MACHINE SHOP 3

Types of Welding Electrodes that are used in Electric Arc Welding

What is a Welding Electrode?

Welding electrodes are lengths of
wire that are connected with your welding
machine to create an electric arc.
Welding electrodes are metal wires
with baked on chemical coatings. The rod is
used to sustain the welding arc and to
provide the filler metal required for the joint
to be welded. The coating protects the
metal from damage, stabilizes the arc, and
improves the weld. The diameter of the
wire, less the coating, determines the size
of the welding rod
In arc welding, an electrode is used to conduct current through a workpiece to fuse two
pieces together. Depending upon the process, the electrode is either consumable, in the case of
gas metal arc welding or shielded metal arc welding, or non-consumable, such as in gas
tungsten arc welding. For a direct current system, the weld rod or stick may be a cathode for a
filling type weld or an anode for other welding processes. For an alternating current arc welder,
the welding electrode would not be considered an anode or cathode.

Standardization of Welding Electrodes

The standardization of welding electrodes is essential as they are as important as the

parent metals and alloys in manufacturing and repair. A correctly chosen electrode, which is
matched perfectly to the parent metal, assures the effectiveness and strength of the welding.
The welding electrodes are classified on the basis of the electrode metal, flux coating,
current used, position of welding, performance characteristics, chemistry and the mechanical
properties of the weld metal etc.
There are various standards of nomenclature and classification of welding electrodes
such as American Welding Society (AWS), Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), British Standards
Institution (BSI), Deutsches Institut für Normung (DIN) and ISO 2560 etc.

AWS Classification 

AWS stands for American Welding Society and this classification is widely used in the merchant
marine.  In this, standard electrodes for different applications are numbered such as E6010,
E6011, E6013, and E7018 etc. For example let us consider the welding electrode E6013 which
is a commonly used electrode on board.

E XXXX:  The first character “E” in E6013 stands for flux covered electrode as used in Metal
Manual Arc Welding.
E60XX: The next two characters indicate the minimum tensile strength. The “60” in E6013
indicates that the weld metal will have a minimum tensile strength of 62000 psi. Please refer to
the chart below for the other key numbers and the associated tensile strength.

EXX1X: The fourth character indicates the different positions in which welding can be done

using this electrode. In this case “1” in E6013 means that the welding can be done in flat,
overhead, horizontal and vertical (upwards). Please refer the table below for other key numbers
and the associated welding positions.

EXXX3:  This fifth character indicates the type of flux coating used, penetration of the electrode
and the type of current suitable for the electrode. In this case the “3” in E6013 tells that it has a
rutile potassium based flux coating. The penetration of the electrode is light and it can be used
with AC and DC currents. Please refer the table below for other key numbers and their
properties.
EXXXX-X This extra character is sometimes used for additional requirements. For example in
the electrode E7018-A1, the suffix “A1” in the last refers to added chemical composition of 0.5
% Mo. Please refer the table below for other suffixes. These suffixes generally differ from
manufacturer to manufacturer and even though the electrodes may be belonging to the same
standard they may still be slightly different as each manufacturer likes to add a personal touch.

Thus, the number E6013 written on an electrode indicates that it is a rutile potassium-based flux
coated mild steel electrode with 62,000 psi minimum tensile strength having light penetration
which can be used in all positions of welding except vertically down. This information is helpful
for the marine engineer preparing for a repair / fabrication and wondering which electrode to
use.

ISO Standard

ISO 2560: 2009 is the standard under ISO for the classification of welding electrodes for Manual
Metal Arc Welding. It is an international standard and all other regional and domestic standards
are based on it. It is more comprehensive and gives a lot more information than the AWS
classification however it is not so easy to remember and recall as the American Welding Society
classification.

For example, under ISO 2560 a welding electrode is classified as E55 3 MnMo B T 42 H10. We
shall discuss the key numbers one by one.

E55 3 MnMo B T 42 H10: The character” E” here refers to a flux covered electrode for Manual
Metal Arc Welding.

E55 3 MnMo B T 42 H10: The number 55 here indicates that the weld metal will have a
minimum tensile strength of 550 N/mm 2. Please refer the table below for the other key numbers
and the associated tensile strength.

E55 3 MnMo B T 42 H10: The key number “3” here indicates the lowest temperature at and
below which the weld will become brittle. The weld must be able to absorb 46J of energy without
breaking to be considered non brittle. Thus “3” here means that at or below -30 deg C the weld
will become brittle.

 
E55 3 MnMo B T 42 H10: This is an additional field and sometimes used. The characters
“MnMo” here refers to the alloying metal present in the weld deposit. In this particular case the
key character indicates that the weld deposit will have Manganese concentration between 1.4 to
2.0 % and Molybdenum concentration between 0.3 to 0.6 %. Please refer the table below for
further details.

E55 3 MnMo B T 42 H10: The key character “B” here refers to the type of flux coating. In this
case it is basic coating containing Calcium Carbonate. Please refer the table below for the other
type of flux coatings.

E55 3 MnMo B T 42 H10: The character “T” here is an extra designation to advice about the
heat treatment of the weld. Here it indicates that the weld must be annealed to between 560 to
600 deg C for one hour then cooled in furnace to 300 deg C and thereafter cooled in air. Please
refer the example below.

E55 3 MnMo
B T 42 H10: The key character “4” here refers to current and the deposit rate. In this case it can
be used for DC only and has a deposit rate of 105 to 125 %. As it is more than the amount of
metal present in the welding electrode it means that the flux coating has some iron powder.
Please refer
the table
below for
details.

E55 3 MnMo B T 42 H10: The key character “2” here refers to the welding positions the
electrode can be used in. Here it means all positions except vertically down. Please refer the
table below for details.
E55 3 MnMo B T 42 H10: The symbol “H10” here refers to the hydrogen content in the
deposited weld metal. In this case it is 10ml/100g. Please refer the table below for other
symbols.

Thus the meaning

of the marking E55 3 MnMo B T 42 H10 on a welding electrode is that it is a basic flux coated
welding electrode having a minimum tensile strength of 550N/mm2 which will become brittle at
-30 deg C. It has an alloying Manganese concentration between 1.4 to 2.0 % and Molybdenum
concentration between 0.3 to 0.6 %. It can be used with DC current and has a deposit rate
between 105 to 125 %.  It can be used in all positions except vertically down. The deposited
weld metal will have a hydrogen concentration of 10 ml/100g. Thus the ISO 2560 standard is
more detailed and comprehensive than AWS but very difficult to remember unless proper
specification tables are provided.

TYPES OF ELECTRODES

Consumable Electrodes
Consumable electrodes are the key to stick, MIG, and flux-cored arc welding. The
consumable electrodes used for stick welding are called stick electrodes. These include heavy-
coated electrodes, shielded arc, and light coated electrodes.

Light Coated Electrodes

As the name implies, light coated electrodes
have a thin coating on their surface, which is applied
by methods like spraying and brushing.
These electrodes and their coatings are made
from several different materials. The filler material
bears a lot of similarity to the base metal that is being
welded.
The light coating also serves another vital
purpose. This coating reduces impurities, such as
sulfur and oxide, to give a better quality weld. It also allows more consistent melting of the filler
material so that you can create a smooth looking and reliable weld bead.
Since the coating is thin, the slag produced is not too thick. Shielded arc electrodes bear
some similarity to light coated electrodes. The main difference is that they have a thicker
coating. These heavy-duty electrodes are suitable for more demanding welding applications, for
instance, the welding of cast iron.

Bare Electrodes
Using bare electrodes can be tricky
because the arc is somewhat unstable and
difficult to control. The light coating increases the
stability of the electric arc, thereby making it
easier for you to manage. Bare electrodes have
limited applications. For example, they are used
for welding manganese steel.

Shielded-Arc Electrodes

Shielded arc electrodes have three

different types of coatings, which serve different
purposes. One kind of coating contains
cellulose, and it uses a protective gas layer to
protect the weld region. The second type of
coating has minerals that produce slag. The
third kind of coating has a combination of
minerals and cellulose.
Shielded arc electrodes generate a
protective gas layer, which forms an effective
barrier to shield the hot weld zone from
contamination and corrosion by the surrounding
air. This results in stronger and more reliable
welds. The heated weld zone must be kept safe from atmospheric gases like nitrogen and
oxygen, which react with the high-temperature metal to produce brittle, porous, and weak welds.
Shielded arc electrodes minimize sulfur, oxides, and other types of impurities within the
base metal to give regular, smooth, and clean welds. These coated electrodes also produce a
more stable electric arc compared to bare electrodes, which makes welding more manageable
and reduces spattering.
Shielded arc electrodes also produce slag due to the mineral coating. This slag appears
to be a hassle to remove, but it serves a beneficial purpose. It cools much more slowly as
compared to shielded arc electrodes. This process draws out impurities and sends them
towards the surface. Consequently, you will get high-quality welds that are clean, durable, and
strong.
Non-Consumable Electrodes
Non-consumable electrodes are simpler to understand not only because they do not
melt but also because there are only two types.

Carbon Electrodes
The first kind is the carbon electrode that is used for both
cutting and welding. This electrode is made out of carbon
graphite. It may be coated with a copper layer or left bare.
The American Welding Society has not issued any
specifications for this kind of electrode. However, military
specifications do exist for carbon electrodes.

Tungsten Electrodes
The second kind of non-consumable
electrode is the tungsten electrode, which is used for
TIG welding. These electrodes consist of pure
tungsten (which h ave green markings), tungsten-
containing 0.3 to 0.5 percent zirconium (these have
brown markings), tungsten with 2 percent thorium
(which have red markings) and tungsten-containing
1 percent thorium (which has yellow markings).
Non-consumable electrodes made from pure
tungsten, have limited use, and are suitable for
light welding jobs. There are two reasons for this.
First, pure tungsten does not possess the durability
and strength of tungsten alloys. Second, pure
tungsten can suffer problems with high current.
Tungsten electrodes with 0.3 to 0.5 percent zirconium offer excellent results with
alternating current. They are an improvement over pure tungsten, but not as good as tungsten
electrode with thorium content.
Tungsten electrodes with 1-2% thorium content are some of the most widely used non-
consumable electrodes since they last longer and have a higher resistance than other kinds of
tungsten electrodes. They can be used for higher currents compared to pure tungsten
electrodes. These electrodes also provide greater arc control and are easier to start.
While using a tungsten electrode, it is better to use the maximum allowable current if they have
a plain cylindrical or else it becomes difficult to control the arc and sustain it.
For better arc control and stability, you should grind the tips of these electrodes to a
point, that is, you need to make the tips conical. If you do this, you will have to select touch-
starting instead of DC welding machines. Remember that tungsten electrodes with thorium and
zirconium will have improved durability than pure tungsten electrodes if you opt for tapered
electrodes using touch-start.