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Up Topic Welding Industry / Technical Discussions / high altitude welding
- - By JKEVIN311 Date 04-01-2011 15:29
I was wondering if anyone had some input on welding in high altitudes, i'am seeing mostly single rounded indications of porosity, i have changed out argon and new rods, i have also made sure the pre-heat is being performed as specified. process is gtaw all carbon steel , material has been pmi'd, any suggestions would be appreciated, thanks
Parent - - By Skaggydog (**) Date 04-01-2011 16:43
Atmospheric presser and low oxygen will affect the welds in that way.  For FCAW Lincoln Electric's Innershield® NR-207+ was developed because of this.
Parent - - By JKEVIN311 Date 04-01-2011 16:48
Thanks, i read over that study briefly, i just cant find anything dealing with gtaw, i'm wondering if a different argon mixture will help.
Parent - - By jwright650 (*****) Date 04-01-2011 17:21
just a guess
maybe your flow meter is acting differently?...the gas pressures will vary depending on altitude.
Parent - - By JKEVIN311 Date 04-01-2011 17:57
had not thought of that , i will check it out , i know it's some sort of common variable because three companys here having same problem .
Parent - - By TimGary (****) Date 04-01-2011 18:01
Just Curious...
How high of an altitude?
Parent - By welderbrent (*****) Date 04-01-2011 18:25 Edited 04-01-2011 18:28
Tim and I are thinking along the same lines... Wondering what "high altitude welding" means in your case???

Also,

WELCOME TO THE AWS WELDING FORUM!!  Glad to have you aboard.  Hope you enjoy and get your problem resolved.

Next, what type of flow are you set at?  Is this outside or inside?  Could there be any wind at all to consider?  What electrodes are you using?  You said it is carbon steel, are you using ER70S-2??  And which tungsten?  How about your joint design...butt, tee, lap, corner??

I know, questions, questions, questions. 

Have a Great Day,  Brent
Parent - - By JKEVIN311 Date 04-01-2011 18:38
LITTLE OVER 6300 FEET
Parent - - By JKEVIN311 Date 04-01-2011 18:42
ER-70-S-2     AND MOSTLY INSIDE RIGHT NOW PRE-FAB NO WIND IN THE SHOP OF ANY CONCERN  BUTT WELDS ON PIPE NO HEAVY WALL JUST 3 THRU 12 INCH STANDARD AND SOME 2 INCH 80 GREEN LABLE 100 % TUNGSTEN
Parent - - By JKEVIN311 Date 04-01-2011 18:50
AND THANKS FOR THE WARM WELCOME , SORRY I DIDNT SAY SO FIRST REALLY BOWED UP TODAY
Parent - - By 803056 (*****) Date 04-01-2011 19:58
Switch to EWTh-2 (red stripe).

Verify you have the correct filler rod, i.e., do not use RG-45, RG-60, etc. Check the filler metal container. If the filler metal was repackaged, they could have made a mistake. If the filler metal checks out OK, consider using a more highly deoxidized filler metal, i.e., ER70S-6.

Check flow rate, too high a flow rate will cause turbulence thereby drawing air into the weld pool. Higher altitude, lower partial pressures means you may need to reduce the flow or use a gas lens to prevent turbulence.

Best regards - Al
Parent - By JKEVIN311 Date 04-01-2011 21:10
THANKS I WILL , I APPRECIATE UR HELP AND I WILL LET YA KNOW HOW IT WORKS OUT, BY THE WAY THE TUNGSTEN CHANGE HOW DOES THAT AFFECT IT ? DONT MEAN TO SOUND STUPID JUST DONT KNOW THE TECHNICAL REASON.
Parent - - By welderbrent (*****) Date 04-01-2011 19:54 Edited 04-01-2011 19:56
Your WELCOME for the WELCOME!! :lol:

First, 6300 ft isn't high to me.  Not that it won't effect things.  I live at 5000 and work up to 10,000 regularly.  Those elevations will alter things for sure but not enough from my experience to cause problems.

Second, make sure your joint prep is good and clean inside and out.  You could be pulling contaminants from inside the pipe. 

If your flow is a little too high, above 25 scfm, at that elevation and coming through some cooler temps currently, you could be frosting up the regulator and hindering gas flow.  Also make sure there are no kinks in the gas supply line.  I generally run at about 15 scfm.  Too much can actually cause it to move on out of your weld area too fast.  Are you using one of the gas lenses?  They will help with gas distribution.

Wrong tungsten, may be a consideration.  Pure tungsten works for Alum and other non ferrous materials.  Try one of the others...Ceriated or 2% Lanthianated.  Hopefully others will help out here.  I'm still using up my 2% Thoriated which works well on Carbon Steel but has health and other draw backs compared with the newer electrodes.

Have a Great Day,  Brent
Parent - - By JKEVIN311 Date 04-01-2011 21:14
PRETTY HIGH TO ME I'M FROM SOUTH ALABAMA LOL
Parent - - By welderbrent (*****) Date 04-01-2011 23:30
So you went from practically BELOW sea level to 6300 ft above sea level.  :lol:

Quite a change for sure.  And it will effect the shielding pressures you would run.

Don't know the technical reasons for the differences in tungsten except to say that the 'green' (pure tungsten) definitely works best on Alum while the red, orange, brown, etc work better for you carbon steel.  The way the arc performs could be enough of a difference to give you occassional discontinuities.

I see Al and I posted similar material at about the same time on flow rates and tungsten. 

Have a Great Day,  Brent
Parent - By Tommyjoking (****) Date 04-02-2011 01:40
ummmm   ok I got a box of that
Up Topic Welding Industry / Technical Discussions / high altitude welding

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