Tungsten Inert Gas Welding

(TIG)
 What is welding?
A fabrication process that joins materials, usually metals,
permanently through localized coalescence to become one.

Coalescence of materials is achieved by

heating them to suitable temperatures with
or without the application of pressure

by the application of pressure alone, and

with or without the use of filler material.

Two Categories of Welding Processes
Fusion welding - Joining is accomplished by
melting the two parts to be joined, in some
cases adding filler metal to the joint
Examples: arc welding, resistance spot welding,
oxyfuel gas welding
Solid state welding - heat and/or pressure
are used to achieve Joining, but no melting
of base metals occurs and no filler metal is
added
Examples: forge welding, diffusion welding,
friction welding

2007 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. M P Groover, Fundamentals of

Modern Manufacturing 3/e
Arc Shielding
At high temperatures in AW, metals are
chemically reactive to oxygen, nitrogen, and
hydrogen in air
Mechanical properties of joint can be seriously
degraded by these reactions
To protect operation, arc must be shielded from
surrounding air in AW processes

Arc shielding is accomplished by:

Shielding gases, e.g., argon, helium, CO2
Flux
Introduction
What is TIG?
Tungsten Inert Gas
Also referred to as GTAW
Gas Shielded Tungsten Welding
In TIG welding, a tungsten electrode heats the
metal you are welding and gas (most typically
Argon) protects the weld from airborne
contaminants.

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Introduction
Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW)also known as Tungsten Inert Gas
welding (TIG) is an electric arc welding process that produces an arc
between a non-consumable electrode (tungsten which does not melt
due to its high melting point) and the work piece to be welded.
The weld is shielded from the atmosphere by a shielding gas that
forms an envelope around the weld area. However, a filler metal is
usually used in the process.
TIG set-up
Below is a simple diagram illustrating the set-up
of TIG process...
 Equipment's use in TIG

Gas supply (cylinder)

Electrical power source (AC/DC)
Electrode holder, torch or gun
Connection cables
Hose (for gas supply)
Tungsten electrode
Coolant
Filler rods
Working principle
An arc is established between the end of a tungsten electrode and
the parent metal at the joint line. The electrode is not melted and the
welder keeps the arc gap constant. The current is controlled by the
power-supply unit.
A filler metal can be added to the leading edge of the pool as
required. The molten pool is shielded by an inert gas which replaces
the air in the arc area.
Argon and helium are the most commonly used shielding gases.
Advantages
Welds more metals and metal
alloys than any other process
High quality and precision
Pin point control
Aesthetic weld beads
No sparks or spatter
No flux or slag
No smoke

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Disadvantages
Lower filler metal deposition rates
Good hand-eye coordination a required
skill
Brighter UV rays than other processes
Slower travel speeds than other
processes
Equipment costs tend to be higher than
other processes

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 Applications:
TIG is most commonly used to weld thin sections
of stainless steel and non-ferrous metals such
as aluminum, magnesium, and copper alloys.
The aerospace industry is one of the primary users
of gas tungsten arc welding,
It is also frequently employed to weld small-
diameter, thin-wall tubing such as those used in the
bicycle industry.
TIG is often used in piping of various sizes.
 TIG in aerospace industry:
Aerospace industry uses lite
metals (Aluminum and its alloy)
thin sheet and need high
quality welding. So TIG is more
suitable for it.

Fig : Fuel pipes A320 AIRBUS

 Bicycle industry:

In Bicycle industry, TIG is

frequently employed to weld
small-diameter and thin-wall
tubing welding.

Fig : TIG in Bicycle industry