System and method of reducing diffusible hydrogen in weld metal
AssigneeIllinois Tool Works Inc.
InventorsSteven Barhorst, Mario Amata, Joseph C. Bundy
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
This disclosure relates generally to arc welding. In an embodiment, a welding system has a welding gas supply system configured to supply a gas flow including a shielding gas and a fluorine-containing gas to a weld pool. Furthermore, the shielding gas is configured to control an atmosphere surrounding the weld pool, the fluorine-containing gas is configured to reduce diffusible hydrogen in the weld pool, and the fluorine-containing gas is substantially free of sulfur.
Claims33
A welding gas mixture delivered to an arc welding system during an arc welding operation, wherein the welding gas mixture comprises:
- a shielding gas that provides an atmosphere surrounding a weld pool formed by the arc welding system during the arc welding operation;
- and
- a carbon-based fluorine-containing gas that reduces diffusible hydrogen in the weld pool, wherein the welding gas mixture comprises approximately 0.1 to approximately 10 percent by volume of the carbon-based fluorine-containing gas, and wherein the carbon-based fluorine-containing gas is substantially free of sulfur-containing gases.
A method of performing an arc welding operation, comprising:
- controlling a first gas flow of a fluorine-containing gas to an arc welding torch to reduce diffusible hydrogen in a weld pool formed during the arc welding operation, wherein the fluorine-containing gas is a carbon-based fluorine-containing gas;
- and
- controlling a second gas flow of a shielding gas to the arc welding torch to control an atmosphere surrounding the weld pool during the arc welding operation.
An arc welding system, comprising:
- an arc welding torch that forms a weld pool during an arc welding operation;
- an arc welding gas supply system that supplies a shielding gas flow and a fluorine-containing gas flow to the arc welding torch during the arc welding operation, wherein the shielding gas provides an atmosphere surrounding the weld pool, wherein the fluorine-containing gas reduces diffusible hydrogen in the weld pool, wherein the shielding gas flow is approximately ten times greater than the fluorine-containing gas flow, and wherein the fluorine-containing gas is substantially free of sulfur-containing gases.
A method of performing an arc welding operation, comprising:
- receiving a shielding gas at a gas premixer of an arc welding system;
- receiving a fluorine-containing gas at the gas premixer, wherein the fluorine-containing gas is substantially free of sulfur-containing gases;
- and
- mixing the shielding gas and the fluorine-containing gas using the gas premixer to generate a welding gas mixture;
- and
- delivering the welding gas mixture to a weld pool from an arc welding torch during the arc welding operation, wherein the delivered welding gas mixture comprises less than approximately 10 percent by volume fluorine-containing gas.
A gas cylinder that is coupled to an arc welding system and that contains a welding gas mixture comprising:
- a shielding gas configured to provide an atmosphere surrounding a weld pool formed by the arc welding system during an arc welding operation;
- and
- a fluorine-containing gas configured to reduce diffusible hydrogen in the weld pool, wherein the fluorine-containing gas is a carbon-based fluorine-containing gas that is substantially free of sulfur-containing gases.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.