TIG welding process was a very old and ancient process of welding. The word TIG stands for Tungsten Inert Gas. The TIG welding process uses non-consumable tungsten electrode which passes the current to welding arc. This Tungsten Inert Gas Welding process is also known as Gas Tungsten Arc Welding or else by the first letters GTAW. The tungsten and other hot materials are protected by inert gas by the cooling effect. TIG welding process was first started in the year 1931 and is mostly used during the times of World War – II. TIG welding process is mostly used to weld air craft parts. TIG welding or GTAW welding is very complex and cannot be done by an ordinary worker. It needs more skills and we need to be a master to work on GTAW welding.
Operation of TIG welding process –
TIG welding process both the hands for the operation. This is a manual welding process, so both the hands will be used. There is also an automatic process but is rarely used to avoid any accidental damage. One hand Is used to feed a filter in to the welding area while the other hand is used to operate the welding torch. It is suggested to maintain a short arc length thus preventing contact between the work piece and the tungsten electrode. An electric spark is required to weld the material through the shielding gas. This will create an arc which will be initiated when both the electrode and workpiece are at a certain small distance, say 2 mm to 3 mm. Once the arc gets generated, the person moves in a small circle to create a ring like shape.
The persons who work on TIG welding process usually implements a technique of rapidly moving the arc or the torch forward, just to increase the weld and then add the filter metal. The filter metal is only introduced when the torch advances forward and must be removed when the torch moves back to its position. Filter rods are the metals or the combination of the metals that have low melting temperatures.
The details of the process in easy steps –
- The head of the electrode is first taken to its position where the welding process must be done.
- Shielding gas is introduced at the place where the welding process is being done.
- The power is supplied to the tungsten non-consumable electrode to produce arc.
- Filter rod of desired material is taken and inserted near the welding process.
- The tungsten electrode comes in reaction with the filter rod.
- The filter rod then melts and takes place of the weld, i.e., the joining of two parts. This can be accomplished only with the generation of electric arc.
Uses of TIG welding process –
- TIG welding process is mostly used in Aerospace industry.
- Many industries use the TIG welding process to weld the non-ferrous metals.
- The TIG welding process is used to repair the parts and tools which are especially made of aluminum and magnesium.
- This welding process is used for sealing nuclear fuel after the completion of their use, for not emitting harmful radiations. They will be sealed with the help of TIG welding process as the process is highly resistant to corrosion, and then buried.
