Underwater welding
INTRODUCTION
Underwater welding is an important tool for
underwater fabrication process.
The first ever underwater welding was carried out
by British Admiralty Dockyard for sealing leaking
ship rivets below the water line
In 1946, special waterproof electrodes were
developed in Holland by Van der Willingen
CLASSIFICATION:
Underwater welding can be classified as
1) Wet Welding
2) Dry Welding
In wet welding the welding is performed underwater, directly
exposed to the wet environment.
In dry welding, a dry chamber is created near the area to be
welded and the welder does the job by staying inside the
chamber.
WET WELDING:
Wet Welding indicates that welding in presense of water.
A special waterproof electrode is used and welding is
carried out manually just as one does in open air welding.
The increased freedom of movement makes wet welding
the most effective, efficient and economical method.
Complete insulation of the cables and hoses are essential
in case to prevent the chance for electric shock .
Principle of wet welding:
The work is connected to the positive side of dc
source and electrode to the negative.
The two parts of the circuit are brought together and
then slightly separated.
An electric current occurs in the gap and causes a sustained
spark which melts the bare metal forming a weld pool
Flux covering the electrode melts to provide a shielding gas
Power Supply used : DC
Polarity : -ve polarity (Straight Polarity)
When DC is used with +ve polarity, electrolysis will take place
and cause rapid deterioration of any metallic components in
the electrode holder.
For wet welding AC is not used on account of electrical safety
and difficulty in maintaining an arc underwater
ADVANTAGES OF WET WELDING:
The versatility and low cost of wet welding
High welding speed
Easy of access the weld spot
No enclosures are needed and no time is lost in
building habitat
High tensile strength weldment.
DISADVANTAGES OF WET WELDING:
Rapid quenching by water decreases impact
strength and ductility and increases porosity and
hardness
Hydrogen Embrittlement - Large amount of
hydrogen is present in the weld region
Poor visibility in water
Higher energy density of hydrogen
DRY (HYPERBARIC) WELDING :
Hyper = High , Baric = Pressure
Hyperbaric welding means high pressure welding.
Hyperbaric welding is carried out in chamber sealed
around the structure to be welded.
The chamber is filled with a breathable gas
(commonly helium containing 0.5 bar of oxygen) at
the prevailing pressure.
The gas tungsten arc welding process is best
employed for this process.
The area under the floor of the Habitat is open to
water. Thus the welding is done in the dry but at the
hydrostatic pressure of the sea water surrounding the
Habitat.
ADVANTAGES OF DRY WELDING:
Welder/Diver Safety
Good Quality Welds
Surface Monitoring
Non-Destructive Testing (NDT)
DISADVANTAGES OF DRY WELDING:
Cost of habitat welding is extremely high and
increases with depth.
Large quantity of costly and complex eqipment
More deep , more energy is required
Cant weld, if weld spot is at unreachable places
Effect of wet
environment
Water dissociates into oxygen and hydrogen
which dissolves in the molten pool causing:
Gas inclusion defects
Porosity
Water Inclusions as after sometime hydrogen
combines with oxygen forming water vapour
Graph between porosity and
water pressure during welding
RISKS INVOLVED and SAFETY
Electric shock Explosion
Precautions include achieving adequate electrical insulation of the welding equipment,
shutting off the electricity supply immediately the arc is extinguished, and limiting the
open-circuit voltage of welding sets.
Hydrogen and oxygen are produced during welding
Precautions must be taken to avoid the build-up of pockets of gas, which are potentially
explosive.
Risk is to the life or health of the welder/diver from nitrogen
introduced into the blood steam during exposure to air at
increased pressure
Precautions include the provision of an emergency air or gas supply, stand-by divers,
and decompression chambers to avoid nitrogen .
Inspection of welds more difficult, defets may remain undetected
APPLICATION OF UNDERWATER WELDING:
Offshore construction for tapping sea resources,
Temporary repair work caused by ships collisions
or unexpected accidents.
Salvaging vessels sunk in the sea
Repair and maintenance of ships
Construction of large ships beyond the capacity of
existing docks.
Scope for further development
Automation of the underwater joining and inspection
of the welded structures
Developments of diverless Hyperbaric welding
system is an even greater challenge
Investigation of the potential of using a robot
manipulator for underwater ultrasonic testing of welds
in joints of complex geometry.
Understand the behavior of materials after the
welding and process optimization
Thank You.
