The Role of Iron Powder on the Deposition Mechanism in Coated Electrode

The main motivation for this work was a search for an answer to the dilemma of which higher deposition rates of metal powder based coating electrodes are due to either their capacity of working at higher currents or a higher fusion efficiency of the metal powder. This study was developed using three commercial coated electrodes, which main distinction was the iron powder content in their coatings. The electrodes were characterized in relation to their dimensions, coating densities and compositions (via MEV-EDS). Using two current levels, fusion and deposition rates and bead geometry from fillet carried out in flat position (T-joint) were assessed. From the results, fusion and deposition are greater when the iron concentration in the coating are higher, regardless the current level. It was demonstrated that the mechanism for reaching higher deposition rates is related to a lower required energy to melt the iron in powder than in solid state. A higher nominal carrying current capacity acquired by the electrode with iron powder is a secondary reason.

Shielded Metal Arc Welding; Coated electrode; Iron poder; Deposition rate