MEM05 Metal and Engineering

Training Package

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MEM05051A
Select welding processes

Learner guide

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Version 1

Training and Education Support

Industry Skills Unit
Meadowbank

Product Code: 5721

MEM05051A Select welding processes

Acknowledgments

The TAFE NSW Training and Education Support Industry Skills Unit, Meadowbank
would like to acknowledge the support and assistance of the following organisations
and people in the production of this learner guide.
Capral Aluminium
Blue Scope Steel
CIGWLED
Hardface Technology
Harris Product group (Australia)
Lincoln Electric Company (Australia)
Silverwater Welding Supplies
Welding Industries of Australia
Western Safety Wear

Writer:

(Updated from existing TAFE Publications)

Reviewers:

Project Manager:

Stephen Davies
Education Programs Manager
TAFE NSW

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Enquiries

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John Anderson (Hunter Institute)

Ed Harkness (Illawarra Institute)

Enquiries about this and other publications can be made to:

Training and Education Support Industry Skills Unit, Meadowbank

Meadowbank TAFE
Level 3, Building J,
See Street,
MEADOWBANK NSW 2114
Tel: 02-9942 3200

Fax: 02-9942 3257

TAFE NSW (Training and Education Support, Industry Skills Unit

Meadowbank) 2012
Copyright of this material is reserved to TAFE NSW Training and Education
Support, Industry Skills Unit Meadowbank. Reproduction or transmittal in whole
or in part, other than for the purposes of private study or research, and subject to
the provisions of the Copyright Act, is prohibited without the written authority of
TAFE NSW Training and Education Support, Industry Skills Unit Meadowbank.

ISBN 978-1-74236-431-5

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Table of Contents
Introduction.................................................................................... 7
1. General introduction.............................................................................. 7
2. Using this learner guide.......................................................................... 7
3. Prior knowledge and experience.............................................................. 9
4. Unit of competency overview.................................................................. 9

Topic 1: Properties of metal.......................................................... 13

Review questions.................................................................................... 16

Topic 2: Carbon steels................................................................... 17

Review questions.................................................................................... 21

Topic 3: Alloy steels...................................................................... 23

Review questions ................................................................................... 31

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Topic 4: Non ferrous metals.......................................................... 33

Review questions.................................................................................... 38

Topic 5: Fusion welding processes................................................ 41

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Review questions.................................................................................... 48

Topic 6: Pressure welding processes............................................. 53

Review questions.................................................................................... 57

Topic 7: Low temperature welding processes................................ 59

Review questions.................................................................................... 62

Topic 8: Welding safety................................................................. 65

Review questions.................................................................................... 71

Topic 9: Fillet and butt joint terminology....................................... 73

Review questions.................................................................................... 83

Topic 10: Fillet and butt weld defects............................................ 87

Review questions.................................................................................... 91

Topic 11: Distortion control........................................................... 93

Review questions...................................................................................102

Resource Evaluation Form........................................................... 105

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Topic 1: Properties of metal

All metals exhibit different properties which make them unique in their own right.
A metals properties are important as they influence how they perform in a given
industrial environment. Metal properties can be classified as being either physical
or mechanical. For example, aluminium is soft, light and has a low melting point
whereas carbon steels are harder, heavier and has a much higher melting point.
These are typical examples of physical properties of a metal.
Due to these differences it is important that metal fabricators have a basic
understanding of the properties of metals. A number of common physical and
mechanical properties are briefly outlined below.

Physical properties
Refers to a metals mass per unit volume. For example, steel is
heavier than aluminium and therefore has a greater density.

Colour:

Iron or steel exhibits are silvery colour, copper is red, brass is

yellow. The colour of a metal can quickly provide the operator
with an idea of the type of material they are dealing with.

Thermal
expansion:

Metals expand when heated. The amount of expansion per

degree (C) rise in temperature is an important measurement
and is expressed as the metals co-efficient of thermal
expansion. For example, stainless steel will exhibit a greater
degree of expansion than carbon steel for the same heat input.

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Density:

Thermal
conductivity:

Refers to the ease by which heat travels through a metal

and how far heat will travel over a given time. Copper and
aluminium are excellent thermal conductors whereas stainless
steel is a poor conductor.

Electrical
conductivity:

Relates to how easily electricity travels through the metal.

Copper and aluminium are excellent conductors of electricity.
Steel on the other hand has a much higher resistance and
therefore is a poor conductor.

Corrosion:

Some metals corrode easily, others are more resistant. For

example, stainless steels and aluminium are resistance to
corrosion whereas steel will rust.

Melting point:

This is the temperature at which a metal melts. Some metals

have a high melting point such as carbon steel (approx
1500C) while others such as aluminium (approx 660C) are
lower.

Magnetism:

Ferrous metals (iron based) are magnetic while, almost without

exception non-ferrous metals are not. For example carbon
steels are attracted to a magnet whereas aluminium, copper
and brass are not magnetic.

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Mechanical properties
Refers to the ability of a material to be hammered into shape
without cracking. Aluminium is extremely malleable whereby
cast iron is not.

Ductility:

Is to the ability of a metal to withstand deformation by

bending, rolling and/or folding without cracking. For example,
low carbon steel is very ductile, cast irons are not.

Yield Strength:

This property is the ability of a metal to resist permanent

deformation (bending) when a force is applied. When a
metal is bent, rolled or pressed it has yielded and therefore
becomes permanently deformed.

Brittleness:

Is a weakness in a metal and will crack or break when force is

applied. Brittle materials such as cast iron or high carbon,
steels are not used for fabrication purposes for this reason.

Hardness:

Refers to a metal's ability to resist indentation by a given force

or load. For example, it is easy to make a pop mark on low
carbon steels but near impossible to make one on heat treated
high carbon steel.

Impact
strength:

This property refers to the amount of energy a metal will

absorb due to a sudden blow without cracking or breaking.
High impact strength gives a measure of material toughness.
A low toughness measure shows the metal to be brittle. For
example, low carbon steels resist impact whereas cast iron or
high carbon steel are much less resistant.

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Malleability:

Fatigue
strength:

This refers to a metals ability to resist breaking or cracking

when subjected to stressful load cycles. A load cycle can be
described as forcing a metal in one direction and then in the
opposite direction.

Weldability:

Refers to the ease by which a metal can be welded. For

example, low carbon steels are easily welded and therefore
have good weldability. A hardened material such as high
carbon steel has poor weldability and will crack unless special
precautions are taken.

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Weld bend test of

determine ductility

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Review questions
These questions have been included to help you revise what you have learnt in
Topic 1: Properties of metal.
1. List six (6) physical properties of a metal.
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

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2. List six (6) mechanical metal properties of a metal.

_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

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_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
3. What mechanical property is used to describe a metals ability to withstand
deformation by hammering, rolling or bending without fracturing?
_______________________________________________________________
4. Name the property of a metal that resists stretching or pulling apart when
subjected to stress by two opposing forces.
_______________________________________________________________
5. What is meant by the term "weldability.
_______________________________________________________________
6. What property is used to determine a metals density or weight?
_______________________________________________________________

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Topic 2: Carbon steels

Introduction
Metals are produced from mined materials called an ore. Some metals are used in
their pure form however; most have other elements added to them to form an alloy.
Alloying elements are normally added to pure metals to improve their physical and
mechanical properties and industrial applications. Steels are produced by extracting
the iron from the ore by a process called steelmaking which involves placing iron
ore into a heated blast furnace to separate the iron (Fe) content from the impurities
in the ore.

Once the iron content is extracted it is further processed and refined in a basic
oxygen steelmaking furnace (BOS). The BOS stage of steel production is a very
important one as it removes excess carbon and other impurities in the material.
Once this stage is complete the steel is formed into the desired shape by rolling
which also improves the strength and toughness of the material. Steel is the
most common metal used in fabrication and allied engineering industries and is
commercially available in sheet, coil, plate, tube, pipe and structural sections.

Lower it's melting point

Increase tensile strength of the steel (within limits)
Lower ductility
Increase hardness and brittleness
Increase the capacity of the steel to harden through heat treatment
Reduce weldability.

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Small amounts of manganese, silicon and carbon remain in the processed steel
to give it strength and toughness. Carbon in steel is very important as the metal
depends on its carbon content to give it specific properties. The effect of retaining
measured amounts of carbon will have a direct effect on its properties. For example,
the effects of increasing the carbon content in plain steel will:

Types of carbon steel

Carbon steels can be divided into three (3) main groups. The groups are influenced
by the percentage (%) range of carbon they contain. The three groups are classified
as:
1. Low carbon steels.
2. Medium carbon steels
3. High carbon steels.

Low carbon steel

Low carbon steels have carbon content of ranging from 0.01% and 0.30%. Steels
with a carbon content of 0.15% or less, are soft and ductile. Steel containing 0.23%
to 0.27% carbon is used where greater strength is needed.

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Applications
Low carbon steels are ductile and readily welded materials. For these reasons they
are widely used for:

Deep drawing and deep pressing applications.

Sheet, plate and rolled sections (angle, beam, columns).
Car and truck bodies.
Sheetmetal cabinets and assemblies.
Ship building.

Medium carbon steel

Medium carbon steels have a carbon content ranging from 0.3% to 0.5%. These
steels will harden if allowed to cool too quickly. Special precautions are needed
if they need to be welded to slow the cooling rate and reduce hardening. The
increased carbon content can cause hard and brittle areas to form in the weld joint.

Applications

Steel rails - railways, tramways and overhead crane tracks

Hand tools such as cold chisels
Machine parts
Agricultural equipment parts.

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Medium carbon steels contain higher carbon contents than low carbon steels. As
a result they are more susceptible to hardening and cracking due to rapid cooling.
Medium carbon steels have higher strengths and are much stronger than low carbon
steels and therefore require careful attention when they need to be welded to avoid
cracking or excessive hardness forming in the weld zone. Typical applications for
this group of steels include:

High carbon steel

High carbon steels have a carbon content ranging from 0.5% to 1.2%. If they are
heated special precautions need to be observed to prevent these steels becoming
extremely hard and brittle. High carbon steels are not normally welded (except
for repair purposes) as they are often used for wear-resistant parts, and for the
manufacture of some cutting tools.

Applications

Cutting tools
Springs
Carbon steel cutting edges
Wire cables
Dredging equipment
Files.

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Additional Elements in Carbon Steel

Carbon steels contain additional elements other than iron and carbon. Some
elements have been deliberately added to the steel to improve its properties while
others are considered impurities that cannot be completely removed during the
steelmaking process. The level of impurities must be strictly controlled otherwise
the required properties of the steel will be severely compromised. The effects of
various elements in steel are as follows:
Manganese - Produces a hardening effect

- Helps produce a fine grain structure

- Acts as a mild deoxidiser or scavenger against the harmful effects

of sulphur.

In most carbon steels the manganese content is kept within 0.3% to
0.8%.
- Acts as a deoxidising agent or scavenging agent.
Normally silicon in carbon steels is kept to within 0.1% to 0.35%.

Sulphur -

- Considered an impurity in steels and kept to a maximum of 0.05%.

Excessive amounts of sulphur combines with iron to form a harmful
compound called iron sulphide which can cause a condition called
"hot-short", cracking at elevated temperatures.

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Silicon

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Phosphorus - Considered an impurity in steels and kept to a maximum of 0.05%.

Excessive amounts of phosphorus combines with iron to form a

harmful compound called iron phosphide which can cause an

undesirable condition called "cold-short, cracking at normal

working temperatures.

Surface treatments for steel

Plain carbon steels readily oxidise (rust) when exposed to the atmosphere therefore
exposed surfaces must be protected from corrosion. Common methods used to
protect steel structures from corrosion include:

Painting
Powder coating
Galvanizing (zinc)
Mill scale
Sheetmetal is supplied with factory painted Colorbond or with a sacrificial
metal coating of zinc based galvanised or zincalume coating.

Galvanised zinc surface

Coil of zincalume

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Mining iron ore

Hot rolling steel

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Review questions
These questions have been included to help you revise what you have learnt in
Topic 2: Carbon steels.
1. List four (4) properties affected by increasing the carbon content in steel.
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

2. State the carbon range (%)for the following:

Low carbon steels:________________________________________________

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Medium carbon steels:_____________________________________________

High carbon steels:_______________________________________________
3. Give two (2) typical industrial applications for each of the following:

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Low carbon steels:

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Medium carbon steels:

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High carbon steels:
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4. Briefly explain the effect of having too much sulphur in steel.
_______________________________________________________________
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5. List three (3) methods used to protect steel surfaces from corrosion.
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True/False questions (circle the correct response)
6. An excessive amount of phosphorus in carbon steel can cause hot cracking at
normal operating temperatures.
True

False

7. Small amounts of silicon is added to steel as a deoxidiser.

True

False

True

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8. Manganese is added to steel to improve and refine the grain structure.

False

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9. The sulphur content in most carbon steels is kept within 0.1% to 0.8%.
True

False

10. Medium carbon steels are heat treatable and will harden if allowed to cool too
quickly.
True

False

11. Increasing the carbon content in steel increases ductility.

True

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False

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