materials (for example, titanium and tantalum) Joining carbon and alloy steels
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