ADVANCED WELDING TECHNOLOGY EBW

INTRODUCTION
Electron Beam Welding(EBW) is a fusion welding process in which a beam
of high-velocity electrons is applied to the materials being joined.
Pressure is not applied, and a shielding gas is not used, though the welding
is often done in conditions of a vacuum to prevent dispersion of the electron
beam.
The process was developed in France and released on November 23, 1957
in Paris by J. A. Stohr.
When it became feasible to use costly metals such as titanium,
molybdenum, and tungsten as structural components, the need for a welding
process that would weld these metals adequately also aroused.
Many of these metals became contaminated when they came in contact with
certain elements in the air even the shield processes using argon, helium, and
carbon dioxide could not be used despite their ability to produce atmospheric
purity as high as 99.99 percent.
ADVANCED WELDING TECHNOLOGY EBW
OPERATING PRINCIPLE

electrons are emitted from the heated filament called the cathode, and then
focused into a beam which is directed at the welding point
speeds of these accelerated particles range from 30,000 to 120,000 miles/sec
bombarding a specific confined area of the base metals with high velocity
electrons, which are accelerated to sometimes, as high as half the speed of light
base metal temperatures near 25,000 °C
emissions of electrons by metal can best be explained by the photoelectric
effect
metal gives up electrons from the outer most orbit of an atom when an ample
amount of energy is applied
energy is supplied by a radiation source or photons, which strike the surface
of the metal
ADVANCED WELDING TECHNOLOGY EBW
… OPERATING PRINCIPLE
if the intensity of the radiation source
increases, the number of electrons
liberated increases
the ease with which a metal will give up
its electrons is called the thermionic
function of the metal.
The intensity of the electronic beam is
called the emission current
Welding is done by the keyholeing
technique
depth of the weld bead can exceed the
width of the weld bead by as much as 15
times
total heat input is actually much lower
than that of any arc welding process Electron Beam Welding Process

operation is performed in a vacuum

ADVANCED WELDING TECHNOLOGY EBW
OPERATING PARAMETERS
Welding Methods:

1. the welding chamber be at a hard vacuum (about 0.00001 torr)

1. the chamber must be small to prevent it from being crushed under
atmospheric pressure, material as thick as 15 cm can be welded,
and the the stand-off distance can be as great as 0.7 m
2. in a soft vacuum, under pressure of 0.1 torrs
1. allows for larger welding chambers and reduces the time and
equipment required to attain evacuate the chamber, reduces the
maximum stand-off distance by half and decreases the maximum
material thickness to 5 cm
3. nonvacuum or out-of-vacuum EBW, performed at atmospheric pressure
1. the stand-off distance must be diminished to 4 cm, and the
maximum material thickness is about 5 cm, allows for workpieces of
any size to be welded
ADVANCED WELDING TECHNOLOGY EBW

… OPERATING PARAMETERS
Heat Generation:
is determined by the power density, which is measured in watts per square inch.
The power density of the electron beam is increased by increasing the voltage
and decreasing the diameter of the hole.
Electron beam voltages vary from 10 to 150 kV, and spot sizes vary from
0.001 to 0.250 in. These factors can produce power densities up to 25,000,000
watts/in2.
Lower voltages are desirable in order to achieve a thin beam but the
penetration power of the beam is then decreased.

Electron Beam Intensity:

The diameter of the beam itself, the velocity of the electrons, and the beam
current are other factors in controlling the intensity of the electron beam.
ADVANCED WELDING TECHNOLOGY EBW

…OPERATING PARAMETERS
Weld Bead Penetration:

Weld bead penetration, depends on the number and speed of electrons

impacting the workpiece, the diameter of the electron beam, the distance
between the emitter or the cathode and the work and the travel speed.

Greater beam current causes an increase in heat input and penetration, while
higher travel speed decreases the amount of heat input and reduces penetration.
The diameter of the beam can be varied by moving the focal point with respect
to the workpiece
The greater the kinetic energy, the greater the amount of heat released.
Penetration is proportional to the amount of voltage and amperage.
Penetration is also inversely proportional to the welding speed.
In most instances, weld penetration increases as the thermal conductivity of
the metal decreases.
ADVANCED WELDING TECHNOLOGY EBW
EQUIPMENT
1. Power Source.
The EBW power supply pulls a low current (usually less than 1 A), but
provides a voltage as high as 60 kV in low-voltage machines, or
200 kV in high-voltage machines.
High-voltage machines supply a current as low as 40 mA, and can
provide a weld depth-to-width ratio of 25:1, whereas the ratio with a
low-voltage machine is around 12:1.
2. Electron Beam Gun.
the work accelerated gun and the self accelerated gun.
The main components of the electron beam gun are:
1. The electron emitter (cathode).
2. The optics system.
3. Beaming and focusing devices.
4. The vacuum chamber.
3. Work table & fixtures.
ADVANCED WELDING TECHNOLOGY EBW
SALIENT FEATURES
1.the weld zone and HAZ are relatively small therefore; distortion affects only
about 0.001 in. on each side
2.is extremely successful in achieving deep penetration (the depth to width ratio
can go as high as 25:1)
3.on stainless steel that is as thick as 4 in., a weld can be made in one pass
with full penetration, performed at a speed of approximately 7 in./min.
4.input power is small, since current only in milliamperes range is required
5.it eliminates contamination of both the weld zone and the weld bead because
of the vacuum
6.reduced distortion of the workpiece makes the replacement of costly jigs and
fixtures less necessary
7.the need for the finishing processes are reduced because of the close
tolerances
8.the equipment is extremely expensive and portable equipment is rare
9.metals, such as zinc, lead, aluminium, and magnesium (volatile), cannot be
welded easily by this method because these metals boil out of the weld zone
and contaminate the welding apparatus. (can be welded by a pulsing procedure)
ADVANCED WELDING TECHNOLOGY EBW

APPLICATIONS
1.The most commonly welded metals are stainless steels, superalloys, and
reactive and refractory metals.
2.Use of the EBW device developed when the demand for beryllium increased
for industrial and aerospace components. With other welding processes,
beryllium would vaporize rather than melt. Various tests with the electron beam
reduced the problem, and now sheets up to 1/16 in. thick can be welded with a
single pass.
3.The process is also widely used to perform welds of a variety of dissimilar
metals combinations.
4.However, attempting to weld plain carbon steel in a vacuum causes the metal
to emit gases as it melts, so deoxidizers must be used to prevent weld porosity.
5.Aluminium has been welded with high voltage and various butt positions. In all
cases, porosity was found in the weld, but the strength of the base metal was
unaffected. Other metals that are now being welded are the high strength steels.
6.The use of EBW process is limited to edge, butt, fillet, or spot welds.
ADVANCED WELDING TECHNOLOGY EBW

…APPLICATIONS
ADVANCED WELDING TECHNOLOGY EBW

…APPLICATIONS