GB598057A - Improvements in or relating to electric arc welding - Google Patents

Abstract

A process of electric are welding, particularly of light metals or with arc welding electrodes of light metals, especially aluminium or aluminium alloys, wherein the metal during welding is protected and assisted to weld at the arc by a non-hydrous flux containing barium compounds, preferably the halides, for example barium fluoride. The flux in addition to barium salts consists only of halide, calcium fluoride if present being in a proportion not exceeding 10 per cent. The flux is preferably introduced into the arc by melting from a coating of the flux on the welding rod. Where barium fluoride is used, it is employed in an amount of 1-15 per cent of the weight of the flux. The remainder of the flux may consist substantially of non-hydrous chlorides and fluorides of alkaline metals or ammonium, having no water of crystallization, with or without aluminium fluoride, in combination with alkaline fluorides, such as synthetic or natural cryolite and further, if desired, alkaline earth fluorides such as calcium fluoride. A preferred flux composition is lithium chloride 5-25 per cent, sodium chloride 10-30 per cent, potassium chloride 20-40 per cent, potassium fluoride 5-20 per cent, cryolite 5-20 per cent, ammonium halide 0-20 per cent and barium fluoride 1-15 per cent. Specification 598,090 is referred to.