The Orbital Welding Handbook

THE ART OF WELDING
The orbital welding

handbook
PN-0509078
Original edition: 2009 - updated edition: 01/2016 - Polysoude Nantes France SAS
Photos, plans and drawings are used as help to the understanding and are thus not
contractual.
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techniques, without the written authorization of the publisher.
Printed in France.
Published by Polysoude, Nantes, Fr
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T H E O R B I TA L W E L D I N G H A N D B O O K
INDEX
1. Preface 7
2. What is orbital welding? 7
3. Recapitulation of the TIG (GTAW) process 7

3.1. Advantages/Inconveniences of the TIG (GTAW) process 8
3.2. Types of weld currents 8
3.3. Tungsten electrodes 9
3.4. Filler metals 9
3.5. Gases 10
3.6. Weld energy 11
4. Reasons to select orbital welding 13
4.1. Increased productivity compared to manual welding 13
4.2. Consistent excellent weld quality 13
4.3. Required skill levels of the operators 13
4.4. Environment 13
4.5. Traceability – Quality Control 13
5. Industries which apply the orbital TIG welding process 14
5.1. Aircraft industry 14
5.2. Food, diary and beverage industries 14
5.3. Pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries 14
5.4. Fabrication of semi-conductor devices 15
5.5. Chemical industries 15
5.6. Fossil and nuclear power plants 15
6. Specificities of the orbital weld process 16
6.1. Typical welding positions 16
6.2. Pulsed current 16
6.3. Programming of sectors 17
7. Hardware components of orbital welding equipment 17
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THE ART OF WELDING
8. Programmable power sources 18

8.1. General 18
8.2. Portable power sources 18
8.3. Medium-sized mobile power sources 19
8.4. Full-size power sources 20
9. Orbital welding heads 20
9.1. Tube-to-tube welding heads 20
9.2. Tube-to-tubesheet welding heads 22
10. Wire feeders 23
11. Functionalities of the orbital welding equipment 23

11.1. Gas management 23
11.2. Current 24
11.3. Torch rotation 25
11.4. Wire feeding 26
11.5. AVC (Arc Voltage Control) 27
11.6. Oscillation 28
11.7. Remote control 29
11.8. Cooling Unit 29
12. Weld cycle programming 30
12.1. Program structure of a weld cycle with 4 axes 30
12.2. Interfaces for the programming of weld cycles 31
12.3. Offline programming 32
13. Real time data acquisition 33
13.1. In summary 33
13.2. Integrated real-time data acquisition 33
13.3. External real-time data acquisition 34
14. Tube-to-tube fusion welding 34
14.1. Applications 34
14.2. Equipment 35
14.3. Calculation of weld parameters values 37
14.4. Joint preparation 37
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14.5. Electrode preparation 38
14.6. Backing gas 39
14.7. Chemical composition and repeatability of the welds 39
15. Tube-to-tube or pipe-to-pipe orbital welding with filler wire 40
15.1. Applications 40
15.2. Choice of the equipment 40
15.3. Weld preparation 41
15.4. Positioning of the tubes 42
15.5. Multilayer welding 42
15.6. AVC requires precise electrode geometry 43
15.7. Backing gas 43
15.8. Boundary parameters 43
15.9. Geometrical adjustments 44
15.10. Possibilities to increase the performance of orbital TIG welding 44
16. Orbital tube-to-tubesheet welding 46
16.1. Range of materials and tube dimensions 46
16.2. Welding equipment 46
16.3. Specific requirements of tubes and weld preparations 47
16.4. Welding of flush tubes 48
16.5. Welding of protruding tubes 49
16.6. Welding of recessed tubes 51
16.7. Internal bore welding behind the tubesheet 52
17. Conclusion 53
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THE ART OF WELDING
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THE ART OF WELDING
1. Preface
Among industrial welding processes, orbital and the related equipment: technical
TIG welding has meanwhile become a approach, advantages, common and
well-established method, although a consid- special applications, but also restrictions
erable lack of information about the various and limits. To give practical examples, the
possibilities of this challenging technique text is illustrated by numerous application
still remains in public. Aerospace industry, examples.
aviation, high speed trains, nuclear indus-
try, pharmaceutical industry, food industry, Tables and designs can help engineers and
tiny microelectronic devices - to name but a welding experts, as well as project managers,
few of the most exciting applications - rely to get quick answers as to whether orbital
on orbital welding, but the equipment to welding could offer solutions corresponding
ensure our daily supply with electric current, to their needs. To get specific answers for
oil and gas also depends on orbital welding your questions, visit the Polysoude website
techniques. (www.polysoude.com) and consult the
In this booklet, basic information is customer service team.
provided about the orbital weld process
2. What is orbital welding?

Whenever high quality results are required, In the first group, all kinds of tube joining
orbital welding is the first choice for the are included: butt welding and welding of
joining of tubes. The welding torch - in most flanges, bends, T-fittings and valves, i.e. the
cases, the TIG welding (Tungsten Inert Gas) entire tubing and piping requirements.
process is used - travels around the tubes
to be joined, guided by a mechanical sys- The second group concerns the manufactur-
tem. The name orbital welding comes from ing of boilers and heat-exchangers and com-
the circular movement of the welding tool prises the different welding tasks related to
around the workpiece. tube-to-tubesheet welding operations.
Generally, orbital welding technique covers
two main fields of application:
Tube-to-tube / pipe-to-pipe joining.
Tube-to-tubesheet welding.
3. Recapitulation of the TIG (GTAW) process

An electric arc is maintained between the gen in the atmosphere; an inert gas such as
non-consumable tungsten electrode and argon serves as shielding gas.
the workpiece. The electrode supports the If the addition of filler metal becomes nec-
heat of the arc; the metal of the workpiece essary, filler wire can be fed to the weld
melts and forms the weld puddle. puddle, where it melts due to the energy
The molten metal of the workpiece and the delivered by the electric arc.
electrode must be protected against oxy-
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THE ART OF WELDING
3.1. Advantages/Inconveniences of the TIG (GTAW) process
3.1.1. Advantages
1- Nearly all metals can be joined. reduced to less than 1%.
2- Different kinds of steel, stainless steel 5- No slag or fumes are developed during
included, can be welded as well as refrac- welding.
tory or wear-resistant nickel alloys, alumin- 6- The affecting weld parameters can be
ium, copper, gold, magnesium, tantalum, adjusted in a wide range and mostly inde-
titanium, zirconium, and their alloys; even
pendent one of each other.
brass and bronze can be welded in certain
cases; if filler wire is applied, workpieces 7- TIG welding can be carried out with or
consisting of dissimilar alloys or batches can without filler wire.
also be joined together. 8- The arc voltage, which is directly related
3 - All welding positions are possible. to the arc length, and the weld current
intensity offer a wide range of variations
4 - The process is very stable and reliable;
and can be controlled automatically.
the occurrence of weld defects can be
3.1.2. Inconveniences
1- Compared to other arc welding pro- and the exact values of weld parameters
cesses, the deposition rate of the TIG pro- which are necessary to control the process.
cess is relatively low. 3- The welding equipment is sophisticated;
2- Time-intensive and costly development is it requires much more capital investment
necessary to determine the weld procedures cost than gear for manual welding.
3.2. Types of weld currents

Two kinds of current are applied in the TIG Electrode Positive is not used in the TIG
welding technique: process except of some very special appli-
Direct Current (DC) is most frequently cations in aluminium welding. In this mode
used to weld nearly all types of materials. however, most of the heat is transmitted to
the tungsten electrode, so already at low
Alternating Current (AC) is preferred to
weld current intensities, very large electrode
weld aluminium and aluminium alloys.
diameters, compared to TIG DCEN, become
If DC is used, the electrode is connected necessary to carry off the heat.
as cathode to the negative terminal of the In the AC mode, the electrode is switched
power source; this configuration is named periodically between positive and negative
DCEN or Direct Current Electrode Negative. polarity. During the time of positive polar-
In this case, the electrons of the electric arc ity the tungsten electrode acts as the anode,
flow from the electrode with negative polar- due to the cleaning effect produced, the
ity to the workpiece with positive polarity. oxide layer on the surface of the workpiece
Up to 70% of the released energy is con- will be destroyed. During the time of nega-
sidered to heat up the workpiece, which tive polarity the tungsten electrode acts as
means an efficiency of 0.7 (useful energy/ cathode, the heat necessary to melt the alu-
released energy). minium is applied to the workpiece; in this
The configuration DCEP or Direct Current phase the electrode can then cool down.
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THE ART OF WELDING
3.3. Tungsten electrodes
3.3.1. Types of electrodes
Tungsten is a highly refractory metal with a grinding equipment is required to ensure a
melting point of 3,410 °C. It withstands the safe disposal of the grinding particles.
heat of the electric arc and keeps its hard- Today, different alloyed tungsten electrodes
ness even if it becomes red hot. In the past, are preferred, e.g. Ceriated or Lanthanated
thoriated tungsten electrodes have been types, which are free of any radioactivity. In
widely used for TIG welding, but as thorium addition, their performance is comparable
is a low-level radioactive element, special to that of thoriated tungsten electrodes.
3.3.2. The Electrode grinder

To get the precise end preparation and suf-
ficient repeat accuracy which is necessary to
maintain a stable arc and a consistent level
of weld penetration, a special electrode
grinder should be used. Correct: lengthwise grinding marks
The design of the grinder must ensure that

the grind marks on the tapered part run in
correct alignment with the grain structure
of the electrode: lengthwise. This guaranties
better ignition and improved arc stability. Incorrect: circumferential grinding marks
3.4. Filler metals

The application of filler wire may become necessary under the following conditions:
1- The welding seam must be reinforced. 5 - If the alloys change their composition or
2- If carbon steel or mild steel have to be structure during welding.
welded. Alloying elements can evaporate during the
3- In case of a preparation of the tube weld process or form a new compound.
ends, for example a J or V preparation. For example, chromium carbide is devel-
4- To prevent metallurgical failure if the oped if chromium combines with carbon.
tubes to be welded are made of dissimilar The resulting lack of metallic chromium can
metals or alloys. cause an unwanted loss of corrosion resist-
A well-known example is the welded con- ance at the heat affected zone.
nection between carbon steel and Stainless
Steel 316, where a filler wire made of
Stainless Steel 309 or nickel base alloy
Inconel 82® is added.
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THE ART OF WELDING
3.5. Gases
3.5.1. Welding gases
Argon is commonly used as shielding gas aluminium and titanium they are strictly
in the TIG process. It provides good arc strik- forbidden.
ing characteristics and excellent arc stability The weld energy can also be increased by
even at low amperages, the energy of the argon/helium mixtures with helium contents
arc is confined to a narrow area. Argon of 20%, 50% or 70% or even pure helium.
is also compatible with all types of base Helium has no detrimental effects on tita-
materials. nium, so it is used especially to weld the
Shielding gas for standard TIG welding pure metal or titanium containing alloys.
purposes should have a purity of 4.5, i.e. a Mixtures of argon, helium and nitrogen
purity level of 99.995%. Metals which are are used to weld Duplex and Super Duplex
classified as delicate to weld for example; steels.
titanium, tantalum, zirconium and their
alloys require a purity of at least 4.8, which Unlike argon, helium is a good heat con-
means a purity level of 99.998%. ductor. The arc voltage under helium is much
higher than under argon, so the energy
To increase the weld energy, 2% to 5%
content of the arc is strongly increased. The
hydrogen can be added to the argon.
arc column is wider and allows deeper pen-
Besides a higher energy input of 10% to
etration. Helium is applied for the welding
20% resulting in a better penetration and
of metals with high heat conductivity like
faster welding speeds, argon / hydrogen
copper, aluminium and light metal alloys.
mixtures have reducing properties helping
As helium is a lightweight gas, compared to
to protect the molten metal against the
argon its flow rate for identical gas coverage
influence of oxygen from the surrounding
atmosphere. However, mild and carbon must be increased two to three times.
steels absorb hydrogen with the possible The following table indicates the qualifica-
result of porosity and cold cracking, so the tion of different welding gases and mixtures
use of hydrogen containing gas mixtures according to the base materials to be joined:
is not recommended; for the welding of
Ar Ar + H2 Ar + Hé Ar + N2 He Ar Argon
Mild steel / Carbon steel *** ** ** * ** N2 Nitrogen
Austenitic steel *** ** ** ** ** H2 Hydrogen
Duplex / Super duplex steel ** ** ** *** ** He Helium
Copper *** x *** ** *** *** Recommended
Aluminium *** x *** * *** ** Possible
Titanium *** x *** x *** * Not to be used
x Prohibited
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THE ART OF WELDING
3.5.2. Backing gases
Most applications of orbital welding require must be prevented from coming in contact
an outstanding quality to the inside of the with oxygen in the atmosphere. Depending
root, as this is the part of the weld which on the material to be welded, reducing
will be in direct contact with the transported components like N2 or H2 are added to the
medium. To avoid any risk of oxidation, backing gas. The most typical backing gases
before, during and after the welding opera- and mixtures applicable for the different
tion the hot metal at the inside of the tube base metals are:
Ar N2 Ar + H2 ou N2 + H2 Ar Argon
Mild steel / Carbon steel *** *** * N2 Nitrogen
Austenitic steel *** *** *** H2 Hydrogen
Duplex / Super duplex steel ** *** ** *** Recommended
Copper *** ** ** ** Possible
Aluminium *** * x * Not to be used
Titanium *** x x x Prohibited
3.6. Weld energy

3.6.1. The Influence of heat input
The heat input cannot be measured, but length continuously at a specified level,
only calculated; its quantity is used e.g. to by that the arc voltage remains constant
compare different weld procedures for a at the desired weld current intensity. But
given weld process. The heat input influ- additionally, as the heat input is influenced
ences the cooling rate and the HAZ (Heat significantly by the travel speed, the manual
Affected Zone) of the weld. A lower heat welder must finish the weld within a fixed
input allows us to obtain faster cooling rates period of time. Only well-trained welding
and a smaller HAZ. With fast cooling rates, staff with excellent skills is able to meet
microstructure modifications of the base these requirements.
metal like grain growth or precipitations In automatic Gas Tungsten Arc Welding, the
can be minimised, avoiding the loss of too process parameters arc voltage and weld
much mechanical strength or corrosion- current intensity, as well as travel speed
resistance. For many materials, e.g. sophis- and wire feed rates are controlled and kept
ticated heat-treated and stainless steels, the constant by the microelectronic devices
heat input is limited by the specifications of functioning within the power source, so the
the manufacturer. demand to respect a specified heat input
In manual welding, to obtain a particular does not cause any problems.
heat input, the welder must keep the arc
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THE ART OF WELDING
3.6.2. Formula to calculate heat input

The energy per unit length of the weld (Heat Expert information:
Input) HI released by the electric arc during To calculate the average weld current Iaverage
welding is calculated using the following when using pulsed current for orbital weld-
equation: ing applications, the following formula has
HI = 60 x U x I / S to be applied:
HI = heat input [J / mm or J / in] Iaverage = (Ih x Th + Ib x Tb) / (Tb + Th)
U = arc voltage [V]

I = current [A]
I ( A)
S = travel speed [mm / min or in / min]
Using the above cited equation for heat
Ih
input calculation, the characteristics of the
applied weld process are not taken into
account. A weld process dependent effi-
ciency coefficient "r" allows us to calculate I average
a more comparable heat input values for dif- Ib

ferent weld processes:
HI = 60 x U x I x r / S Tb Th T ( m s)
In publications, the coefficient "r" for TIG Ih Pulse current

(GTAW) welding, is expected to be in the Th Pulse time
range of 0.6 to 0.8, i.e. 60% to 80% of the
energy released by the electric arc heats up Ib Background current
the workpiece while 20% to 40% escape Tb Background time
by radiation, heating up of the torch, the
shielding gas etc.
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THE ART OF WELDING
4. Reasons to select orbital welding
The decision for the use of mechanised or factor. The orbital welding process offers a
automatic orbital TIG welding can be taken large range of benefits which qualifies it for
for different reasons: economic, technical, industrial applications. The major advan-
organisational, and others may be more or tages are:
less important or even become the decisive
4.1. Increased productivity compared to manual welding

Compared to manual TIG welding, the site - orbital welding equipment guaran-
mechanised or automatic process leads to tees that approved weld sequences are reli-
enhanced productivity. Repetitive work in ably repeated, hence time-consuming repair
the shop or complicated assembly jobs on work will be reduced to a minimum.
4.2. Consistent excellent weld quality

Generally, the weld quality obtained by cycle can be repeated as often as necessary,
mechanised equipment is superior to that without deviations and virtually without
of manual welding. Once an adequate weld weld defects.
program has been developed, the weld
4.3. Required skill levels of the operators

Certified welders are difficult to find and fectly and get excellent results. By using this
well remunerated. However, after appro- equipment expenditure on personnel can be
priate training, skilled mechanics are able reduced.
to operate orbital welding equipment per-
4.4. Environment
Orbital welding can be executed even head is positioned properly, the weld can
under harsh environmental conditions. be accomplished without problems from a
Restricted space or access, lack of visibility, safe distance; often supported by a video
presence of radiation; once the welding transmission.
4.5. Traceability – Quality Control

Modern orbital welding equipment is data acquisition systems operate in the
designed for real-time monitoring of the background, if they are connected directly
affecting weld parameters; a complete weld to a superior quality management system;
protocol can be generated and stored or automatic data transfer takes place without
output as a printed document. Sophisticated any interruptions to the weld procedure.
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THE ART OF WELDING
5. Industries which apply the orbital TIG welding

process
5.1. Aircraft industry
In the aircraft industry, which was the first required consistent joint quality cannot be
one to recognize the importance of orbital guaranteed. The only solution is to establish
welding for their purposes, more than welding procedures using orbital equip-
1,500 welds are necessary to complete the ment. In this way, the parameter values are
high pressure system of one single plane. reliably controlled by the equipment and the
Manual welding of the small, thin-walled final welds meet the same quality level as
tubes is extremely difficult; finally the the qualified test welds.
5.2. Food, diary and beverage industries

The food, diary and beverage industries everywhere inside the tubes enable success-
need tube and pipe systems meeting deli- ful cleaning and complete sterilisation of the
cate hygienic requirements. Full penetra- system. The requested surface quality can
tion of the welded joints is necessary; any only be ensured if orbital TIG equipment is
pit, pore, crevice, crack or undercut can used to weld these critical joints. Therefore,
become a dead spot where the medium is most standards and specifications oblige
trapped and pathogenic bacteria growth, nowadays the manufacturers of hygienic
(Listeria etc.), can occur. Smooth surfaces installations to apply this process.
5.3. Pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries

Plants in pharmaceutical industries must be corrosion are absolutely forbidden, the cor-
equipped with pipe systems for the trans- rosion resistance of these welds must not be
port and the treatment of the product and undermined, especially not by partial over-
for the safe supply of clean steam and heating of the base material. Joints made
injection water. For injection water and its by orbital welding qualify for extended cor-
derivatives that are intended for injection rosion resistance. Additionally, to avoid any
into the human body, the purity require- subsequent oxidation or corrosion, their
ments are particularly high. Any traces of smooth surface can be passivated.
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THE ART OF WELDING
5.4. Fabrication of semi-conductor devices
For the fabrication of semi-conductor installations are very stringent: uniform
devices, electro-polished stainless steel welds with small weld beads to minimize
tubes are installed as process gas lines, the weld surface in the tubes, full penetra-
mostly with an OD of 6.3 mm and a wall tion on the ID, absence of discoloration,
thickness of 0.9 mm. The ultra-pure process etc. Only experienced operators working
gas must pass the tubes without picking up with reliable orbital welding equipment are
moisture, oxygen, particles or other con- able to perform this task, often even under
taminants. The acceptance criteria for these adverse conditions on site.
5.5. Chemical industries

A considerable part of plant equipment for depend directly on the quality level of the
chemical industries is manufactured and welded joints, strict control and traceability
installed by means of orbital welding. of the weld process are required by cus-
Chemical apparatuses are comprise of tomers, inspection bodies and standards
tubes, heat exchangers and converters authorities. For the assembly of one heat
which are made of corrosion-resistant or exchanger, hundreds or even several thou-
refractory metals or alloys of titanium, zir- sand faultless welds have to be carried out,
conium, nickel, chrome etc.; not to forget so here orbital welding becomes a must to
the whole range of different stainless steel ensure the expected results.
types. As the service life of the installations
5.6. Fossil and nuclear power plants

For the safety of fossil fuel power stations must be assembled on site. The welding
and nuclear reactors the whole range of procedures and the weld quality are gen-
orbital joining techniques are applied: tubes erally under constant surveillance of the
with small diameters for sensing and con- respective authorities and external organisa-
trol purposes must be connected, heat tions, the required complete documentation
exchangers and other components are man- and traceability is ensured by the provision
ufactured using orbital tube-to-tubesheet of orbital equipment with online data acqui-
welding, and thick-walled tubes for opera- sition systems.
tion under high pressure and temperature
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THE ART OF WELDING
6. Specificities of the orbital weld process

6.1. Typical welding positions
The denominations for pipe welding are specified by the ASME code, section IX, and the
European Standards EN 287 / EN ISO 6947, both refer to the position of the tube to be welded.
( 1) ( 2)
AWS 1G AWS 2G AWS 5G AWS 6G

ISO PA ISO PC ISO PG (1) / PF (2) ISO H-LO45
Rotating tube/ Rotating tube & Fixed tube/Vertical Rotating tube &
Horizontal axis fixed torche or fixed axis fixed torche or fixed
tube & rotating tube & rotating
torche/Vertical axis torche/Inclined axis
6.2. Pulsed current

The essential characteristic of successful its volume to a minimum, which mitigates
orbital welding is the necessity to control the the awkward effects of the force of gravity.
bath of molten metal during the whole weld
cycle, taking into account the continuously Th
Ih
changing situation in the process. An orbital
weld of the PF / PG or 5G (fixed tube) type
for example must meet at each moment the Ib
Tb
following conditions:
1 - Alteration of the weld position and
hence of the influence of the force of gravity.
2 - Alteration of the thermal state of the
workpiece.
The most effective measure to keep the con-
trol of all weld positions during the orbital
weld cycle is to use a pulsed weld current. Pulsed current is advantageous for a major
Basically, a pulsed weld current toggles part of orbital welding applications, making
between two different levels of intensity: the determination of welding parameters
easier and faster. However, if thick-walled
During a time period Th the weld current tubes of significant diameters with wall-
remains at a high level Ih; here the volume of thickness over 10 mm and tube diameters
the weld puddle increases to its maximum. above 114 mm are to be welded, the level
During a time period Tb the weld cur- of the low current intensity may approach
rent remains at a lower level Ib, allowing the that one of the high intensity, which results
weld puddle to cool down and to decrease almost in an un-pulsed current.
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THE ART OF WELDING
6.3. Programming of sectors
In many cases, the only use of a pulsed weld
current is not sufficient to obtain acceptable D
0°
orbital weld results. The parameters must be 360° 90°
S1
adapted with regard to the actual require-
ments of the weld. The course covered
during the weld cycle is hence divided into S4 S2
different zones, which are called sectors.
The weld parameters are modified if the
S3
border of one sector to the next is crossed. 270° 180°
To explain the sector layout, a circle of 360°
as symbol of the cross-section of the tubes
to be welded is divided into four sectors, Depending on the weld position and the
each covering 90°. The first sector begins at thermal conditions of the workpiece, which
the starting point D of the orbital weld, in is heated up perpetually by the energy input
this case at the 10.30 position, and ends at of the electric arc, the parameter values are
the 01.30 position. modified at the beginning of each sector.
Each sector corresponds to a specific weld- In the orbital weld practice, most often the
ing position: sectors are not divided as regularly as shown
sector S1 from 0° to 90° flat position; in the example. The number of sectors
can also vary due to the different welding
sector S2 de 90° à 180° vertically
applications.
down position;
sector S3 de 180° à 270° overhead
position;
sector S4 de 270° à 360° vertically up
position.
7. Hardware components of orbital welding equipment

Independently of the welding tasks to be In any case, the performance of the equip-
carried out, orbital welding equipment ment depends on the design of the afore
is generally composed of the following mentioned components.
components:
A programmable power source and a
remote control pendant, (distinct or
as integrated as part of the welding
head);
The welding head;
A wire feeding device, if required by
the application.
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THE ART OF WELDING
8. Programmable power sources

8.1. General
A power source for orbital applications is composed of several subassemblies with specific
functions each:
One or two Power Inverters to supply Cooling circuit for the torch and the
the welding current, and in case of hot wire welding and clamping tools.
welding, the current to heat up the filler
Data acquisition system recording each
wire. Today, state of the art sources are of
welding sequence.
the inverter type.
Programmable control unit which is The power sources for orbital welding can
generally based on an integrated or be divided in 3 categories with specific fields
external PC. of application.
8.2. Portable power sources

The weight and volume of a compact power function remote control pendant.
source is limited, the machine must be car- The man-machine-interface allows a com-
ried to the job site by the operator himself; fortable management of weld cycles,
its size must be small enough to make it programs and weld parameters, sector-pro-
pass through the openings of a man hole. gramming is supported as well.
The smallest power source with a weight of Power Sources of this type are equipped to
less than 30 kg delivers weld currents up to handle up to four axes of control, i.e. four
160 Amperes; it is operated on a 230 Volt devices can be programmed and controlled:
single phase supply. The programming and the shielding gas flow, the weld current
parameter development is carried out via intensities and pulse rates, the travel speed
an intuitive graphic user interface and a full of the welding head, and wire feeding
Polysoude power source PS 164-2 Polysoude power source P4
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THE ART OF WELDING
operations. A closed loop Cooling System or suggests weld parameters determined by
is present to operate water-cooled orbital progressive calculations. The proposed weld-
welding heads and welding tools and is inte- ing procedure can be finally optimised by an
grated as part of the machine. expert help menu or Welding Assistant.
A recently launched power source allows us To relieve the operator from further error-
to find matching weld programs, (if the user prone tasks, the power source detects and
specifies basic information about size and recognises connected peripherals auto-
material of the tubes to be joined), using a matically, (plug and play), as well as auto-
touch screen or PC. The system consults its matically adapting itself to available mains
in-built database to find similar applications supply voltages.
8.3. Medium-sized mobile power sources

With their increased weight, medium-sized interface and a full function remote control
power sources for orbital welding are too pendant.
heavy to be carried; they are mounted on Medium-sized power sources are designed
rubber wheels to keep them mobile. to handle up to six axes, which can be pro-
These power sources are for connection to grammed and controlled. Usually these axes
three-phase 415 Volt outlets or feature a are attributed to the shielding gas flow, the
multi-voltage input, they generate welding weld current intensities and pulse rates, the
currents up to 540 Amperes. For the dialog travel speed of the welding head, the wire
with the operator, the power sources are feeding operations, and Arc Voltage Control
equipped with a convenient man-machine- & Oscillation.
Polysoude power source P6 CW Polysoude power source P6 HW
19
THE ART OF WELDING
8.4. Full-size power sources

Full-size power sources can be equipped Among the axes to control peripheral or
to meet exactly the needs of the intended external units are Control Boards for spe-
welding task: depending on the model, cific equipment (wire feeders, real time
weld currents from 300 to 550 Amperes can data acquisition systems, refrigerators, etc.);
be supplied; they are connected to a three these other boards are equipped with input
phase 415 Volt outlet or can also offer a and output ports which can be programmed
multi-voltage input. The programming is car- entirely by the customer himself.
ried out via a PC and interactive software, a The programming of the full-size power
full function remote control pendant allows sources can be carried out online or offline
the operator to control the equipment. by means of a PC with comprehensible
Full-size power sources are designed to Windows™ based welding software. The
handle six axes or more, which can be pro- only restrictions within PC programming are
grammed and controlled. Basically, shielding given by the characteristics of the equipment
gas flow, weld current intensities and pulses, used.
travel speed of the welding head, wire feed-
ing operations, Arc Voltage Control and
oscillation devices are featured. A second
power source can be installed to deliver a
separate current for hot-wire applications.
The power sources are designed to control
supplementary axes, which can be added
later; the necessary electronic boards are
installed to empty slots at the front of the
machine.
Polysoude power source PC 600-3
9. Orbital welding heads

9.1. Tube-to-tube welding heads
9.1.1. Closed chamber welding heads
Closed chamber welding heads are espe-
cially designed for autogenous welding of
tubes without filler wire; their different sizes
cover a range of diameters between 1.6 mm
and 168 mm (ANSI 1/16" to 6"). Besides
austenitic stainless steel, metals susceptible
to oxidation like titanium or zirconium and
their alloys can be welded with excellent
results. Depending on the application, one
or two pairs of clamping shells or TCIs (Tube
Clamping Inserts) are needed to fix the closed
chamber head on to the tubes to be welded. Closed chamber welding head Polysoude MW
20
THE ART OF WELDING
9.1.2. Open welding heads of the U type
Open welding heads were conceived as a
tool for orbital TIG welding with or with-
out filler wire. The diameters of the tubes to
be welded cover a range from 8 mm up to
275 mm (ANSI 5/16" to 11").
Open welding heads of the U-type are
equipped with a TIG-torch with gas diffuser.
Sufficient gas protection is achieved only at
a zone around the torch which is covered by
the shielding gas streaming out of the gas
lens. During the welding process, the arc
can be watched and controlled directly by
the operator. The asymmetrical design of the
open heads allows welding to be carried out
at a very short distance to a wall or a bend.
The positioning of the welding torch can
be carried out manually or by means of Open welding head Polysoude MU
motorized slides (Arc Voltage Control and
oscillation).
9.1.3. Carriage-type welding heads

Open orbital welding heads of the car- tubes and pipes concerned always requires
riage type travel around the tubes or pipes multi-pass welding, the robust design of
on appropriate rails or tracks, which can be the carriage welding heads enable them
mounted on any tube OD from 114 mm to carry the necessary equipment such as a
(3 1/2") upwards. The wall thickness of the heavy duty driving motor, a torch with an
AVC and oscillation device and a wire feeder
bearing spools with a weight of up to 5 kg.
Additionally, video cameras can be mounted,
allowing the operator to watch and safe-
guard the weld process.
Due to the application, these welding heads
can be equipped with a standard TIG torch
with gas lens, assuring the protection of the
zone covered by the shielding gas; or with a
narrow groove torch, which offers improved
gas protection near to that of closed welding
heads.
Carriage-type welding head Polysoude Polycar
21
THE ART OF WELDING
9.2. Tube-to-tubesheet welding heads

9.2.1. Closed orbital tube-to-tubesheet welding heads without filler wire
Closed welding heads are designed for TIG
welding (GTAW) of tube-to-tubesheet appli-
cations, if they can be accomplished without
filler wire. With these welding heads, flush
or slightly protruding tubes with a minimum
internal diameter of 9.5 mm (3/8") can be
welded, the maximum diameter being
33.7 mm (1 1/3").
The weld is carried out in an inert atmos-
phere inside a welding gas chamber, provid-
ing very good protection against oxidation.
For clamping, a mandrel is inserted into
the tube to be welded and expanded
mechanically.
By means of a weld lance which is mounted
at the front of the welding head, internal
bore welding can be carried out at tube I.D.
between 10 mm and 33.7 mm (13/32" and Tube-to-tubesheet welding head Polysoude TS 34
1 1/3").
9.2.2. Open tube-to-tubesheet welding heads with or without filler wire
Open orbital tube-to-tubesheet welding travels around the tubes, which can be pro-
heads which can be used with filler wire cover truding, flush or recessed.
the whole range of applications from tubes The welding heads are equipped with a TIG-
with an I.D. of 10 mm (13/32") up to tubes torch with gas diffuser. A sufficient gas pro-
with a maximum O.D. of 60 mm. The TIG torch tection is achieved only at the zone around
the torch which is covered by the shielding
gas streaming out of the gas lens. If oxygen
sensitive materials need to be welded, the
gas protection can be improved by installing
a gas chamber.
The welding heads can be equipped with an
integrated wire feeder. A pneumatic clamp-
ing device can be used to hold the welding
head in working position on the tube plate,
enabling several welding heads to be oper-
ated by just one person. Welding lances
allow the operator to carry out internal bore
Tube-to-tubesheet welding welding with gapless joints behind a tube-
head Polysoude TS 8/75 sheet or a double tubesheet.
22
THE ART OF WELDING
10. Wire feeders
Generally, a wire feeding device can be inte- of the filler wire, which must be available on
grated into the orbital welding head or speci- suitable spools; furthermore on the conditions
fied as an external wire feeder. The choice of of use, the constraints of the application and
the feeding device depends on the availability the requested mobility of the equipment.
Integrated wire feeder External wire feeder Polysoude POLYFIL-3

on a Polysoude TS 8/75 welding head
11. Functionalities of the orbital welding equipment

11.1. Gas management
Gas control functions on the synoptic board of P4-P6 series Polysoude power source
There are three possibilities when control- 3 - An adjustable pressure reducer is

ling the gas management of an orbital weld- installed at the gas supply (cylinder or net-
ing installation: work), an electronic device inside the power
source controls the gas flow rate (power
1- A manually adjustable pressure reducer
sources of the PC series).Power sources for
with flow meter, installed at the gas supply,
orbital welding are equipped to control up
(cylinder or network), an electric valve which
to four gases: two welding gases and two
can be opened and closed by the control
additional gases, e.g. backing and trailing
unit of the power source (PS 164-2, P4).
gas. The so-called Bi-Gas function of a power
2- An adjustable pressure reducer is source allows the unit to change the type of
installed at the gas supply (cylinder or net- welding gas when the electric arc is initiated,
work), an electric valve can be opened and which is especially advantageous if helium
closed by the control unit of the power is used as shielding gas. To avoid frequently
source; a variable area flow meter (where occurring problems caused by ignition diffi-
a small ball can freely move up and down culties under helium, the ignition is initially
inside of an upright tapered measuring carried out under argon and, after the arc
tube) is integrated in the power source has become stable, the welding gas supply is
(power sources of the PC type). switched to helium.
23
THE ART OF WELDING
Depending on the standard of the particular welding the gas flow rate drops below a
orbital welding equipment, the welding gas factory-adjusted value, the weld cycle will
flow is continuously monitored. In case of be aborted automatically. By this measure,
an interruption of the welding gas supply, severe damage of the workpiece and equip-
the ignition of the arc is blocked. If during ment is avoided.
11.2. Current
Current control functions on the synoptic board of P4-P6 series Polysoude power source
11.2.1. Arc ignition

The standard method of striking an arc is to the welding head, which depending on the
apply high voltage surges with a tension of kind of application, must not exceed 30 m to
10 kV during a time period of 2 microsec- 50 m. If the welding head is equipped with an
onds at a frequency of 50 Hz. The column AVC device, a so-called Lift Arc ignition can
of shielding gas between the electrode and be carried out instead. The torch is moved
the workpiece becomes ionised and takes towards the workpiece until the tungsten
on conducting properties. As a consequence electrode touches its surface. Smoothly after-
an arc is struck and the weld current begins wards it is drawn back (lifted). The potential
to initialise the weld current is applied in the
to flow. This ignition method is the com-
same moment. Once the arc is struck the
mon standard for all types of orbital welding
torch can be moved to the programmed arc
equipment. length. The Lift Arc Ignition process has been
This ignition technique is limited by the developed by Polysoude, any tungsten inclu-
cable length between the power source and sion in the weld seam is reliably excluded.
11.2.2. Welding current
The welding current is one of the affecting Thermal pulsation (2): this current is com-
parameters of the TIG process; therefore its monly used for standard orbital TIG welding
intensities must be controlled accurately by (see chapter 6.2); the maximum frequency of
the power sources. A precision of ± 1 Amp thermal pulsations is 10 Hz.
is guaranteed if the welding current intensity Fast pulsed current (3): the current is pulsed
rests below 100 Amps, for intensities exceed- at increased frequencies between 500 Hz and
ing 100 Amps a precision of 1% is ensured. To 10,000 Hz. The fast pulsed current resembles
meet the requirements of the different appli- an un-pulsed current but forms an arc which
cations, dissimilar current types are supplied by is much more stable. The pulses are not visible
the power sources: but audible.
Un-pulsed current (1): no variation of the
current intensity.
24
THE ART OF WELDING
Thermo-rapid pulsed current (4): this cur-
1
rent form results of a combination of Thermal
pulsation (2) and Fast pulsation (3).
Pulsed current with mono-pulses (5): the
pulsed current is superposed by an intensity 2
peak at the beginning of each pulse, which
provokes an increased arc pressure on the
weld puddle. This function is particularly
helpful to get convex root geometry when 3
welding in overhead position (the torch is
situated below the workpiece), where the
force of gravity provokes a concave weld at
the I.D. of the tube. 4
Types of welding current

11.2.3. Downslope
To avoid a crater occurring at the end
of the weld, the welding current cannot
be interrupted instantaneously. During a
downslope, the weld current intensities are
decreased linearly to values between 30 A
and 4 A, afterwards the current is shut off.
The higher intensities are adapted to tubes
with a more significant wall thickness.
Downslope function
11.3. Torch rotation
Torch rotation control functions on the synoptic board of P4-P6 series Polysoude power source
During welding the torch must rotate with ing applications require a linear travel speed
the desired linear travel speed around range between 50 mm/min and 200 mm/min.
the tube or pipe. Standard orbital weld-
25
THE ART OF WELDING
In most cases the travel speed remains un- impulse emitters or tachometer encoders on
pulsed, but it can also become pulsed and request.
synchronized to the weld current pulsations. These pulses are also processed by the con-
It is possible to program different speeds dur- trol system of the power source to identify
ing base and pulse current. Usually, as in the the actual position of the torch relative to
case of step pulsed welding, rotation stops the start point, which means that the pro-
(V = 0 mm/min) during the high current level, gramming of a weld cycle can be carried out
whereas during the base current period the using angular degrees instead of time spans.
torch moves forward. Intuitive programming is possible because
The achieved speed precision is 1 % of the one tour of the torch always covers 360°
programmed value. Polysoude standard per pass, independently of the linear weld-
welding equipment can be operated using ing speed and the tube or pipe diameter.
11.4. Wire feeding
Wire feeding control functions on the synoptic board of P4-P6 series

Polysoude power source
Power sources for orbital welding are the inside of the workpiece.
equipped to control different types of wire At the end of welding, a wire retract func-
feeders; the attainable wire speeds range tion allows the reversal of the feeding direc-
from 0 to 8,000 mm/min, a precision of tion. The wire end is drawn back a few
about 1 % is attained. millimetres, avoiding the formation of a
Standard functions of wire feeding which terminal wire ball or, even worse, the wire
are managed by all power sources are the resting stuck in the weldment.
control of the wire start and stop as well Expert information:
as a pulsed feeding rates. The wire feeding
pulses can be synchronised to the pulses of 1- Common diameters of wire for welding
the weld current; the wire speed is kept at purposes range between 0.6 mm and 1.2 m;
a high level when the weld current is at its the best choice for standard orbital welding
high level, and is decreased during low level is a proper wire with 0.8 mm diameter.
current. The independence between wire 2- The melting rate of the wire depends
speed and weld current offered by the TIG not only on the precision of the wire feed
process allows the reversal of synchronisa- speed, but also on the precision of the wire
tion; the wire is fed at a high speed when itself: a variation of 0.02 mm at a wire with a
the current intensity is low; the wire arrives diameter of 0.8 mm represents a difference
at a small weld puddle and melts with resist- of already 5% of added metal.
ance. The mechanical stability of the wire
can be used to push the bath of molten
metal to get a convex root pass surface at
26
THE ART OF WELDING
11.5. AVC (Arc Voltage Control)
Arc voltage control functions on the synoptic board of P4-P6 series Polysoude power source
11.5.1. Theoretical approach
During welding, it is important to keep the arc length constant; but there are no simple
methods to measure it. In any case, if the welding conditions do not change, each particular
arc length corresponds to a related arc voltage. This phenomenon is used to control the
distance between the electrode and the workpiece during welding.
The characteristic of arc voltage at different Rule no. 3: if a different type of shield-
arc lengths and welding current intensities ing gas is used (with other weld parameters
are shown in the graph below: remaining unchanged), the arc length will
change: if the shielding gas changes e.g.
U ( V)
from argon to an argon-hydrogen mixture,
2 mm
the arc becomes significantly shorter.
U2- h 1 mm
U1- h Rule no. 4: if the geometry of the elec-
U2- b trode differs (taper angle, tip diameter), the
U1- b arc length at a given weld current changes
or, at a constant arc length, the arc voltage
I m ini I -b I -h I ( A) changes.
Rule no. 5: if a pulsed weld current is
At an arc length of 1 mm, the arc voltage applied, the arc voltage pulsations are not
measured between the electrode and the proportional.
workpiece at different welding current
intensities is characterised by the black line. I
The red line shows the result of the same I 1- h
measurement at an arc length of 2 mm.
Expert information: For welding currents I 1- b

below Imini the arc voltage control is not to T
be used. Imini is considered to be at a current U
intensity of 30 Ampere. U1- h
Rule no. 1: at the same weld current (I–b)
an increase of the arc length provokes a U1- b
higher arc voltage (increasing from U1-b to T
U2-b).
Rule no. 2: if the arc length is maintained Each change of the weld current intensity
(weld current intensity exceeds Imini) and the provokes a peak of the arc voltage which is
weld current increases (from I-b to I-h), the arc commonly known as overshoot.
voltage also increases (from U1-b to U1-h).
27
THE ART OF WELDING
11.5.2. AVC options

As for most orbital welding applications, a pulsed current is applied; the rules 1 and 2 must
be taken into account, making specific adjustments necessary to get a stable arc length.
Restriction of the voltage measurement To get optimal results with minimised
to the period of the low or of the high AVC-related torch movements, there are
welding current. During the period without more system parameters that can be set.
measurement the AVC slide is temporarily These parameters are (beginning with the
blocked, the electrode position does not most important):
change. The adjustment is simple, only one Sensitivity of the control system
parameter value is requested to get a stable
Speed of the electrode movement
arc length
Switch-off time at the beginning of
Extended arc voltage measurement dur-
each current pulse to eliminate the
ing the period of the low and of the high
effect of overshoot (rule no. 5).
welding current. This type of AVC control
can be used if thermal pulsing (pulse fre-
quency < 10 Hz) is applied.
11.5.3. Programmable distance between electrode and workpiece
Besides the AVC control, the torch position The mentioned function is often used to get
can be determined by the programmed the electrode in position e.g. with tube-to-
distance between electrode and workpiece tubesheet applications or, if special welding
function. Here, starting from a reference tools are used, to follow the complex sur-
value, the torch is moved by a motorized face geometry of a workpiece in piggyback
slide over the selected distance in mm to the position.
desired height.
11.6. Oscillation
Oscillation control functions on the synoptic board of P4-P6 series Polysoude power source
If a weld preparation is applied to the tube the groove can be covered completely by
ends, the groove to be filled becomes rel- one layer if the torch is moving perpendicu-
atively wide, especially in the case of an larly from one side to the other between the
increased wall thickness. Different to the sidewalls of the weld prep. This movement
stringer bead technique, where several is generated by a motorised slide and con-
passes are required to complete one layer, trolled by the oscillation system.
28
THE ART OF WELDING
Parameters needing to be set to get the cor- It is possible to synchronise the torch oscilla-
rect oscillation are width and speed of the tion with the pulsed current. For example, to
stroke, as well as the dwell time, during increase the penetration at the sidewall, the
which the torch remains at the end points high current intensity value is maintained
of its movement next to the sidewalls of the continuously during the dwell time.
groove.
11.7. Remote control

The remote control pendant is a device to pendants display actual welding informa-
enable the communication between the tion such as measured welding current and
welder or operator and the equipment. All arc voltage, travel and wire speed; angular
commands necessary to manage the weld- torch position and time elapsed since the
ing equipment are directly accessible. weld cycle start.
Out of weld cycle
During the mode, all movements of the
equipment can be controlled: torch rotation,
torch movement towards the workpiece or
centring above the weld seam (AVC and
oscillation), etc.
During weld cycle
The mode allows adjusting of the welding
parameters as necessary, (if allowed by the
program), to modify the torch position by
means of AVC and oscillation functions if
available. Additionally, most remote control
Remote control pendant of a

Polysoude P6 power source
11.8. Cooling Unit

With the exception of some devices In all cases, the flow of the cooling liquid is
designed for special applications, orbital continuously monitored to avoid damage to
welding heads are generally water-cooled. water cooled units, such as the Torch and
The Power Source provides integrated the Power Source will be switched off if a
closed-loop water cooling circuits. failure occurs.
For heavy duty equipment, (hot wire,
plasma), an external regulated and refriger-
ating water-cooling unit is necessary.
29
THE ART OF WELDING
12. Weld cycle programming

12.1. Program structure of a weld cycle with 4 axes
Depending on the application and the type scheme of logical and chronological rules.
of orbital welding equipment, the program- As an example, the program of a standard
ming of a weld cycle can be more or less weld cycle including filler wire, but without
complex. In all cases, the program struc- AVC and oscillation, is summarized.
ture is always built up following the same
1 2 34 5 6 7 8 9
1 Start of the weld cycle (triggered by the Start button of the control pendant)
1 to 2 Shielding gas flow during the programmed pre-flow time before the ignition of the arc
2 Ignition of the arc and beginning of the pulsed weld current. The clock is reset to zero
2 to 3 Delay of the wire feeding
2 to 4 Delay of the rotation
3 Start of the wire feeding*
4 Start of the torch rotation* (initial position of the torch is set to zero position of the weld cycle)
5 Begin of a new sector where the weld current is modified
End of wire feeding* (and wire retract if programmed). Generally, the end of wire feeding is
6 positioned at approx. 360°
Begin of the weld current downslope before the arc is finally switched off. Generally, the downs-
7 lope is positioned at 360° + 5° to 10° of overlapping to re-melt the beginning of the weld seam
and to ensure a perfect joint at the end of the weld
7 to 8 Time of the weld current downslope to finish the weld without crack and crater formation
8 Extinguish the arc and rotation stop
Time period of post-gas flow to protect the weld zone of the workpiece until a sufficiently low
8 to 9 temperature has been reached and to protect the hot tungsten electrode against oxygen of the
atmosphere.
9 Shielding gas stop and end of the weld cycle.
* Depending on the expected result the functions may be programmed in a different chronological order.
30
THE ART OF WELDING
12.2. Interfaces for the programming of weld cycles
Generally, two different types of inter- complete weld cycles offline and to manage
faces are actually used for the interactions the weld cycle library. As the software is exe-
between the user and the orbital welding cuted under a Windows™ environment, it
equipment. is easy to handle and understand. The data
1 - On a synoptic board, the weld cycle files from the PC can also be transferred to
occurs in form a graphic presentation. The the power sources via compact flash cards.
operator has to move a cursor to choose 2 - A recently introduced user-friendly
a parameter; the related values occur on a Graphical User Interface, (GUI), for orbital
display (2 lines) and can be modified if nec- welding equipment based on a PC with
essary. At the beginning, some general con- Linux environment has been developed.
ditions must be fixed: The virtual synoptic is presented on a 10.4"
Whether pulsed or un-pulsed welding touchscreen; it allows not only the complete
current is required weld data management but offers all func-
tions to assist the operator with the devel-
If wire feeding shall be switched off or
opment and finish of any orbital welding
executed un-pulsed or pulsed.
program. Some of the features are listed
Depending on this selection, only the below:
parameters to be specified are accessible
Complete documentation of the work-
one by one. The PS 164-2 microprocessor-
piece data
controlled power source is based on this
type of interface. The programmed values Creation of chained weld cycles to carry
can be stored on memo cards. out a complete multi-pass weld sequence
This kind of technique allows handling of Detailed description of boundary param-
the main machine parameters, but the input eters, i.e. mechanical adjustments of
of additional documentation via the power devices, type and characteristics of gases
source is not possible. However, the data can used, electrodes, filler wire etc.
be stored on a compact flash card and trans- An expert system with a search function
ferred to a PC. Particular software allows to which deals with up to 8 parameters at the
addition of missing information, to create same time
Synoptic board of the Polysoude PS 164-2 power source
31
THE ART OF WELDING
Computer-aided optimisation of wel-

ding parameters for tube-to-tube and tube-
to-tubesheet applications
Automatic generation of programs for
orbital fusion welding.
The P4 and P6 Power Sources are both
equipped with the features described. They
can be programmed online or offline, by
LAN connection. Software upgrade via
Ethernet is also possible.
Polysoude P4 power source touchscreen
12.3. Offline programming
The programming of weld cycles for very understand these commands and to build
complex applications and research tasks up his own weld programs autonomously.
are carried out offline by means of a per- The welding software is designed for a
sonal computer without connection to the Windows® environment; the user surface is
power source. The sequences are created similar to an Excel® worksheet.
line after line. Similar to the programming
Due to Windows® commonality, files of any
of a numerical controlled machine tool, but
format can be integrated, leading to com-
here the commands are made available to
plete documentation of the weld cycle and
the operator in his native language. After a
the attached parameters.
short training period, each welder is able to
Programming of a weld cycle for a Polysoude power source of the PC series
32
THE ART OF WELDING
13. Real time data acquisition
13.1. In summary
If a quality assurance system such as special requirements, they must be related

ISO 9000 has to be respected; only cali- to national or international standards or
brated equipment can be used for the manu- certified reference materials.
facturing of certain components. Calibration needs specific testing equipment
The expression calibration is specified by and procedures and can only be carried out
regulating standards. It means that meas- by an approved organisation, for example
uring instruments installed in the power the manufacturer of the welding equip-
source or within the connected devices ment, the quality assurance division of the
of the welding equipment have to meet user, or an independent external company.
13.2. Integrated real-time

data acquisition
During a weld cycle, the essential param-
eters values of weld current intensity, arc
voltage, travel speed and wire feed speed
are measured and memorised cyclically. To
allow a complete documentation of the
weld, a weld cycle report including these
measurements and the actual date and time
can be printed whenever a weld cycle has
been completed.
The weld cycle programs can be docu-
mented. The printouts may be used to verify
that all parameters are set correctly and
provided as proof for quality assurance pur-
poses. The printout contains the program
name, the parameter values and the range
of modification allowed to the operator
during the weld process by means of the
remote control.
The data acquisition system and printer can
be installed in PS 164-2, P4 and P6 Power
Sources.
Weld cycle report from a

Polysoude power source
33
THE ART OF WELDING
13.3. External real-time data acquisition
When using PC type equipment the real- parameters. In this case, the concerned
time data acquisition is not integrated in the parameter values are continually compared
power source. The Polysoude RECORDING to a previously recorded defect-free sam-
SYSTEM which is used in place of the typi- ple weld. If the system is operated in the
cal system represents a development using passive mode, the graph changes its
DASYLab® software made available by colour as soon as a parameter limit is
National Instruments. DASYLab® is a soft- reached; switched to the active mode, the
ware environment which is specialised in data acquisition system aborts each weld
data acquisition, analysis and real-time cycle if the specified limits are exceeded.
control.
Parameters such as values for welding
and hot wire current intensities, arc volt-
age, travel speed and wire feed speed are
recorded at a frequency of 200 Hz. When
the weld cycle starts, (arc ignition), the
recording starts automatically, at the same
moment, the storing of data on the hard
disk of the PC begins. The created files are
named automatically with an unambiguous
code including date and time.
The progress of the weld cycle can be moni-
tored and occurs as a graph on the display. Example of a weld cycle report generated
The data acquisition system allows the by the Polysoude data acquisition system
operator to set limits for the different weld
14. Tube-to-tube fusion welding

14.1. Applications
Fusion welds of thin-walled tubes cover a austenitic stainless steel, but nickel alloys as
wide range of applications. Clients include well as titanium and its alloys can also be
for example: semiconductor industry, bio- found. The range covers diameters from
chemistry, instrumentation, food and bev- 1.6 to 170 mm; with wall thicknesses of
erage, pharmaceutical industry, chemical/ varying between 0.2 and 3.2 mm.
sanitary industry, and aeronautics/aero-
space. In most cases, the tubes are made of
34
THE ART OF WELDING
14.2. Equipment
Preferentially, fusion welds are carried out

using machines such as the PS 164-2 or
P4 power sources, combined with closed
orbital welding heads. Depending on the
application, the closed welding heads can
be divided in 2 groups.
Polysoude P4 power source with a

MW series closed chamber welding head
14.2.1. UHP closed chamber welding heads
Welding heads of the UHP type provide dis-

tinct reduced radial and axial dimensions;
they are especially adapted to the welding of
small diameter tubes. These welding heads
are designed in a modular structure. The
drive motor is integrated into a unique han-
dle and can be combined with 3 gear mod-
ules UHP 250-2 for tube sizes up to 6.35 mm
(1/4"), UHP 500-2 for up to 12.7 mm (1/2"),
and UHP 1500 for diameters up to 33.7 mm
(1 1/3"). Interchangeable clamping cas-
settes for example allow preparation of the
work pieces independently in advance. The
handle with the motor is only attached dur-
ing the time which is necessary to accom-
plish a weld.
Closed chamber welding Clamping cassettes and flexible Tube Clamp
head Polysoude UHP 500-2
Inserts (TCI) made from titanium are per-
The UHP welding heads are specially fectly adapted to fit the typical standard
designed to meet the requirements of outside diameters of tubing used in semi-
high purity applications. Inside the welding conductor applications or pure gas supplies.
head, the shielding gas is flowing separately The asymmetric shape of the welding head
through a high purity gas circuit and arrives allows the joining of fittings with a short
directly at the weld zone without any con- stick-out, and fixture blocks ensure reliable
tact to gears or rotating parts. Thus, the centring, alignment and clamping of all
danger of particle contamination is signifi- kinds of common micro-fittings.
cantly reduced.
35
THE ART OF WELDING
14.2.2. MW closed chamber welding heads

The MW range of closed welding heads
has been exclusively designed for autog-
enous welding without wire. They fit
tube O.D. between 6 mm and 115 mm. In
addition to the perfect weld quality which
can be obtained with these kinds of welding
head, the inbuilt cooling circuit, together
with the high temperature-resistant mate-
rials used in their construction, provide a
considerable increase in productivity. Fast
operation is ensured by the remote control
buttons which are integrated comfortably
into the handle.
Fittings and accessories with a short stick-
out can be welded by means of an elbow-kit
with off-set electrode holder.
Polysoude MW series closed

chamber welding head
14.2.3. Open welding heads

Open welding heads can be used to weld
with or without filler metal. Two important
differences compared to closed welding
heads should be pointed out:
The gas protection does not cover the
whole welding zone, but only a limited zone
around the torch. This can cause problems
in case of applications where oxygen-sensi-
tive metals or alloys have to be welded
The straight length of the workpiece at the
clamping side of an open welding head
is much more important than the length
needed by closed welding heads.
Polysoude MU series open welding head
36
THE ART OF WELDING
14.3. Calculation of weld parameters values
Depending on the diameter and wall thick- be calculated. The calculations are based on
ness of the tubes to be joined the parameter formulas developed for stainless steel of the
values for fusion welding without wire can 300 series (e.g. 316 L), but the results can
be transposed for other materials. Recent
power sources like the P 4 and P 6 are
equipped with software to calculate weld
parameter values automatically if the par-
ticular application cannot be found in their
integrated library.
In any case, the validity of the calculated
results must be confirmed by test welds.
Materials with the same designation, and
of an equal nominal composition, may still
have very different welding properties (see
also chapter 14.7 - Chemical composition
Menu to access existing weld procedures and repeatability of welds).
or calculated parameters
14.4. Joint preparation

Autogenous orbital welding requires a pre- Internal mechanical fixing devices can be
cise butt end preparation of the tubes. To helpful for positioning and welding, these
obtain such precise square edges, the prepa- devices are often connected to systems to
ration should be carried out with a special control the backing gas flow rate; they are
bevelling machine. Burrs must be removed advantageous when used if SMS-fittings
completely and the tube ends must fit have to be joined for applications of the
exactly without any gap. No grease, mois- food and beverage industry.
ture or other types of contaminations are Expert information: To reinforce the
allowed around the welding zone. mechanical strength of an autogenously
Before the welding process can be started, welded seam, additional material can be
the tubes must often be positioned without obtained by a preparation of one tube end
misalignment and fixed by tack welding. with an overlapping collar ①. Another pos-
During the tack welding, to avoid any discol- sibility is to place a welding insert into the
oration or oxidation inside the tubes, they gap between the tubes ②. A thoroughly
must be purged with backing gas. Due to selected choice of the insert alloy allows
the high melting temperature of chromium welding dissimilar materials which otherwise
oxides blue or dark spots originated by tack cannot be joined by autogenous welding.
welds can provoke a lack of fusion during
the final weld operation.
1
The diameter of the tack welds must remain
smaller that the width of the final weld
seam. To ensure the complete re-melting
of the tacking points during the welding 2
process, the tack welding operations have

to be carried out without filler wire.
37
THE ART OF WELDING
14.5. Electrode preparation
To maintain a constant and compact form of

welding arc, tungsten electrodes which will
be used for mechanised or automatic weld-
ing should be prepared with a tapered end.
The diameter of the electrode, the grinding
angle "A" and the diameter "M" of the flat-
tened tip depend on the weld current inten- A
sity. The grinding angle "A" should have a
value between 18° and 30°, the flattened
tip diameter should be prepared between
0.1 mm and 0.5 mm. Higher weld current
intensities request a larger grinding angle
and greater flattened tip diameter.
The length of the electrode must be cal-
culated and cut dependant on the type
M
of welding head, the OD of the tubes to
be welded and the specified arc length.
Electrode preparation
In many cases it is difficult to prepare the
electrodes with the necessary precision on
site even by using an electrode grinder. The
purchase of ready-to-use electrodes on the tively, so a considerable amount of welding
market is often considered to be an efficient problems and defects (arc instabilities, igni-
and economic solution. tion difficulties) can be avoided. Delicate
Expert information: The tungsten elec- applications sometimes require the elec-
trodes should always be changed preven- trode to be changed after each weld.
Direct current [A] Alternating current [A]

Electrode Straight Reverse Balanced
diameter polarity DCEN polarity DCEP wave
0.020’’ 0.05 mm 5-20 10-20
0.04’’ 1.0 mm 15-80 20-30
1/16’’ 1.6 mm 70-150 10-20 30-80
3/32’’ 2.4 mm 150-250 15-30 60-130
1/8’’ 3.2 mm 250-400 25-40 100-180
5/32’’ 4.0 mm 400-500 40-55 160-240
3/16’’ 4.8 mm 500-750 55-80 190-300
1/4’’ 6.4 mm 750-1100 80-125 325-450
Electrode diameters to be selected for different welding current intensities
38
THE ART OF WELDING
14.6. Backing gas
During orbital welding, the inner surface nated by moisture, oxygen, particles or
of the tubes must be protected against oxi- other contaminants.
dation. Therefore, the interior of the tube During welding, the specified values of flow
system is purged by backing gas. The purity rate and internal pressure of the backing
of the backing gas depends on the required gas must be respected and kept constant.
weld quality. Before the weld can be started, The internal pressure must be controlled
a sufficient purge time must elapse, allow- because excessive pressure will produce
ing the backing gas to remove the oxygen a root weld with a concave surface at the
out of the system. The remaining oxygen outside or, even worse, cause a weld bead
content of the backing gas can be ana- short circuit.
lysed at the outlet; if it has decreased to an
If tubes with small diameters below
acceptable value, the welding operation can
9.52mm (3/8") are welded, the internal
begin. Usually in the case of UHP applica-
pressure can be used to prevent any excess
tions (Ultra High Purity) the oxygen level
of convexity or inside diameter reduction.
must fall below 10 PPM (Parts per Million),
i.e. less than 0.001%. Expert information: A light heat tint, due
Expert information: The supply of ultra- to remaining oxygen in the backing gas, can
pure process gas requires that it passes be removed by passivation.
through the tubes without being contami-
Influence of oxygen
content in the backing gas
on the colouration of the
root weld
14.7. Chemical composition and repeatability of the welds

Several problems occurring during the weld- sulphur content, the arc can be deflected
ing of stainless steel can be caused by low completely to the part with the lower sul-
sulphur content of the base metal. The sulphur content, thus excluding any acceptable
phur content influences the surface tension standard weld operation. In some cases, a
of the molten metal, high sulphur grades are double non-stop run of the welding proce-
characterized by a narrow deep weld profile. dure may solve the problem.
Low sulphur contents cause a very wide but 0.001 % 0.008 % 0.03 %
shallow weld bead with drastically reduced

penetration, which can be explained by a
phenomena named the Marangoni effect.
If a workpiece with very low sulphur content Influence of the sulphur content on
should be joined to a second one with high the weld pool
39
THE ART OF WELDING
15. Tube-to-tube or pipe-to-pipe orbital welding with filler wire

15.1. Applications
For several reasons, it can become neces- Plain carbon steel

sary to apply filler metal in orbital welding Low-alloyed chromium or chromium
procedures: manganese containing carbon steel
Wall thickness of the tubes requires a High-alloyed chromium nickel steel
preparation of their ends (austenitic or with an austenite-ferrite
Tubes or pipes to be welded are made crystal structure)
of different base metals Nickel base alloys (like e.g. Inconel®-
alloys or Hastelloy®-alloys)
The weld must be reinforced
Titanium and its alloys.
Strength and/or corrosion resistance
are compromised by fusion welding. Although the tube dimensions differ very
Tube-to-tube welding applications with the much, the great majority is to be found in
addition of filler wire are often demanded the range of:
in the field of energy production (power 26.9 mm and 219 mm (¾" and 8")
plants) and chemical or petrochemical diameter
industries. 2.77 mm to 12.7 mm wall thickness
A wide range of base materials are used:
15.2. Choice of the equipment
For orbital welding with additional filler wire, standard equipment with 4 controlled axes
(shielding gas flow, weld current intensity, torch rotation speed and wire feeding speed) or
with 6 axes (4 axes + AVC and oscillation) can be used.
Independently from economic or other project-related considerations, the table below
shows the technical requirements for 4 or 6 axes equipment to be used:
Type of equipment
Criterion 4 axes 6 axes
Wall thickness small (< 4 mm) + +
to be welded medium and thick (> 4 mm) - +
reduced + -
Accessibility
free + +
simple + +
Weld sequence
difficult - +
low + +
Level of automation
high - +
40
THE ART OF WELDING
In the case of reduced accessibility of the tation of the welding tool is required, the
work area, equipment with 4 controlled equipment with 6 controlled axes should be
axes should be preferred. If easy implemen- the choice that is always recommended.
15.3. Weld preparation
The standard preparation for the manual A L

welding of tubes, bends, T-pieces and
flanges is a V-joint with a gap. For differ-
E
ent reasons, this type of preparation cannot
be used for orbital welding (a gap is inap-
plicable in orbital TIG welding, tack welding T
points are impossible to remove, backing
gas protection cannot be obtained, etc.).
Recommended tube end preparation
for orbital TIG welding
G
30 ° 30 °
Tube range Angle Collar
(mm) (°) (mm)
Wall thickness A T L
(mm)
3≤E≤6 30° 1
Tube end preparation commonly
used for manual tube welding 6≤E≤10 30° ou 20° 2
1,5
10≤E≤15 20°
Preparations for orbital welding are always Expert information:

designed as a joint without any gap at the For automatic welding, the I.D. is often
root face (G=0). For accessibility reasons, the machined to get a thickness T with an
angles of standard V preparations have to acceptable tolerance (± 0.2 to 0.3 mm).
be increased to 30° or even 37°. With this
To ensure the necessary precision and
type of joint a regular penetration cannot be
repeatability of the weld preparation,
obtained; on the contrary, depending on the
machines for mechanical tube end prepara-
weld position significant concavities occur.
tion must be used. Two types of machines
To avoid these problems, and to get the are available on the market:
desired uniform penetration, a J preparation Stationary installed equipment
with a collar of the width L and the thick- designed to be used in the workshop
ness T has to be selected. Indications about
Electric or pneumatic mobile machines
the recommended geometry of the prepara-
which can be hand-carried to machine
tion with respect to the tube diameter and
small batches or to be used on site.
thickness are given in the table below:
41
THE ART OF WELDING
Mobile installed equipment

for tube end preparation Workshop machine
To remove all traces of Rust as well as Oil, of magnetism or at least a very low flux
Carbon or Calamine Oxide Scale, the inside density (less than 3 gauss) is acceptable.
and the outside of tubes made from carbon Otherwise, welding problems or defects
steel must be machined. (lack of penetration, lateral sticking or
Expert information: Metals which can be porosity) can occur.
magnetised must be inspected: no remnant
15.4. Positioning of the tubes

Before orbital welding can be started, the gap is permitted.
tubes must be positioned and tack welded; If stainless steel, nickel base alloys or tita-
generally a maximum misalignment (high/ nium and its alloys have to be welded, a
low) of half of the land thickness T is tol- protection by backing gas is obligatory. In
erated. In order to avoid penetration faults fact, carbon steel can be welded without
during the laying of the root pass, tack backing gas, but a lower repeatability and
welding must be carried out without, or at an increasing repair rate of the welds must
least with very low wire input. The prepared be accepted.
tube ends must perfectly fit together: no
15.5. Multilayer welding

1
Two different methods can be applied to
carry out multilayer welding. Which one
can be used, depends on the features of the
available equipment:
2
1- With four controlled axes, only the
stringer bead technique with narrow weld
seams first placed side by side and then Multilayer welding method
super-positioned ① can be applied. In spe-
cial cases, e.g. fillet welding (2G or PC) or 2- Equipment with six controlled axes
even at 45° (6G or H L045), even if equip- allows the movement the torch laterally.
ment with AVC and oscillation is available, Passes with torch oscillation can be super-
the stringer bead technique is used. imposed and/or laid side by side ② .
42
THE ART OF WELDING
Multilayer welding with the stringer bead manual interventions. With the AVC func-
technique is quite complicated and time- tion the distance between electrode and
consuming, as the process has to be inter- workpiece is controlled, the oscillation
rupted after each pass and mechanical allows coverage of the entire joint width or
adjustments need to be made: the lateral to position the torch laterally. Once the torch
position of the torch and the distance is positioned above the joint, the electrode
between the previous pass and the elec- will be centred in the gap automatically. The
trode must be corrected. These adjustments different passes of a weld can be chained,
can only be executed if the particular parts the winding up of the hose and supply
of the welding head are accessible in its cables can also be executed automatically,
working position. and so the operator is not distracted by
Welding equipment with six controlled axes repetitive actions and can fully concentrate
significantly reduces the time required for on supervising the welding process
15.6. AVC requires precise electrode geometry

If tungsten electrodes are used for auto- length which provokes differences of the
matic orbital welding, it must be ensured melting bath size.
that their geometry remains absolutely the
same. Even small variations of the shape or Expert information: An increased arc
dimension cause significant changes of the length provokes the loss of the arc pres-
arc voltage, which is used as a base value by sure and can cause poor penetration and a
the AVC control (see chapter 11.5.1). The concave surface geometry. If the arc length
difference of the arc voltage will be trans- is too short, the electrode will be rapidly
formed by the AVC control to a different arc deteriorated.
15.7. Backing gas

For the manual welding of carbon steel a ommended. The formation of refractory cal-
backing gas protection is not mandatory, amine, which occurs distinctly if steel with
the inside of the tubes is protected by the higher manganese silicon content is welded,
shielding gas passing through the gap at the can be suppressed. Thus a better repeatabil-
bottom of the V joint. ity of the weld will be achieved. The backing
In the case of orbital welding with a gas types to be used for different base met-
J-preparation without any gap at the root als are listed at chapter 3.5.2.
face, backing gas protection is strongly rec-
15.8. Boundary parameters

The importance of boundary parameters, Ceramic nozzle: size, diameter and
i.e. parameters which are not directly pro- length
grammed at the machine, is often underesti- Electrode: type, diameter, end prepa-
mated in orbital welding. The consequences ration and stick out
are low repeatability of the welds and a Wire: grade and diameter; cast n°,
entry angle, impact point
decreased productivity. Some of the bound-
ary parameters are listed below: Position of the start point of the weld
Shielding gas: type, purity, flow rate Inter-pass temperature
Backing gas: type, purity, flow rate Ground cable position and
connection.
Gas lens: type and size
43
THE ART OF WELDING
15.9. Geometrical adjustments

For all applications the geometrical adjust- recommended to use the rigidity of the wire
ments concerning the torch and the wire to push the weld bead through and obtain
guide must be carried out thoroughly and some root convexity. For the filler and cap
documented clearly. passes it is recommended to reduce the dis-
tance to 2 mm. By this, the wire is closer to
the arc and melts easily. More wire can be
fed and cold wire defects are avoided.
3- The wire stick-out Sf should be adjusted
Se
α between 8 and 12 mm. If this distance is too
short the wire nozzle will burn or stick. If the
H De- f
Sf distance is too great the wire can twist in
any direction and, for example, contaminate
the tungsten electrode.
1 - The angle α between the tungsten and 4- The arc gap H should be adjusted
the arriving wire should be adjusted to a between 2 and 3 mm. In the case of 6 axes
value between 50° to 80°. equipment the distance will be controlled by
2 - The wire distance De-f to the electrode the AVC device. For a root pass weld the arc
should be adjusted between 1.5 mm and gap can be reduced to 1-2 mm (see chapter
3 mm. For the root pass the larger value is 11.5).
15.10. Possibilities to increase the performance of orbital TIG welding
Orbital GTAW welding with cold wire is relatively low (0.15 to 0.5 kg/h). In order to
an adequate choice for standard applica- boost the efficiency of the process it is pos-
tions which require high quality levels but sible to use the narrow groove or/and the
compared to other arc welding processes, hot wire technique.
the deposition rate of the TIG process is
15.10.1. Narrow Groove Welding

An important gain in productivity can be shrinkage, the gap above each layer
achieved by reducing the groove volume. becomes a bit narrower after the weld, thus
The narrow-groove technique deals with forming the borders for the next pass. This
the shrinkage of the workpiece after each technique can offer economic advantages
filler pass. The size of the gap at the root just for workpieces with a wall thickness of at
allows the insertion a flat-profile narrow- least 25 mm, weld seams of unchanging
groove torch which can weld stringer beads width can be obtained on wall thicknesses
of filler, one pass per layer. As a result of the up to 250 mm.
44
THE ART OF WELDING
Expert information: The narrow groove technique is not recommended for those base
materials being sensitive to hot cracking.
Commonly used Preparation for Macrographic section of

J-preparation for orbital TIG Narrow Groove welding a Narrow Groove TIG weld
-
15.10.2. Hot wire TIG welding
Increasing productivity without quality losses
can be achieved using the hot wire TIG pro-
cess. In this case, the filler wire is heated up
-
by an additional current. This hot wire cur-
rent is supplied by a second power source.
+
The hot wire technique leads to appreci- +
able higher deposition rates, i.e. 1 kg /h for
orbital welding and much more for cladding
applications. Principle of Hot Wire TIG welding
15.10.3. Hot wire Narrow Groove Welding

Of course the major efficiency is obtained
combining the narrow groove technique
and the hot wire process. This welding
procedure is mainly used to weld the high
pressure and high temperature pipes found
in fossil or nuclear power plants. Only a few
companies around the world are able to
offer the required sophisticated equipment
and technologies. The Polysoude PC 600–3
Hot Wire Power Source, in combination with
a Heavy Duty carriage-type orbital welding
head such as the Polycar MP 200mm,
equipped with an especially developed
narrow groove torch is Polysoude's answer
to this exciting challenge.
Polysoude Narrow Groove

Hot Wire TIG welding torch
45
THE ART OF WELDING
16. Orbital tube-to-tubesheet welding

16.1. Range of materials and tube dimensions
Nearly all weldable metals and alloys are and 38.1 mm (1.5") with wall thicknesses
used in the field of tube-to-tubesheet between 1.65 mm and 3.4 mm.
applications, but the range of the tube
dimensions is relatively restricted. Their Boilers and heat exchangers are used in
diameter range covers 12.7 mm to all kinds of industries, whereas the heavi-
101.6 mm, the wall thicknesses are between est equipment is found in the plants of the
0.5 mm and 5 mm. Most of the tube diam- chemical or petrochemical industries and in
eters measure between 19.05 mm (3/4") electric power stations.
16.2. Welding equipment
In most cases, the welding equipment used * Portable power sources are rarely used for
for tube-to-tubesheet welding is strictly these applications: there is no need for the
adapted to the kind of application and the machines to be carried.
desired level of automation:
2- The welding equipment, including four
1- Welding equipment featuring three controlled axes (gas, current, rotation,
controlled axes (gas, current, rotation) is wire), is composed of a stationary installed
composed of a stationary installed power power source and an open welding head.
source* and a closed welding head. This The equipment is suitable for single pass
equipment allows for the execution of fusion welding; two passes must be welded in two
welding without addition of filler wire. separate steps.
3- The welding equipment fitted with
five controlled axes (gas, current, rotation,
wire, AVC) is composed of a power source
designed to control 6 axes and a welding
head of the type TS 8/75 with AVC configu-
ration. The equipment allows the chaining
of multiple passes with filler wire, the rais-
ing of the torch between the passes can also
be programmed and is carried out without
interruption of the weld cycle.
Example of a three axis application with

a Polysoude TS 34 welding head
46
THE ART OF WELDING
4 - Welding equipment furnished with six
controlled axes, (gas, current, rotation, wire,
AVC, oscillation), comprises a PC Power
Source and a welding head of the type
20/160. The equipment allows multi-pass
welding (two or more passes); the torch can
be displaced in radial direction.
Macrographic section of a fully penetrated

tube-to-tubesheet joint welded behind the
tube plate
16.3. Specific requirements of tubes and weld preparations
Compared to manual welding, the planning 2 - As with V-joints it is virtually impossible

of the orbital tube-to-tubesheet welding to ensure reliable melting of the base of the
requires some more specific attention: tube edge, especially in the vertically down
1- The tubes have to be seamless (or position, (fusion defects are to be seen on
with flattened weld); concentricity faults macrographic sections), these joints have to
between the inner and the outer diameter be replaced by J-preparations.
must be limited to a minimum to allow the
repeatability of the electrode positioning.
With standard applications, (flush, protrud-
ing or recessed tubes) the torch is aligned
at the inside of the tube whereas the weld-
ing is carried out at the external diameter.
Concentricity faults would cause unaccepta-
ble variations of the distance between work-
piece and electrode and thus directly alter
the arc length. Fusion defects occurring on the ground
of a V-preparation
47
THE ART OF WELDING
3 - In some cases, if a good thermal conduc- sion and the tube diameter at the expanded
tion is requested, the play between the tube zone as well as the original diameter.
and the bore must be eliminated by a slight 4- The contact zone between the tube and
expansion of the tube. Play is necessary the tubesheet must be clean. Grease, oil or
for the assembly of the apparatus before other residues from the tube manufactur-
the welds are carried out, but if clearances ing or machining can cause the formation
become too great, problems of repeatability of unacceptable blowholes, with outlets on
may occur. However, it is difficult to specify the surface or closed in the welds.
a maximum amount of play; it depends on
5- A strong expansion of the tubes inside
the demanded weld quality and the thick-
the tubesheet must never be carried out
ness of the tube.
before automatic welding. A strong expan-
Expert information: To get optimised cen- sion (with or without longitudinal grooves
tring tools for the tube-to-tubesheet welding in the bore) causes almost always explosive
heads, each order must be accompanied by degassing effects which make automatic
information about the depth of the expan- welding impossible.
16.4. Welding of flush tubes
Depending on the application, orbital welding of flush tubes with or without filler metal is
possible. Different joint designs are shown below:
1 – Standard preparation 3 – V-preparation
2 – J-preparation 4 – Relief groove
1 2 3 4
16.4.1. Welding of flush tubes without filler wire

Most often the type 1 preparation is car- wall thickness of about 1 mm are made of tita-
ried out for the welding of flush tubes; nium whereas the tubesheet is designed and
rarely the type 4 is used. In case of tube manufactured as titanium-cladded steel plate.
diameters between 10 mm and 32 mm the
use of especially developed welding heads,
for these applications without filler wire, is
recommended.
It is the operator's task to position the weld-
ing head and to start the weld cycle. The
complete sequence is carried out automati-
cally; the operator is not needed any longer
at this machine. Thus, one operator can work
simultaneously with several welding heads.
Typical application: Condensers of thermal- Example of welding flush tubes to a tubesheet
electric power plants. Here, the tubes with a with two Polysoude TS 34 welding heads
48
THE ART OF WELDING
16.4.2. Welding of flush tubes with addition of filler wire
Welding equipment fitted with four or five Expert information: The AVC function is
controlled axes can be used for this appli- recommended especially for the welding of
cation; the open tube-to-tubesheet welding flush tubes.
head should be configured with devices Generally, the tube end preparations are of
adapted to the requirements: the type 1, 2 or 3. If a preparation of the
Integrated or external wire feeder tubesheet is carried out, the V-joint can be
With or without AVC avoided. With this type of preparation, there
is always the risk of incomplete penetration
With or without shielding gas cham-
of the root. A J-preparation (with or without
ber (for the welding of titanium or
radius) should be preferred, if the depth of
zirconium)
the bevelled edge exceeds 1.5 mm, the tube
Torch angle of 0° or 15°. end should be positioned at the half of it.
The maximum value of the tube end to be
recessed is 50% of the tube thickness, the
tube becomes flush by the weld.
Depending on the dimensions and the
required weld thickness one or two passes
are necessary. One tour of the torch is
always applied in case of a pass for tight-
ness; the layers for mechanical resistance
often require a second tour.
Example of welding flush tubes to a tubesheet

with a Polysoude TS 8/75 welding head
16.5. Welding of protruding tubes
Protruding tubes are always welded with addition of filler wire, but in some cases the weld
is beginning with a fusion pass. As shown below, different joint designs are possible.
A - Standard preparation without groove C – V-preparation

B – J-preparation
A B C
49
THE ART OF WELDING
Welding equipment fitted with four or five In any case, to avoid melting down the tube
controlled axes can be used for this applica- edge, the tube length measured from the
tion. Depending on the pitch and the pro- ground of the groove must exceed at least
truding distance, the torch inclination may 5 mm.
be varied. Standard torch angles are 15° or Remarque: If equipment fitted with five
30°: controlled axes is used, the AVC has to be
torches with an angle of 15° are pref- operated in the relative height mode. Thus
erentially used in case of thin-walled tubes it is possible to adjust the distance between
(1.6 mm to 2.11 mm), thus melting the electrode and tube plate to get the best
inside can be avoided result; independently of the torch position.
torches with an angle of 30° are applied
for thick-walled tubes (from 2.5 mm
onwards) if there is sufficient space with
regard to the tubes around (reduced pitch).
+X
50
Example of welding protruding tubes to a tube-

sheet with a Polysoude TS 8/75 welding head
Special attention must be paid to the training of the operators; differently to orbital tube-to-
tube welding, where the mechanical adjustments of torch and wire guide are carried out in
the same plane, tube-to-tubesheet welding requires three-dimensional operation.
α
Se
Sf De- f DL+ DL-
50
THE ART OF WELDING
16.6. Welding of recessed tubes
Different joint designs are shown below:
D: Standard preparation without groove F: V-preparation

E: J-preparation G: Welding behind the tube plate
D E F G
Welding equipment fitted with four or Expert information: Different to those

five controlled axes and an open tube-to- applications with protruding tubes, in the
tubesheet welding head can be used for the case of recessed tubes a V preparation of
application D, E and F. the tube plate is possible. If joint prepara-
The preparation of the type G is frequently tions of the type E or F are applied, the tubes
used in the petrochemical industry; weld- may protrude slightly from the base of the
ing equipment with six controlled axes and groove.
a TIG 20/160 welding head with separate Depending on the dimensions, and the
clamping device have to be used. This type required weld thickness, one or two passes
of application generally requires a specific are necessary. One tour of the torch is always
project to study the best adaptation of applied on the first pass for tightness; layers
clamping tools and welding procedures. needed for mechanical strength and wear
resistance will often require a second tour.
Particular application: Welding behind
the tube plate of a double-walled collector
for air-cooling or fluid condensation. The
AVC operation is indispensable to make the
weld in this application.
Welding behind the tube plate

of a double-walled collector
51
THE ART OF WELDING
16.7. Internal bore welding behind the tubesheet
To avoid gap corrosion between the tube and the tubesheet, gapless joints are welded from the
inside of the tubes at the backside of the plate. This type of application requires extended accu-
racy of the workpiece preparation and welding. Some possible joint designs are shown below:
X: Standard without groove Z: Preparation with relief groove, with recess

Y: Preparation with relief groove, without
recess
X Y Z
A joint preparation of the type X is not rec- tion of the type X, where the tube end is
ommended: the greater mass difference positioned sufficiently deep in the bore (e.g.
between the tube and the plate excludes half of the tube wall thickness), a root pro-
the possibility to achieve a sufficient tection is not necessary. The protection can
penetration. be provided by flooding the entire apparatus
The joint preparation of the type Y over- with inert gas or, if the backside of the plate
comes the penetration problem by creating is accessible, by a local protection applied
a welding zone with a better balanced mass tube after tube.
of the tube and the plate. With a tube I.D. of more than about 35 mm,
For three reasons, by the joint preparation the use of welding tools with filler metal is
of the type Z the weld conditions become possible.
quite similar to those of a standard orbital
tube-to-tube weld operation:
By the recess the tube is aligned on the
bore.
Melting down the collar offers some
additional metal which increases the
mechanical strength of the weld.
The concave form of the weld is
reduced.
Expert information: Unlike classic tube-
to-tubesheet applications, the internal bore
welding operations behind the tubesheet
require a gas protection of the root, (at the Example of welding recessed tubes
outside of the tube). Only with a prepara- to a tubesheet
52
THE ART OF WELDING
If relatively thick walled tubes of 3 mm to Welding equipment fitted with three or four
3.6 mm, (depending on the base material), controlled axes can be used for this applica-
are to be welded, a horizontal weld position, in the case of a joint preparation of the
tion with the plate at the bottom with the type X, five controlled axes are necessary.
welding head also horizontally positioned, is The welding heads must be equipped with
recommended. a particular lance for internal bore welding
The distance from the face of the plate Similar application: If nipples have to be
to the welding joint must be very precise, welded on a collector, (this is typical applica-
(close tolerance). The operator cannot see tion in the field of power plant equipment
the torch position inside the tube, he has construction), identical base materials are
no possibility of adjustment and he cannot used, and the joint preparation and the pre-
watch the welding process. cautions to be taken are similar to those of
The weldability problems resemble those internal bore welding behind the tubesheet.
discussed in Chapter 1.4 for tube-to-tube
fusion welding.
17. Conclusion
At the end of this booklet, it remains to Finally, due to the confidence of the clients
underline once again the importance of and hence the shared experience of solving
orbital TIG (GTAW) welding if sophisticated technical problems, Polysoude has become
applications require reliable outstanding the market leader in mechanised and auto-
joint quality. For several decades, the French mated TIG welding equipment. The sales
company Polysoude has developed and department, the engineering and the appli-
manufactured appropriate gear and can cation service would highly appreciate par-
offer a wide range of standard machines or ticipating in your welding activities.
adapt it for specific demands. The modular
design of the devices, i.e. welding heads
and power sources, allows the proposal of
tailor-made solutions to exigent customers,
always taking into consideration the special
constraints of the particular project.
53
THE ART OF WELDING
Notes
54
THE ART OF WELDING
Notes
55
THE ART OF WELDING
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THE ART OF WELDING

The orbital welding

2. What is orbital welding? 7

3. Recapitulation of the TIG (GTAW) process 7

8. Programmable power sources 18

11. Functionalities of the orbital welding equipment 23

2. What is orbital welding?

3. Recapitulation of the TIG (GTAW) process

3.1. Advantages/Inconveniences of the TIG (GTAW) process

3.2. Types of weld currents

3.3.2. The Electrode grinder

The design of the grinder must ensure that

3.4. Filler metals

Mild steel / Carbon steel *** ** ** * ** N2 Nitrogen

Austenitic steel *** ** ** ** ** H2 Hydrogen

Duplex / Super duplex steel ** ** ** *** ** He Helium

Copper *** x *** ** *** *** Recommended

Aluminium *** x *** * *** ** Possible

Titanium *** x *** x *** * Not to be used

Mild steel / Carbon steel *** *** * N2 Nitrogen

Austenitic steel *** *** *** H2 Hydrogen

Duplex / Super duplex steel ** *** ** *** Recommended

Copper *** ** ** ** Possible

Aluminium *** * x * Not to be used

Titanium *** x x x Prohibited

3.6. Weld energy

3.6.2. Formula to calculate heat input

U = arc voltage [V]

a more comparable heat input values for dif- Ib

In publications, the coefficient "r" for TIG Ih Pulse current

4.1. Increased productivity compared to manual welding

4.2. Consistent excellent weld quality

4.3. Required skill levels of the operators

4.5. Traceability – Quality Control

5. Industries which apply the orbital TIG welding

5.2. Food, diary and beverage industries

5.3. Pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries

5.5. Chemical industries

5.6. Fossil and nuclear power plants

6. Specificities of the orbital weld process

AWS 1G AWS 2G AWS 5G AWS 6G

6.2. Pulsed current

7. Hardware components of orbital welding equipment

8. Programmable power sources

8.2. Portable power sources

Polysoude power source PS 164-2 Polysoude power source P4

8.3. Medium-sized mobile power sources

Polysoude power source P6 CW Polysoude power source P6 HW

8.4. Full-size power sources

Polysoude power source PC 600-3

9. Orbital welding heads

9.1.3. Carriage-type welding heads

9.2. Tube-to-tubesheet welding heads

Integrated wire feeder External wire feeder Polysoude POLYFIL-3

11. Functionalities of the orbital welding equipment

There are three possibilities when control- 3 - An adjustable pressure reducer is

11.2.1. Arc ignition

11.2.2. Welding current

Types of welding current

Mild steel / Carbon steel * ** * ** N2 Nitrogen

Austenitic steel * ** H2 Hydrogen

Duplex / Super duplex steel * ** He Helium

Copper * x * * *** Recommended

Aluminium * x * * * Possible

Titanium * x * x *** * Not to be used

Mild steel / Carbon steel * * * N2 Nitrogen

Austenitic steel * * *** H2 Hydrogen

Duplex / Super duplex steel * * Recommended

Copper * Possible