Arc Welding Basics
By: Cooper Miller
One of the most popular and common types of
welding in use today is arc welding. Yet the
average layman walking the street has little
understanding of this welding process other
seeing the blinding light flashing from a
construction job site they may walking past at
rush hour. Welding is basically just a fusion
process for joining metals. The metals are
simply melted together by intense heat and fuse
as one piece. If done correctly, welding makes
the joining of two pieces of metal with the same
strength as single solid piece. A welding joint
is superior to gluing because through the
welding process, the metals are actually melted
together instead using the bonding properties of
glue to hold them together.
The key concept in welding is a heat source is
needed in order to fuse the metal together.
There are several methods of welding and arc
welding is one of the most popular. The term arc
welding comes from the fact that an electrical
arc is created to produce intense heat. This arc
is formed between the metal being worked on and
an electrode connected to the arc welder. The
electrode rod is moved along the joint and is
melted by the electrical arc. The rod has two
purposes. One is to help produce the arc and the
other is it makes a filler material as it is
melted.
At its heart, arc welding is about creating an
electrical circuit. An arc welder needs an
electrical power source that produces either AC
or DC current. The metal piece you are
attempting to weld becomes part of the
electrical circuit by attaching a cable from the
arc welder to metal. The other hot cable is
attached to electrode that the welder is
holding. An electrical arc is created between
the metal work piece and the electrode when the
electrode is held close to the metal. Now there
is a complete electrical circuit between the arc
welder and the metal. This process creates some
pretty amazing temperatures. The tip of the arc
can reach temperatures in excess of 6500º F. Now
there is enough heat to fuse the metal pieces
together and create a strong bond. To ignite the
arc, the electrode must be pressed against the
metal and then pulled away.
Besides creating heat, the arc produces a very
bright light. This light is hazardous to the
welder and those around the welding job site.
You should not look directly into the arc
without proper eye protection. However, the
visible light is not the only danger. The arc
gives of infrared and ultraviolet light that is
invisible to the naked eye. This is why welders
wear auto darkening welding helmets. These
helmets will automatically darken when the arc
is struck to shield the welders eyes from the
bright visible and the lens filter is designed
to keep out infrared and ultraviolet at all
times whether the lens is darkened or not.
Welders also put up welding blankets or shields
to protect other people in the work area that
may not have proper eye protection.
Despite these hazards arc welding is a safe and
reliable method for fusing metal together and
with some practice anyone can become competent
enough for basic welding.
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