GAS WELDING PROCESS

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 History of Oxyacetylene Welding
• Early Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans used
alcohol or oil flame to fuse metals
• In nineteenth century various gases tested
– In 1847, Robert Hare fused platinum with
oxyhydrogen flame
– In 1880, production of oxygen and hydrogen
through electrolysis of water made distribution of
gases in cylinders under pressure
– Late 1800s experiments done with oxygen-coal gas
and air-hydrogen flames
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 Discoveries Leading to the
Oxyacetylene Process
• In 1836, Edmund Davey discovered acetylene gas
• In 1862, acetylene gas produced from calcium
carbide
• In 1895, Thomas L. Willson produced calcium
carbide commercially
• Used for residential lighting
• In 1895, LeChatelier discovered that combustion
of acetylene with oxygen produced flame hotter
than any other gas flame
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 Discoveries Leading to the
Oxyacetylene Process

• In 1900, Edmond Fouche invented high pressure

acetylene torch
• Later designed low pressure torch (worked on injector
principle)
• In 1906 Eugene Bourbonville brought first
welding torch to this country
• Process first used for maintenance and repair
• During World War I oxyacetylene welding
became production tool
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 Oxyacetylene Welding
• Definition:
– Join metal by heating surfaces to be joined to melting
point with gas flame
– Fusing metal into homogeneous mass
– Letting it solidify into a single unit
• Flame in cone reaches temperatures as high as
5800º to 6300ºF
• Filler rod may or may not be used to intermix with
molten pool
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 Oxyacetylene Process

• During first part of this century used as major

welding process both for fabrication and
construction, maintenance and repair
• Today use limited for industrial production
purposes
• Still used for brazing, soldering, welding metals
with low melting points; general maintenance and
repair work
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 Gases
• Oxyacetylene welding process uses two
principal gases
– Oxygen and acetylene
• Other gases can be used for cutting and heating
– Propane
– Natural gas

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 Oxygen

• Gaseous Chemical element in air

– Necessary for life
• Most abundant chemical element in crust of
Earth
• No color, odor, or taste
• Does not burn, but supports combustion
– Substances that do not burn in air will in
oxygen
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 INTRODUCTION
• Gas welding is a fusion welding process. It joins
metals, using the heat of combustion of an
oxygen/air and fuel gas (i.e acetylene, hydrogen,
propane or butane) mixture.
• The intense heat (flame) thus produced melts and
fuses together the edges of the parts to be welded,
generally with the addition of a filler metal.

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 Oxyacetylene Welding (OAW)

The oxyacetylene welding process uses a

combination of oxygen and acetylene gas to
provide a high temperature flame.

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 Oxyacetylene Welding (OAW)

• OAW is a manual process in which the welder

must personally control the the torch movement
and filler rod application
• The term oxyfuel gas welding outfit refers to all
the equipment needed to weld.
• Cylinders contain oxygen and acetylene gas at
extremely high pressure.

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 Fuel Gasses
 Propane
(LPG)
 Natural Gas
 Acetylene
 Hydrogen

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 Uses
 Traditionally oxy fuel equipment was used for:
 Brazing
 Fusion welding
 Flame hardening
 Metalizing
 Soldering
 Stress relieving
 Cutting
 Bending
 New technologies in the GMAW process has almost
eliminated the need for oxy fuel welding.
 Primary uses today are heating, brazing and cutting.

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OxyFuel system
 Before discussing how the system works, it is important to know the name of the
parts.

A. Oxygen safety disc

B. Oxygen cylinder valve
C. Oxygen cylinder pressure gauge
D. Oxygen working pressure
gauge
E. Oxygen regulator
F. Oxygen regulator adjusting
screw
G. Acetylene cylinder safety disc
H. Acetylene cylinder valve
I. Acetylene cylinder pressure
gauge

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 OxyFuel System--cont.
J. Acetylene working pressure
gauge
K. Acetylene regulator
L. Acetylene regulator adjusting
screw
M. Acetylene hose
N. Oxygen hose
O. Oxygen torch valve
P. Acetylene torch valve
Q. Torch
R. Welding tip
S. Acetylene cylinder
T. Oxygen cylinder

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 Oxygen Cylinder
• One piece, seamless construction.
• Each cylinder has unique serial number and number is
recorded in national registry.
• Scheduled inspection required.
• Must not be dropped.
• Should not be used as a roller.
• Never use any lubricates on threads or any part of the
cylinder.
• Three common sizes are 244, 150 & 80 cubic feet.
• The valve should never be left exposed. It must always have
the regulator attached or the cap on.

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Pressure Regulators

 Gas systems must have a

pressure regulator to reduce the
pressure from the high pressure
in the cylinder down to the
working pressure.

 Many different designs are used.

 They range from simple fixed

output, commonly used for gas
grills and camping stoves,

•to double stage regulators used for oxyfuel welding.

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 WELDING TORCH
• The oxy- acetylene welding torch is the
tool which gases are mixed in the desired
volume and burning of the mixture takes
place at the end of the tip.
• It consists of a handle with two inlet valve
for oxygen and acetylene gases at one
end.
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• Each inlet has a valve to control the
volume to the gases passing through.
• The mixing of the gases takes place at
the tip of the nozzle
• The Flame produced by igniting the
mixture with spark lighter

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Oxyfuel Torch
 The oxyfuel torch is the handle for holding and controlling the system.
 It the controls the flow rate of the gasses and delivers them to the
welding tip, or cutting attachment.

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Hoses and Connections
 Requires special nonporous hoses.
 Hoses are color coded.
 Green: oxygen
 Red or Black: fuel gas
 Connections
 Oxygen: right hand
 Acetylene: left hand
 Hoses should be protected from
hot metal and physical damage.

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Typical Oxyacetylene Welding (OAW) Station

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Oxy Acetylene Welding Principle of Operation

• When acetylene is mixed with oxygen in correct

proportions in the welding torch and ignited, the flame
resulting at the tip of the torch is sufficiently hot to melt
and join the parent metal.

• The oxyacetylene flame reaches a temperature of about

3200°C and thus can melt all commercial metals which,
during welding, actually flow together to form a
complete bond.

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Oxy Acetylene Welding Principle of Operation

• A filler metal rod is generally added to the

molten metal pool to build up the seam
slightly for greater strength. Oxyacetylene
welding does not require the components to be
forced together under pressure until the weld
forms and solidifies.

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 Oxy Hydrogen and Other Fuel Gas Welding

• Given below are the approximate flame temperatures of

oxygen and various fuel gas combinations.
Oxyacetylene 3200°C
Oxy hydrogen 2500°C
Oxy propane 2500°C

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Regulator Hoses
• Hoses are are fabricated from
rubber
• Oxygen hoses are green in
color and have right hand
thread.
• Acetylene hoses are red in
color with left hand thread.
• Left hand threads can be
identified by a grove in the
body of the nut and it may
have “ACET” stamped on it
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 Acetylene Gas
• Virtually all the acetylene distributed for welding and cutting
use is created by allowing calcium carbide (a man made product)
to react with water.
• The nice thing about the calcium carbide method of producing
acetylene is that it can be done on almost any scale desired.
Placed in tightly-sealed cans, calcium carbide keeps indefinitely.
For years, miners’ lamps produced acetylene by adding water, a
drop at a time, to lumps of carbide.

• Before acetylene in cylinders became available in almost every

community of appreciable size produced their own gas from
calcium carbide. 27
Oxygen and Acetylene Regulator Pressure Settings
• Regulator pressure may vary with different torch
styles and tip sizes.
• PSI (pounds per square inch) is sometimes shown as PSIG
(pounds per square inch -gauge)

• Common gauge settings for cutting

– 1/4” material Oxy 30-35psi Acet 3-9 psi
– 1/2” material Oxy 55-85psi Acet 6-12 psi
– 1” material Oxy 110-160psi Acet 7-15 psi
• Check the torch manufactures data for optimum
pressure settings
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Typical torch styles
• A small welding torch, with throttle valves
located at the front end of the handle. Ideally
suited to sheet metal welding. Can be fitted
with cutting

• attachment in place of the welding head

shown. Welding torches of this general design
are by far the most widely used. They will
handle any oxyacetylene welding job, can be
fitted with multiflame (Rosebud) heads for
heating applications, and accommodate
cutting attachments that will cut steel 6 in.
thick.

• A full-size oxygen cutting torch which has all

valves located in its rear body. Another style
of cutting torch, with oxygen valves located at
the front end of its handle.

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 Flame Settings
• There are three distinct types of oxy-acetylene
flames, usually termed:
– Neutral
– Carburizing (or “excess acetylene”)
– Oxidizing (or “excess oxygen” )
• The type of flame produced depends upon the
ratio of oxygen to acetylene in the gas mixture
which leaves the torch tip.

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 Flame definition
• The neutral flame is produced when the ratio of oxygen to
acetylene, in the mixture leaving the torch, is almost exactly one-
to-one. It’s termed ”neutral” because it will usually have no
chemical effect on the metal being welded. It will not oxidize the
weld metal; it will not cause an increase in the carbon content of
the weld metal.
• The excess acetylene flame as its name implies, is created when
the proportion of acetylene in the mixture is higher than that
required to produce the neutral flame. Used on steel, it will cause
an increase in the carbon content of the weld metal.
• The oxidizing flame results from burning a mixture which
contains more oxygen than required for a neutral flame. It will
oxidize or ”burn” some of the metal being welded.
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 •The Oxy-acetylene welding Flame
•Reducing or Carburizing Excess •Inner Cone
acetylene (0.9:1) (Alloy steels and
aluminium alloys)
•Max. Temp.
Zone

•Oxidizing Excess oxygen

(1.5:1) (Brasses, Bronzes, •Secondary
copper) Combustion envelope

•Neutral Equal acetylene &

oxygen (low carbon steel, mild •Acetylene
steels). feather
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•The Oxy-acetylene welding Flame

•Carburising •Neutral •Oxidising

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 •The Oxy-acetylene welding Flame

• The oxy-acetylene flame has two distinct zones.

•The inner zone (Primary combustion Zone) is the hottest part
of the flame. The welding should be performed so as the point
of the inner zone should be just above the joint edges.

•C2H2 + O2 2CO + H2

•Primary Combustion zone

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•The outer zone the secondary combustion
envelope performs two functions
• Preheats the joint edges
• Prevents oxidation by using some of the surrounding
oxygen from weld pool for combustion and gives off
carbon dioxide and water vapour

•CO + H2 + O2 CO2 + H2O

•Secondary Combustion zone

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 GAS WELDING TECHNIQUES

• Depending upon the way in which

welding rod and the welding torch may
be used, there are two usual techniques
in gas welding namely
1. Left ward technique
2. Right ward technique
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 1. LEFT WARD TECHNIQUE

• It is the most widely used oxy-acetylene

gas welding technique in which the
welding commences at the right hand
edge of the welding job and proceeds
towards the left. It is also called forward
or forehand technique.

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• It is the most widely used oxy-acetylene gas
welding technique in which the welding
commences at the right hand edge of the
welding job and proceeds towards the left. It
is also called forward or forehand technique.

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• In this process the torch is held in the
right hand at an angle of 60o to 70o and
welding rod in the left hand at an angle of
30o to 40o from the work piece.

APPLICATION:-This technique is used for the

welding of:
-Mild steel up to 5mm thick
-All metals both ferrous and non ferrous.
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 2. RIGHT WARD TECHNIQUE
• It differ from left ward welding in the
direction of movement of the torch. In
this system the torch moves from left to
right.
• The torch is held in the right hand at an
angle of 40o to 50o and the filler rod in
the left hand at an angle of 30o to 40o
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• APPLICATION:-
• This technique is used for the welding
of steel above 5mm thickness

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ADVANTAGES OF RIGHT WARD OVER LEFT WARD
TECHNIQUES

• The consumption of filler rod and fuel is less.

• It’s a quicker methods.
• The weld thus produced is stronger and tougher
• The expansion and contraction of material is lesser
• The molten pool is better visible, thus it gives a
better control on weld.

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GAS WELDING JOINTS

• Joints used in gas welding are

–Butt joint
–Lap joint
–T – joint
–Corner Joint

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• In the joint preparation it should be
ensured that the plates edge is free from
rust or oil. This prevent excessive fumes
and help to improve the appearance of
finished weld.

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