Comparison of Metal Transfer Behavior in Electrodes for Shielded Metal Arc Welding

Metal transfer behavior of three shielded metal arc welding electrodes, AWS El1018, E6013 and E6010, were investigated through the characterization of size distribution of droplets and measurement of arc voltage signals. Of the three electrodes, Ell018 electrode showed the largest droplet size with the smallest amount of spatter, while E6010 electrode showed the smallest droplet size with the largest amount of spatter. Even though Ell0l8 electrode showed a good agreement between the frequencies of voltage drop in FFT processed voltage signals and the transfer rate of droplets, E6013 and E6010 electrodes showed weaker correlation because of their dominant explosive transfer behavior. The type of cathode used and electrode baking time also influenced the metal transfer behavior. Compared to bead-on-plate welding using steel plate as a cathode, welding on a water-cooled copper pipe showed less short-circuiting and higher melting rate in all electrodes because of higher arc potential and/or anode drop. When baked for a long time, E6010 electrode showed much more stable arc with less short-circuiting and explosion due to the loss of gas formation ingredients.