SEMINAR ON

UNDERWATER WELDING
TECHNOLOGY ,ART , COURAGE
1 SHOBHIT ISHAN
474/09
 First under water welding by British
Admiralty Dockyard
In 1946, special waterproof electrodes were
developed in Holland by Van der
Willingen

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 INTRODUCTION TO
UNDERWATER WELDING

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We cant lift ship and then repair it. Hence comes the use of
underwater welding
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Wet welding

Dry welding
Hyperbaric welding is the process in which
a chamber is sealed around the structure to
be welded and is filled with a gas ( He and
Oxygen) at the prevailing pressure.

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Dry welding can be of two types
Large habitat
Mini habitat

Mini habitat for underwater welding.

 Source: north stream
Large habitat for 8

underwater welding
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Large habitat underwater welding
Welder /diver safety
Good weld quality
Surface monitoring

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 Higher cost of process, training, etc
Large quantity of costly and complex
equipments
More deep, more energy requirement.
Cant weld if weld spot is at
unreachable place

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 Simply means that job is
performed directly in the water
It involves using special rod and
is similar to the process in
ordinary air welding

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Power supply : DC 300 OR 400 AMP
Polarity : straight polarity

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 WATER-------------HYDROGEN +
OXYGEN
Dissolve in weld pool
Solubility decrases and then comes out -
porosity
Oxygen as solid , liquid inclusions or
gases
Hydrogen combines with oxygen forming
vapour
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Chemical composition

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Porosity-troubleshooted by including Calcium
carbonate

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Microstructure
Mechanical
properties

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 Effect of alloying elements on weld metal
microstructure and properties
Managanese
Boron and titanium
Rare earth metals

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 Cheapest
Fastest
Tensile strength is high
Ease of access the weld spot
No waste of time in constructing habitat

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 Rapid quenching decreases impact
strength, Ductility.
Hydrogen embrittlement.
Poor visibility in water.
Higher energy density of hydrogen,
higher efficiency.

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 Power supply requrements-400 amp or larger.
DC generators, motor generators and rectifiers
are acceptable power supplies
Power converters.
Welding Generator, Pre-Setup
Polarity.
Diesel Driven Welding Generator Amperage
and Voltage settings.
Gas Manifolds.
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 Underwater Oxygen-Arc Welding
Torches.-
Collet or grip
Oxygen valve
Flash arrester
Waterproofing Surface Electrodes.
Epoxy 152
Lee lac 30-l2093
Polyurethane
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Figure showing schematic diagram for
underwater welding or cutting

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 Hydrogen and oxygen are dissociated
from the water and will travel
separately as bubbles
Oxygen cutting is about 60 percent
efficient
Above river beds, especially in mud,
because trapped methane gas in the
proper concentrations can explode.
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 There is a risk to the welder/diver of electric
shock.
There is a risk that defects may remain
undetected
The other main area of risk is to the life or
health of the welder/diver from nitrogen
introduced into the blood steam during exposure
to air at increased pressure

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 Start cutting at the highest point and work
downward
By withdrawing the electrode every few
seconds to allow water to enter the cut
Gases may be vented to the surface with a vent
tube (flexible hose) secured in place from the
high point where gases would collect to a
position above the waterline.
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 Precautions include achieving adequate
electrical insulation of the welding
equipment
Areas and voids must be vented or made
inert

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 Development of alternative welding methods
like friction welding, explosive welding, and
stud welding.
Present trend is towards automation. THOR 1
(TIG Hyperbaric Orbital Robot) is developed
where diver performs pipefitting, installs the
track and orbital head on the pipe and the rest
process is automated.
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