The Babcock & Wilcox Company

James F Hunt

Patrick M Ryan

Dennis D Harwig

Walter J Fisher

A sliding backpurge device for supplying shielding gas to an arc welding process comprises a concave primary gas chamber surrounded by inner and outer seals which define a pressurized secondary gas chamber therebetween. Pressurized secondary gas is supplied to the secondary gas chamber and primary gas is supplied to the primary chamber. Any leaks which do form, minimize impact on the shield gas within the primary chamber despite sliding engagement of the inner and outer seals over the surface to be welded since secondary gas rather than atmospheric gas leaks into the primary chamber.

Double chamber sliding backpurge device for gas shielded arc welding

A plasma arc welding process for welding metal of increased thickness with one pass includes operating the plasma arc welding apparatus at a selected plasma gas flow rate, travel speed and arc current, to form a weld having a penetration ratio to weld height to weld width, and maintaining the penetration ratio at less than 0.74. Parameters for the plasma gas flow rate, travel speed and arc current are adjusted to a steady state condition during a start up period and maintained during the steady state condition to complete a weld. During a terminal stopping period, the travel speed is stopped and instantaneously replaced by filler wire which adds material to fill the keyhole that had been formed by the welding process. Parameters are subsequently adjusted during the stopping period to terminate the weld in a sound manner.

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Mt. Vernon, IN, United States of America

James F Hunt