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TYPESANDCHARACTERISTICS WELDINGTIPS BENEFITS

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WELDDESIGNRECOMMENDATIONS PROCESSES

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APPLICATIONS PREPARATION TECHNIQUES ARCWELDING

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WeldingBasics
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Therearealsoalloycastironswhichcontainsmallamountsofchromium,nickel,
molybdenum,copper,orotherelementsaddedtoprovidespecificproperties.
Anotheralloyironisausteniticcastiron,whichismodifiedbyadditionsofnickel
andotherelementstoreducethetransformationtemperaturesothatthe
structureisausteniticatroomornormaltemperatures.Austeniticcastironshave
ahighdegreeofcorrosionresistance.

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Inwhitecastiron,almostallthecarbonisinthecombinedform.Thisprovidesa
castironwithhigherhardness,whichisusedforabrasionresistance.
Malleablecastironismadebygivingwhitecastironaspecialannealingheat
treatmenttochangethestructureofthecarbonintheiron.Thestructureis
changedtoperliticorferritic,whichincreasesitsductility.

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Nodularironandductilecastironaremadebytheadditionofmagnesiumor
aluminumwhichwilleithertieupthecarboninacombinedstateorwillgivethe
freecarbonasphericalornodularshape,ratherthanthenormalflakeshapein
graycastiron.Thisstructureprovidesagreaterdegreeofductilityormalleability
ofthecasting.

ForOur

Amajorfactorcontributingtothedifficultyofweldingcastiron
isitslackofductility.Ifcastironsareloadedbeyondtheiryield
points,theybreakratherthandeformtoanysignificantextent.Weld
fillermetalandpartconfigurationshouldthereforebeselectedto
minimizeweldingstresses.

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MMA,fluxcoredarc,MIG,TIGandgasweldingprocessesare
normallyusedwithnickelbasedweldingconsumablestoproduce
highqualitywelds,butcastironandsteelelectrodescanalso
producesatisfactoryweldsincertainalloys.
WeldabilitybyMetalType

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CastIronWelding:ProceduresandFreeGuide
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Plastics
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OtherMethods

Applications
Thesetypesofmetalarewidelyusedin:

Welding
Instructional
Manual:Three
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agriculturalequipment

MetalPlating

onmachinetoolsasbases,brackets,andcovers

MetalSculpture

forpipefittings
castironpipe

MetalCasting

automobileengineblocks,heads,manifolds

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informationon
SAWor
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waterpreps
repairdefectsinordertoupgradeorsalvageacastingbeforeservice
Itisrarelyusedinstructuralworkexceptforcompressionmembers.Itiswidelyusedin
constructionmachineryforcounterweightsandinotherapplicationsforwhichweightisrequired.

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Characteristics

Grey(Gray)orflakegraphite
Wherethegraphiteexistsasbranchedinterconnectedflakesthistypeofironisrelatively
cheapandhaspoormechanicalproperties.GreyironsareusuallyweldablewithMMA
(SMA),MIG(GMA)orFCAWaslongasspecialconsumablesandproceduresareused.
Graycastironhaslowductilityandthereforewillnotexpandorstretchtoany
considerableextentbeforebreakingorcracking.Becauseofthischaracteristic,preheating
isnecessarywhencastironisweldedbytheoxyacetyleneweldingprocess.Itcan,
however,beweldedwiththemetalarcprocesswithoutpreheatingiftheweldingheatis
carefullycontrolled.Thiscanbeaccomplishedbyweldingonlyshortlengthsofthejointat
atimeandallowingthesesectionstocool.Bythisprocedure,theheatofweldingis
confinedtoasmallarea,andthedangerofcrackingthecastingiseliminated.Large
castingswithcomplicatedsections,suchasmotorblocks,canbeweldedwithout
dismantlingorpreheating.Specialelectrodesdesignedforthispurposeareusually
desirable.Ductilecastirons,suchasmalleableiron,ductileiron,andnodulariron,canbe
successfullywelded.Forbestresults,thesetypesofcastironsshouldbeweldedinthe
annealedcondition.
Nodularorspheroidalgraphite(ductileiron)
Wherethegraphiteexistsasgraphiteinaspheroidalformandthemechanicalproperties
approachthoseofsteel.Nodularironsaregenerallyeasiertoweldthangreyirons,butstill
requirespecialconsumablesandprocedures.
MalleableCI
Wherethegraphiteexistsasnodulesorrosettesproducedbyheattreatment.Malleable
ironshavetwomainforms:blackheartmalleable,whichhassimilarweldabilitytonodular
castiron,andwhiteheartmalleable,whichisreadilyweldablewithferriticconsumables
providedcareistakentolimitpenetration.
White
Ahard,brittleironcontainingnofreegraphite.Whiteironsaregenerallyconsidered
unweldable.
Austenitic
Wherethegraphitemayexistineitherflakeornodularform,resultingingoodcorrosion
andheatresistance.Manygradesofausteniticironscanbeweldedwithspecial
consumablesandprocedures.
CIwithHighSiliconandAluminumContent
Wherethegraphiteexistsmainlyasflakesandthematerialhasgoodcorrosionresistance.
Thisalloycanbeweldedwithspecialconsumablesandprocedures.

WeldingTips
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CastIronWelding:ProceduresandFreeGuide
TipsforRepairingaCrackinCastIron

Tech Tips: Repairing a Crack in C...

Mostproblemshavetodowiththehighcarboncontent.Thisresultsincrackingproblemsand
thermalcontrolissues.Castironshaveapproximately2to4%carbon.
Stickweldingcanbeusedtorepaircastingswithseveraltypesofweldsthataremachine
friendly:
nickel55softweld
nickel99softweld
HTS528BrazingRod(strongestbrazingrodmadeforjoiningcastiron,withthe
convenienceofabuiltinflux)
Nickelisanonferrousalloythatdoesnotabsorbanycarbonmakingitagoodchoiceforrepair.
Preheatanycastingtoavoidcracking.Controlthepreheatingwithatemplestick.When
itmeltsitmeansthatyoucanweldintothecasting.Preheatingacastingbeforeweld
repaircanbeveryusefulincontrollingthecoolingrateafterwelding.Thisisparticularly
importantwhenrepairingcomplexshapessincedifferentthicknessesofmaterialrespond
differentlytotheheatfromtheweldpool,whichcanresultindamagingthermalstresses
anddistortion.
Cleananyjointsthatwillberepairedorweldedincludinggreaseanddirt.Usegrindingor
cleaningsolvents.
Ifaftertherepairporosityisaproblem,grindtheareabacktothesoundmetal
Forrepairswheretherearecastingimperfections,suchasblowholesorcracks,all
defectiveareasshouldberemovedbycoldchiseling,gougingorgrinding.Ifgougingwitha
coveredelectrodeoraircarbonarc,aheataffectedzonewillformaroundthegouged
area.Thecastingshouldbepreheatedto300Cbeforegougingtoreducetheriskof
crackinginthisregion.Thegrooveshouldalsobelightlygroundtoremovehardened
materialbeforedepositingtherepair,sincegraphiteinthisregionmaydissolveduring
gouging,increasingitssensitivitytocrackingduringsubsequentwelding.Whenremoving
cracksorlineardefects,theendsofthecrackshouldbebluntedbydrillingbeforegouging,
topreventfurtherpropagationduringthepreparationforrepair.Thetrueendsofthe
crack,whichmaybeveryfine,shouldbelocatedbydyepenetrantormagneticparticle
methodsbeforedrilling.
InvideoDCpositiveisused.Usetheappropriatesafetygearandeliminatefumeexposure.
CastIronWeldingRepairPreheatingIsRecommended

Benefits
Benefitsasaweldingmetal:
Morefluidthansteel(bettercastability)
Lowermeltingpointthansteel
Lowcostmaterial
Canbeshapedwithsandcasting
DesirablePropertiessuchas:
Dampingcapacity
Thermalconductivity
Ductility
Hardness
Strength

DesignRecommendations
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CastIronWelding:ProceduresandFreeGuide
PoorvsImprovedCastIronWeldDesign

ModificationstoJointDesignthatReduceRiskofCrackingWhenWeldingCastIron

WeldingProcesses
Weldingisusedtosalvagenewironcastings,torepaircastingsthathavefailedinservice,andto
joincastingstoeachotherortosteelpartsinmanufacturingoperations.
Table719showstheweldingprocessesthatcanbeusedforweldingcast,malleable,and
nodularirons.Theselectionoftheweldingprocessandtheweldingfillermetalsdependsonthe
typeofweldpropertiesdesiredandtheservicelifethatisexpected.Forexample,whenusingthe
shieldedmetalarcweldingprocess,differenttypesoffillermetalcanbeused.Thefillermetalwill
haveaneffectonthecolormatchoftheweldcomparedtothebasematerial.Thecolormatch
canbeadeterminingfactor,specificallyinthesalvageorrepairofcastings,whereadifferenceof
colorwouldnotbeacceptable
Nomatterwhichoftheweldingprocessesisselected,certainpreparatorystepsshouldbemade.
Itisimportanttodeterminetheexacttypeofcastirontobewelded,whetheritisgraycastiron
oramalleableorductiletype.Ifexactinformationisnotknown,itisbesttoassumethatitis
graycastironwithlittleornoductility.Ingeneral,itisnotrecommendedtoweldrepairgrayiron
castingsthataresubjecttoheatingandcoolinginnormalservice,especiallywhenheatingand
coolingvaryoverarangeoftemperaturesexceeding400F(204C).Unlesscastironisusedas
thefillermaterial,theweldmetalandbasemetalmayhavedifferentcoefficientsofexpansion
andcontraction.Thiswillcontributetointernalstresseswhichcannotbewithstoodbygraycast
iron.Repairofthesetypesofcastingscanbemade,butthereliabilityandservicelifeonsuch
repairscannotbepredictedwithaccuracy.
WeldingProcessesandFillerMetalsforCastIronFigure719

Notes:
1.
SeeAWSspecificationforWeldingRodsandCoveredElectrodeforWeldingCastIron
2.
Wouldbeconsideredabrassweld
3. Heatsourceforanybrazingalsocarbonarc,twincarbonarc,gastungstenarcorplasma
arc.

WeldingPreparation
Inpreparingthecastingforwelding,itisnecessarytoremoveallsurfacematerialstocompletely

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CastIronWelding:ProceduresandFreeGuide
cleanthecastingintheareaoftheweld.Thismeansremovingpaint,grease,oil,andother
foreignmaterialfromtheweldzone.Itisdesirabletoheattheweldareaforashorttimeto
removeentrappedgasfromtheweldzoneofthebasemetal.Theskinorhighsiliconsurface
shouldalsoberemovedadjacenttotheweldareaonboththefaceandrootside.Theedgesofa
jointshouldbechippedoutorgroundtoforma60angleorbevel.Wheregroovesareinvolved,
aVgroovefroma6090includedangleshouldbeused.TheVshouldextendapproximately1/8
in.(3.2mm)fromthebottomofthecrack.Asmallholeshouldbedrilledateachendofthe
cracktokeepitfromspreading.Completepenetrationweldsshouldalwaysbeused,sinceacrack
ordefectnotcompletelyremovedmayquicklyreappearunderserviceconditions.
Preheatingisdesirableforweldingcastironswithanyoftheweldingprocesses.Itcanbereduced
whenusingextremelyductilefillermetal.Preheatingwillreducethethermalgradientbetween
theweldandtheremainderofthecastiron.Preheattemperaturesshouldberelatedtothe
weldingprocess,thefillermetaltype,themass,andthecomplexityofthecasting.Preheating
canbedonebyanyofthenormalmethods.Torchheatingisnormallyusedforrelativelysmall
castingsweighing30.0lb(13.6kg)orless.Largerpartsmaybefurnacepreheated,andinsome
cases,temporaryfurnacesarebuiltaroundthepartratherthantakingtheparttoafurnace.In
thisway,thepartscanbemaintainedatahighinterpasstemperatureinthetemporaryfurnace
duringwelding.Preheatingshouldbegeneral,sinceithelpstoimprovetheductilityofthe
materialandwillspreadshrinkagestressesoveralargeareatoavoidcriticalstressesatanyone
point.Preheatingtendstohelpsoftentheareaadjacenttothewelditassistsindegassingthe
casting,andthisinturnreducesthepossibilityofporosityofthedepositedweldmetalandit
increasesweldingspeed.
Slowcoolingorpostheatingimprovesthemachinabilityoftheheataffectedzoneinthecastiron
adjacenttotheweld.Thepostcoolingshouldbeasslowaspossible.Thiscanbedoneby
coveringthecastingwithinsulatingmaterialstokeeptheairorbreezesfromit.

Electrodes
Castironcanbeweldedwithacoatedsteelelectrode,butthismethodshouldbeusedasan
emergencymeasureonly.Whenusingasteelelectrode,thecontractionofthesteelweldmetal,
thecarbonpickedupfromthecastironbytheweldmetal,andthehardnessoftheweldmetal
causedbyrapidcoolingmustbeconsidered.Steelshrinksmorethancastironwhencededfrom
amoltentoasolidstate.Whenasteelelectrodeisused,thisunevenshrinkagewillcausestrains
atthejointafterwelding.Whenalargequantityoffillermetalisappliedtothejoint,thecast
ironmaycrackjustbackofthelineoffusionunlesspreventivestepsaretaken.Toovercome
thesedifficulties,thepreparedjointshouldbeweldedbydepositingtheweldmetalinshortstring
beads,0.75to1.0in.long(19.0to25.4mm).Thesearemadeintermittentlyand,insome
cases,bythebackstepandskipprocedure.Toavoidhardspots,thearcshouldbestruckintheV,
andnotonthesurfaceofthebasemetal.Eachshortlengthofweldmetalappliedtothejoint
shouldbelightlypeenedwhilehotwithasmallballpeenhammer,andallowedtocoolbefore
additionalweldmetalisapplied.Thepeeningactionforgesthemetalandrelievesthecooling
strains.
Theelectrodesusedshouldbe1/8in.(3.2mm)indiametertopreventexcessiveweldingheat.
Weldingshouldbedonewithreversepolarity.Weavingoftheelectrodeshouldbeheldtoa
minimum.Eachweldmetaldepositshouldbethoroughlycleanedbeforeadditionalmetalis
added.
Castironelectrodesmustbeusedwheresubsequentmachiningoftheweldedjointisrequired.
Stainlesssteelelectrodesareusedwhenmachiningoftheweldisnotrequired.Theprocedurefor
makingweldswiththeseelectrodesisthesameasthatoutlinedforweldingwithmildsteel
electrodes.Stainlesssteelelectrodesprovideexcellentfusionbetweenthefillerandbasemetals.
Greatcaremustbetakentoavoidcrackingintheweld,contractsapproximately50percent
morethanbecausestainlesssteelexpandsandmildsteelinequalchangesoftemperature.

ArcWelding
Theshieldedmetalarcweldingprocesscanbeutilizedforweldingcastiron.Therearefourtypes
offillermetalsthatmaybeused:castironcoveredelectrodescoveredcopperbasealloy
electrodescoverednickelbasealloyelectrodesandmildsteelcoveredelectrodes.Thereare
reasonsforusingeachofthedifferentspecifictypesofelectrodes,whichincludethe
machinabilityofthedeposit,thecolormatchofthedeposit,thestrengthofthedeposit,andthe
ductilityofthefinalweld.
Whenarcweldingwiththecastironelectrodes(ECI),preheattobetween250and800F(121
and425C),dependingonthesizeandcomplexityofthecastingandtheneedtomachinethe
depositandadjacentareas.Thehigherdegreeofheating,theeasieritwillbetomachinethe
welddeposit.Ingeneral,itisbesttousesmallsizeelectrodesandarelatively1owcurrent
setting.Amediumarclengthshouldbeused,and,ifatallpossible,weldingshouldbedonein
theflatposition.Wanderingorskipweldingprocedureshouldbeused,andpeeningwillhelp
reducestressesandwillminimizedistortion.Slowcoolingafterweldingisrecommended.These
electrodesprovideanexcellentcolormatchcmgrayiron.Thestrengthoftheweldwillequalthe
strengthofthebasemetal.Therearetwotypesofcopperbaseelectrodes:thecoppertinalloy
andthecopperaluminumtypes.Thecopperzincalloyscannotbeusedforarcweldingelectrodes
becauseofthelowboilingtemperatureofzinc.Zincwillvolatilizeinthearcandwillcauseweld
metalporosity.
Whenthecopperbaseelectrodesareused,apreheatof250to400F(121to204C)is
recommended.Smallelectrodesandlowcurrentshouldbeused.Thearcshouldbedirected
againstthedepositedmetalorpuddletoavoidpenetrationandmixingthebasemetalwiththe
weldmetal.Slowcoolingisrecommendedafterwelding.Thecopperbaseelectrodesdonot
provideagoodcolormatch.

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CastIronWelding:ProceduresandFreeGuide
Therearethreetypesofnickelelectrodesusedforweldingcastiron.Theseelectrodescanbe
usedwithoutpreheathowever,heatingto100F(38C)isrecommended.Theseelectrodescan
beusedinallpositionshowever,theflatpositionisrecommended.Theweldingslagshouldbe
removedbetweenpasses.Thenickelandnickelirondepositsareextremelyductileandwillnot
becomebrittlewiththecarbonpickup.Thehardnessoftheheataffectedzonecanbeminimized
byreducingpenetrationintothecastironbasemetal.Thetechniquementionedabove,playing
thearconthepuddleratherthanonthebasemetal,willhelpminimizedilution.Slowcooling
and,ifnecessary,postheatingwillimprovemachinabilityoftheheataffectedzone.Thenickel
baseelectrodesdonotprovideaclosecolormatch.
Coppernickeltypeelectrodescaneintwogrades.Eitheroftheseelectrodescanbeusedinthe
samemannerasthenickelornickelironelectrodewithaboutthesametechniqueandresults.
Thedepositsoftheseelectrodesdonotprovideacolormatch.
Mildsteelelectrodesarenotrecommendedforweldingcastironifthedepositistobemachined.
Themildsteeldepositwillpickupsufficientcarbontomakeahighcarbondeposit,whichis
impossibletomachine.Additionally,themildsteeldepositwillhaveareducedlevelofductilityas
aresultofincreasedcarboncontent.Thistypeofelectrodeshouldbeusedonlyforsmallrepairs
andshouldnotbeusedwhenmachiningisrequired.Minimumpreheatispossibleforsmallrepair
jobs.Smallelectrodesatlowcurrentarerecommendedtominimizedilutionandtoavoidthe
concentrationofshrinkagestresses.Shortweldsusingawanderingsequenceshouldbeused,
andtheweldshouldbepeenedasquicklyaspossibleafterwelding.Themildsteelelectrode
depositprovidesafaircolormatch.

CarbonarcWeldingofCastIron
Ironcastingsmaybeweldedwithacarbonarc,acastironrod,andacastironweldingflux.The
jointshouldbepreheatedbymovingthecarbonelectrodesalongthesurface.Thispreventstoo
rapidcoolingafterwelding.Themoltenpuddleofmetalcanbeworkedwiththecarbonelectrode
soastomoveanyslagoroxidesthatareformedtothesurface.Weldsmadewiththecarbonarc
coolmoreslowlyandarenotashardasthosemadewiththemetalarcandacastironelectrode.
Theweldsaremachinable.

OxyfuelGasWelding
Theoxyfuelgasprocessisoftenusedforweldingcastiron.Mostofthefuelgasescanbeused.
Theflameshouldbeneutraltoslightlyreducing.Fluxshouldbeused.Twotypesoffillermetals
areavailable:thecastironrodsandthecopperzincrods.Weldsmadewiththepropercastiron
electrodewillbeasstrongasthebasemetal.Goodcolormatchisprovidedbyallofthesewelding
reds.Theoptimumweldingprocedureshouldbeusedwithregardtojointpreparation,preheat,
andpostheat.Thecopperzincrodsproducebrazewelds.Therearetwoclassifications:a
manganesebronzeandalowfumingbronze.Thedepositedbronzehasrelativelyhighductility
butwillnotprovideacolormatch.

BrazingandBrazeWelding
Brazingisusedforjoiningcastirontocastironandsteels.Inthesecases,thejointdesignmust
beselectedforbrazingsothatcapillaryattractioncausesthefillermetaltoflowbetweenclosely
fittingparts.Thetorchmethodisnormallyused.Inaddition,thecarbonarc,thetwincarbonarc,
thegastungstenarc,andtheplasmaarccanallbeusedassourcesofheat.Twobrazingfiller
metalalloysarenormallyusedbotharecopperzincalloys.Brazeweldingcanalsobeusedto
joincastiron.Inbrazewelding,thefillermetalisnotdrawnintothejointbycapillaryattraction.
Thisissometimescalledbronzewelding.Thefillermaterialhavingaliquidousabove850F
(454C)shouldbeused.Brazeweldingwillnotprovideacolormatch.
Brazeweldingcanalsobeaccomplishedbytheshieldedmetalarcandthegasmetalarcwelding
processes.Hightemperaturepreheatingisnotusuallyrequiredforbrazeweldingunlessthepart
isextremelyheavyorcomplexingeometry.Thebronzeweldmetaldeposithasextremelyhigh
ductility,whichcompensatesforthelackofductilityofthecastiron.Theheatofthearcis
sufficienttobringthesurfaceofthecastironuptoatemperatureatwhichthecopperbasefiller
metalalloywillmakeabondtothecastiron.Sincethereislittleornointermixingofthe
materials,thezoneadjacenttotheweldinthebasemetalisnotappreciablyhardened.Theweld
andadjacentareaaremachinableaftertheweldiscompleted.Ingeneral,a200F(93C)
preheatissufficientformostapplication.Thecoolingrateisnotextremelycriticalandastress
reliefheattreatmentisnotusuallyrequired.Thistypeofweldingiscommonlyusedforrepair
weldingofautomotiveparts,agriculturalimplementparts,andevenautomotiveengineblocks
andheads.Itcanonlybeusedwhentheabsenceofcolormatchisnotobjectionable.

GasMetalArcWelding
Thegasmetalarcweldingprocesscanbeusedformakingweldsbetweenmalleableironand
carbonsteels.Severaltypesofelectrodewirescanbeused,including:
Mildsteelusing75%argon+25%CO2forshielding.
Nickelcopperusing100%argonforshielding.
Siliconbronzeusing50%argon+50%heliumforshielding.
Inallcases,smalldiameterelectrodewireshouldbeusedatlowcurrent.Withthemildsteel
electrodewire,theArgonCO2shieldinggasmixtureissuedtominimizepenetration.Inthecase
ofthenickelbasefillermetalandtheCopperbasefillermetal,thedepositedfillermetalis
extremelyductile.Themildsteelprovidesafaircolormatch.Ahigherpreheatisusuallyrequired
toreduceresidualstressesandcrackingtendencies.

FluxcoredArcWelding

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CastIronWelding:ProceduresandFreeGuide
Thisprocesshasrecentlybeenusedforweldingcastirons.Themoresuccessfulapplicationhas
beenusinganickelbasefluxcoredwire.ThiselectrodewireisnormallyoperatedwithCO2
shieldinggas,butwhenlowermechanicalpropertiesarenotobjectionable,itcanbeoperated
withoutexternalshieldinggas.Theminimumpreheattemperaturescanbeused.Thetechnique
shouldminimizepenetrationintothecastironbasemetal.Postheatingisnormallynotrequired.
Acolormatchisnotobtained.

OtherProcesses
Otherweldingprocessescanbeusedforcastiron.Thermitweldinghasbeenusedforrepairing
certaintypesofcastironmachinetoolparts.Solderingcanbeusedforjoiningcastiron,andis
sometimesusedforrepairingsmalldefectsinsmallcastings.Flashweldingcanalsobeusedfor
weldingcastiron.

WeldingTechniques
Studding
StuddingMethodforCastIronRepair

Cracksinlargecastingsaresometimesrepairedbystudding(figure710).Inthisprocess,the
fractureisremovedbygrindingaVgroove.Holesaredrilledandtappedatanangleoneachside
ofthegroove,andstudsarescrewedintotheseholesforadistanceequaltothediameterofthe
studs,withtheupperendsprojectingapproximately1/4in.(6.4mm)abovethecastiron
surface.Thestudsshouldbesealweldedinplacebyoneortwobeadsaroundeachstud,and
thentiedtogetherbyweldmetalbeads.Weldsshouldbemadeinshortlengths,andeachlength
peenedwhilehottopreventhighstressesorcrackinguponcooling.Eachbeadshouldbeallowed
tocoolandbethoroughlycleanedbeforeadditionalmetalisdeposited.Ifthestuddingmethod
cannotbeapplied,theedgesofthejointshouldbechippedoutormachinedwitharoundnosed
tooltoformaUgrooveintowhichtheweldmetalshouldbedeposited.

JointDesignModification
Itispreferredthatafullpenetrationweldisusedoveronewherethereispartialpenetration.
Weldsthathavevaryingthicknesscanresultinunevencontractionstressesanduneven
expansionduringtheweldingcycle.
Changingweldingdesignstolocateweldsinanareawherethereisconstantthicknesscanbe
beneficial.Anothertipistouseabackingfilletweldtosupportstressedareas.

GrooveFaceGrooving
CastIronGrooveFaceGrooving

Gougingorgrindinggroovesintothesurfaceareaofapreparedweldgroove,followedbyusinga
weldbeadtofillthegrooves,beforefillingthewholejointissometimesapreferredmethod(see
illustrationbelow).Thisapproachlowerscrackingrisksbydeflectingthecrackpath.Beadsthat
areincontactwiththecastingaredepositedfirst,whenthestressheataffectedzoneandfusion
lineareatalow.

Peening(Hammering)
Peeningorhammeringusinga1319mmballpeenhammerappliedtoadeformableweldbead,
puttingitintoastateofcompressivestress,thetensilestressescausedbethermalcontraction
canbeopposed,thusreducingtheriskofcrackinginandaroundtheweld.
Whenthehammerisappliedmanually,itstrikesamoderateblowperpendiculartotheweld
surface.
Theprocessrequiresaductileweldmetal.Nickelfillersareused,particularlywhenworkingwith
graycastiron.Peeningisperformedathighertemperatureswhilethemetalissoft.

ForAdditionalReading
CastIronsandWelding
CastIronWeldingGuide
CastIronWeldingGuide,Author:BOC

http://www.weldguru.com/CastIron.html

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CastIronWelding:ProceduresandFreeGuide

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