Gas Welding (Oxy-acetylene)

A number of welding processes use a flame

produced by burning a mixture of fuel gas and
oxygen. The gas usually used is Acetylene but
other gases are also used.
Separate cylinders and
a hose pipe from each
cylinder transports the
gases to a torch.
Gas and fuel mix in
the torch burns @
3100C.

Gas Welding

During the welding, heat from the flame is

concentrated on the joint edges until the
metal melts and starts to flow. When the
molten metal from both sides melts it starts to
fuse, when the metal cools down the two parts
become Permanently joined
Additional Filler
Metal is fed in by
hand into the weld
pool, at regular
intervals where it
becomes molten
and joins with the
parent metal.

Oxy-acetylene
flames

The Oxy-acetylene welding Flame

Carburising

Neutral

Oxidising

Equipment used in OxyAcetylene welding

The oxygen and acetylene hose pipes
Gases used
Gas pressure Regulators
Flashback arrestor
Welding torch/Welding nozzle
Filler rods and fluxes

The oxygen and acetylene hose pipes

Reinforced rubber hoses.
Acetylene hose has left hand thread couplings and colour
coded red.
Oxygen hose has right handed thread couplings and colour
coded blue

Gases used O2 and C2H2

Oxygen extracted from air and compressed into cylinders at high
pressure. Cylinder is black.

Acetylene (C2H2) is a fuel gas. Cannot be compressed directly as

explodes at high pressures.
Cylinders are packed with porous material which is filled with
acetone.
Acetone absorbs acetylene. Cylinder colour coded maroon

Gas Pressure Regulators

One gauge indicates the pressure of the cylinder and the
other indicates the pressure in the supply pipe to the torch.

Welding torch
Oxygen and acetylene are delivered to the torch by separate hoses.
Each gas is controlled by a valve on the torch.
The two gases mix in the torch and after they are ignited burn at
the nozzle.

Mixer

Needle valves

Flashback Arrestors
These are positioned on both the fuel gas and oxygen
supply between the hose and the regulator. Their purpose
is to prevent the return of a flame through the hose into
the regulator.

Filler Rods and fluxes

Filler rods are used when additional filler metal is required in the
weld area they come in different diameters.
Fluxes protect the weld pool from contamination by oxygen and
nitrogen, they are normally in paste form placed on a heated
filler rod before welding begins

Dangers of OAW
The combination of acetylene and oxygen is highly
flammable, and the environment in which OAW is performed
is therefore hazardous.
Some of the dangers relate specifically to the acetylene.
1) Pure C2H2 is a colorless, odorless gas.
Solution: For safety reasons, commercial acetylene is
processed to have a characteristic garlic odor.

Dangers of OAW
2) One of the physical limitations of the gas is that it is
unstable at pressures much above 1 atm (0.1 MPa).
Solution : Accordingly, acetylene storage cylinders are packed
with a porous filler material (such as asbestos, balsa wood, and
other materials) saturated with acetone (CH3COCH3).
Acetylene dissolves in liquid acetone; in fact, acetone dissolves
about 25 times its own volume of acetylene, thus providing a
relatively safe means of storing this welding gas.

Please study the

advantages and
disadvantages from
video