Oxy Fuel Welding

1. Introduction
Oxy fuel welding commonly called as oxyacetylene welding is a process that use fuel gases (or liquid
fuels such as gasoline) and oxygen to weld or cut metals. In oxy-fuel welding, a welding torch is used
to weld metals. Welding metal results when two pieces are heated to a temperature that produces a
shared pool of molten metal. The molten pool is generally supplied with additional metal called filler.
Filler material selection depends upon the metals to be welded.

2. History
During the early 20th century, before the development and availability of coated arc
welding electrodes in the late 1920s that were capable of making sound welds in steel, oxy-acetylene
welding was the only process capable of making welds of exceptionally high quality in virtually all
metals in commercial use at the time. These included not only carbon steel but also alloy steels, cast
iron, aluminium, and magnesium. In recent decades it has been superseded in almost all industrial uses
by various arc welding methods offering greater speed and, in the case of gas tungsten arc welding,
the capability of welding very reactive metals such as titanium.
Oxy-acetylene welding is still used for metal-based artwork and in smaller home-based shops, as well
as situations where accessing electricity (e.g., via an extension cord or portable generator) would
present difficulties. The oxy-acetylene (and other oxy-fuel gas mixtures) welding torch remains a
mainstay heat source for manual brazing and braze welding, as well as metal forming, preparation, and
localized heat treating. In addition, oxy-fuel cutting is still widely used, both in heavy industry and
light industrial and repair operations.

3. Apparatus
Oxy fuel welding requires a system where two gases, oxygen, and fuel gas, can be safely mixed and
burnt together. It also requires a mechanism for the welder to control the flames. To satisfy all these
conditions, oxy fuel welding equipment consists of:
➢ Fuel cylinder: The fuel cylinder holds the fuel required for the combustion. The cylinder is
sealed and is made from heavy-gauge steel to prevent the compressed fuel from weakening the
cylinder.
➢ Oxygen cylinder: The oxygen cylinder holds the compressed oxygen required for the weld.
Both the oxygen and fuel cylinders are made to withstand the pressure from the respective
gases.
➢ Control valves: Both gases have their separate control valves. A control valve is used to
control the amount of gas being released from the cylinder. Control valves are also crucial for
controlling the fuel to oxygen ratio.
➢ Mixer chamber: It is a housing in which the fuel and the oxygen mix. The control valves are
used to regulate the flow of gases from the cylinder to the mixer chamber.
➢ Welding torch: A welding torch contains the mixer chamber and the control values. At the
other end of the torch is a nozzle where the fuel-oxygen mixture is burnt together.
Torches that do not mix fuel with oxygen (combining, instead, atmospheric air) are not considered
oxy-fuel torches and can typically be identified by a single tank (oxy-fuel cutting requires two isolated
supplies, fuel and oxygen). Most metals cannot be melted with a single-tank torch. Consequently,
single-tank torches are typically suitable for soldering and brazing but not for welding.
 Figure6. 1: Apparatus of Oxy-fuel Welding

4. Fuels
Oxy-fuel processes may use a variety of fuel gases, the most common being acetylene. Other gases
that may be used are propylene, liquified petroleum gas (LPG), propane, natural gas, hydrogen,
and MAPP gas. Many brands use different kinds of gases in their mixes.
A common propane/air flame burns at about 2,250 K (1,980 °C; 3,590 °F), a propane/oxygen flame
burns at about 2,526 K (2,253 °C; 4,087 °F), an oxyhydrogen flame burns at 3,073 K (2,800 °C;
5,072 °F) and an acetylene/oxygen flame burns at about 3,773 K (3,500 °C; 6,332 °F).
4.1. Acetylene
Acetylene is the primary fuel for oxy-fuel welding and is the fuel of choice for repair work and general
cutting and welding. Acetylene gas is shipped in special cylinders designed to keep the gas dissolved.
The cylinders are packed with porous materials (e.g. kapok fiber, diatomaceous earth, or
(formerly) asbestos), then filled to around 50% capacity with acetone, as acetylene is soluble in
acetone. This method is necessary because above 207 kPa (30 lbf/in²) (absolute pressure) acetylene
is unstable and may explode.
Acetylene when combined with oxygen burns at 3200 °C to 3500 °C (5800 °F to 6300 °F), highest
among commonly used gaseous fuels. As a fuel acetylene's primary disadvantage, in comparison to
other fuels, is high cost. As acetylene is unstable at a pressure roughly equivalent to 33 feet/10 meters
underwater, water-submerged cutting and welding is reserved for hydrogen rather than acetylene.
4.2. Gasoline
Oxy-gasoline, also known as oxy-petrol, torches have been found to perform very well, especially
where bottled gas fuel is not available or difficult to transport to the worksite. The gasoline is fed either
from a pressurized tank (whose pressure can be hand-pumped or fed from a gas cylinder). Or from a
non-pressurized tank with the fuel being drawn into the torch by venturi action by the pressurized
oxygen flow. Another low-cost approach commonly used by jewelry makers in Asia is using air
bubbled through a gasoline container by a foot-operated air pump, and burning the fuel-air mixture in
a specialized welding torch.
4.3. Hydrogen
Hydrogen has a clean flame and is good for use on aluminium. It can be used at a higher pressure than
acetylene and is therefore useful for underwater welding and cutting. It is a good type of flame to use
when heating large amounts of material.
The flame temperature is high, about 2,000 °C for hydrogen gas in air at atmospheric pressure,[11] and
up to 2800 °C when pre-mixed in a 2:1 ratio with pure oxygen (oxyhydrogen). Hydrogen is not used
for welding steels and other ferrous materials, because it causes hydrogen embrittlement. For some
oxyhydrogen torches the oxygen and hydrogen are produced by electrolysis of water in an apparatus
which is connected directly to the torch.
4.4. MPS and MAPP gas
Methylacetylene-prop diene (MAPP) gas and LPG gas are similar fuels, because LPG gas is liquefied
petroleum gas mixed with MPS. It has the storage and shipping characteristics of LPG and has a heat
value a little lower than that of acetylene.
MAPP gas can be used at much higher pressures than acetylene, sometimes up to 40 or 50 psi in high-
volume oxy-fuel cutting torches which can cut up to 12-inch-thick (300 mm) steel. Other welding
gases that develop comparable temperatures need special procedures for safe shipping and handling.
MPS and MAPP are recommended for cutting applications in particular, rather than welding
applications.
4.5. Propylene and Fuel Gas
Propylene is used in production welding and cutting. It cuts similarly to propane. When propylene is
used, the torch rarely needs tip cleaning. There is often a substantial advantage to cutting with an
injector torch rather than an equal-pressure torch when using propylene.
4.6. Butane, Propane and Butane/Propane Mixes
Butane, like propane, is a saturated hydrocarbon. Butane and propane do not react with each other and
are regularly mixed. Butane boils at 0.6 °C. Propane is more volatile, with a boiling point of -42 °C.
Vaporization is rapid at temperatures above the boiling points.
Propane does not burn as hot as acetylene in its inner cone, and so it is rarely used for welding. Propane,
however, has a very high number of BTUs per cubic foot in its outer cone, and so with the right torch
(injector style) can make a faster and cleaner cut than acetylene, and is much more useful for heating
and bending than acetylene.
The maximum neutral flame temperature of propane in oxygen is 2,822 °C (5,112 °F). Propane is
cheaper than acetylene and easier to transport.

5. Role of Oxygen
Oxygen is not the fuel. It is what chemically combines with the fuel to produce the heat for welding.
This is called 'oxidation', but the more specific and more commonly used term in this context is
'combustion'. In the case of hydrogen, the product of combustion is simply water. For the other
hydrocarbon fuels, water and carbon dioxide are produced. The heat is released because the molecules
of the products of combustion have a lower energy state than the molecules of the fuel and oxygen. In
oxy-fuel cutting, oxidation of the metal being cut (typically iron) produces nearly all of the heat
required to "burn" through the workpiece.
It is also possible to separate oxygen from air by passing the air, under pressure, through a zeolite sieve
that selectively adsorbs the nitrogen and lets the oxygen (and argon) pass. This gives a purity of
oxygen of about 93%. This method works well for brazing, but higher-purity oxygen is necessary to
produce a clean, slag-free kerf when cutting.

6. Flame
Three distinct flame settings are used
➢ Neutral flame: The neutral flame is the flame in which the amount of oxygen is precisely
enough for burning, and neither oxidation nor reduction occurs. A flame with a good balance
of oxygen is clear blue.

Figure6. 2: Neutral flame

➢ Oxidizing flame: The oxidizing flame is the flame produced with an excessive amount of
oxygen. When the amount of oxygen increases, the flame shortens, its color darkens, and it
hisses and roars.

Figure6. 3: Oxidizing flame

➢ Carburizing flame: A carburizing flame is produced when there is an excess of acetylene gas
for the amount of oxygen being consumed in an oxy-acetylene mixture, producing an
acetylene-rich gas. This kind of flame is used for welding materials that do not absorb carbon.
A carburizing flame is also known as a reducing flame.

Figure6. 4: Carburizing flame

7. Advantages
Gas welding offers greater advantages than disadvantages. The following are benefits of oxyacetylene
welding:
➢ Ability to weld ferrous and nonferrous metals together
➢ Neutral flame is used for welding and cutting both ferrous and nonferrous metals except brass
➢ Equipment and tooling are inexpensive
➢ It does not require electricity before it works
➢ Gas welding equipment are portable
➢ It does not require specialize labor

8. Disadvantages
Despite great benefit of gas welding, it offers some disadvantages that can be overlook. These include:
➢ Slow rate of cooling, leading to slow production
➢ Not suitable for welding high strength steel
➢ Cannot reach arc welding temperature
➢ Not suitable for welding thick sections

9. Safety Measures
Following safety measure should be taken while using oxy fuel welding:
➢ Wear personal protective equipment
➢ Fasten cylinders securely
➢ Never use oil on welding equipment
➢ Open cylinder valves correctly
➢ Keep the tip pointed away from your body
➢ Light the flame with an approved lighter

10. Uses
Oxy fuel welding is used to weld following:
➢ Metals
➢ Having high melting temperature metals such as mild steel, high carbon steel
➢ Low melting temperature metal such as aluminum, lead, magnesium, etc.