Tig welding university formula 1 car

By ramcharger84 Date 08-31-2006 01:57

I am part of a university formula 1 racing program. I am new to this program but the program is not new. The program is roughly 10 years old and races a wide variety of universitys from Michigan State to MIT. The car run a 600cc engine, everything is hand fabricated from the shocks to the carbon fiber panels. The only things that are bought are the engine, rims and tires. The car is going to weigh about 400 pounds plus the driver. My question is what should the setting be for the tig welder, hears what I know.
-It is a Lincoln Electric Square Wave TIG 175
-I believe its straight argon in the tank
-The tubing to be welded is 4130

My questions are as follows:
- They are currently using a straight "neck" torch, should a angled "neck" help in the welding?
- What type of filler rod should be used, a.k.a diameter and composite?
-What should the setting be for the welder be?
- What should the gas setting be?
- What size cup?

Thanks for whatever knowledge anyone has to offer! I appreciate it!

By rockinrobert Date 10-06-2006 01:44

ramcharger84, I am a chassis builder for McKinneyCorp ( www.mckinneycorp.com ) and will give you a few suggestions to start out with in your endeavour.
1. I would think the angled neck torch will work much better
2. For filler we use ER80S , it works great for 8000hp Fuel dragsters, it will be perfect for you ;-) .045 or .062 ( 1/16") should be fine for your application.
3. If I knew what tubing diameter and wall thickness you were using, it would help alot. Start out around 80 amps and adjust from there, less for thin wall ( .049 and thinner ) more for thicker ( .058 on up ).
4. the argon setting should be between 18-22 cfh no more than that.
5. I would suggest using a "gas saver" collet and a number 5 or 6 cup. If you use a standard collet setup, I would still use a # 5 or 6 cup.

By Greg G. (**)

Date 07-08-2007 14:31

Also make sure that you use a 2% tungsten. When setting the CFH, the top of the ball is to be at the line on the scale. Then you will have the correct setting you are trying to reach. Make sure you do not dip your tungsten into the weld puddle and get it contaminated and then try to keep welding with it. I have known to many people that did not know that it needs to be redressed and then put back in the torch.
Yes an angle head will work much better. They also have a torch now that has a swivel head on it. This will allow you to set the head at any angle you like and then tighten it back down. You are probably going to need a WP-20 torch. This is a much easier torch to handle and much more comfortable to work with. Use bare wire if you can get it. This will leave less contaminates in the weld. The coated wire will work but the bare wire is better. Don't make the mistake of setting your CFH to high. I use a setting of between 10 to 15 for steel. Also make sure your post flow is set correctly. If it is set for to long then you are wasting you argon and if it is set for to short a time then your tungsten will be dark looking and be come contaminated. It should look shinny and silver when the post flow shuts off. Use a #5 or #6 cup. You can also use a gas lenses in your torch. This will help to conserve gas and also create a more even flow of the gas verses a regular collet body. This will turbulence in the flow of gas. What I am talking about can not be seen with the naked eye but believe me it helps. The integrity of the weld will be better. This are some good tips to start with. I hope the wall of your tubing is not to thick as I am sure you know this will increase the weight of the car.