Submerged arc welding, in which a wire electrode arcs beneath a layer of granular flux that melts to shield and refine the weld, so no arc light or spatter escapes. It is mechanized or automatic, deposits metal very fast and penetrates deeply, making it the standard for thick plate, pressure vessels, pipe mills, wind towers and beams. It is limited to flat and horizontal positions, and the flux must be kept dry.
Tower cans go to the SAW tractor, tandem wire, and keep that flux hopper topped up from the oven.
Recycled flux has to be screened of fines and slag and kept dry; dirty or damp flux is the usual cause of porosity and wormholes in sub arc beads.
Also heard as
- sub arc
- subarc
- submerged arc
Related terms
Flux
Material that shields molten metal from air and cleans oxides, as rod coating, wire core, granules or paste.
Slag
The glassy crust that forms on top of a stick, flux-cored or submerged arc weld and is chipped off.
Heat input
Energy delivered to a weld per unit length, calculated from amps, volts and travel speed.
Groove weld
A weld made in a prepared opening between two members, such as a beveled butt joint.