Types of Welding Rods
Welding rods are used during the welding process to add material into the weld zone. In some types of arc welding, the welding rod is also the electrode. The welding rod generally consists of the same material the work piece is made of, along with flux to assist with the welding process. Welding rods are generally held by an electrode holder that insulates the welder from the electric current. Automated welding systems use a wire, which is a thin, continuous welding rod.
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Welding Electrodes
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In most types of arc welding, the welding rod also acts as the electrode to guide the electric arc to the weld location. The American Welding Society (AWS) uses the "E" prefix in welding rod classifications to label welding rods that can be used for arc welding. For arc welding methods that do not use a shielding gas, welding rods with a flux coating are used. The flux vaporizes at the tip of the welding rod, creating a gas that pushes the air away from the weld, resulting in a clean weld.
Steel Welding Rods
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The most widely welded material is steel, and welding rods are available in many different steel alloys to meet the needs of any particular application. Common types of steel welding rods are mild steel, low alloy steel and stainless steel. Steel welding rods are available with or without flux coatings.
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Aluminum Welding Rods
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Aluminum welding rods are used for welding aluminum parts together, and are particularly suited for welding dissimilar aluminum alloys together. Aluminum welding rods can be used with standard arc welding equipment, metal inert gas (MIG) equipment and tungsten inert gas (TIG) equipment.
Bronze Welding Rods
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Bronze welding rods are used for brazing applications, joining copper to other metals, and repairing bronze and brass parts. Brazing using bronze welding rods offers increased resistance to salt water corrosion.
Composite Welding Rods
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Advances in welding technology have led to the creation of composite welding rods. These rods consist of two or more layers of material whose combination results in a stronger, higher quality weld. Flux core welding rods have the flux located in the center of the welding rod. This allows flux materials to be used that may wear off if they were deposited on the outside of the rod. Metal-cored welding rods have a mild-steel outer layer and are filled with a custom mix of metal powders to meet the exact alloy needs for an application.
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References
- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Jason Turner
