UNDER-WATER

WELDING

Presented by:-SWAPNIL S. CHILLETE-MechanicalExam no:-

Very High Pressure

Very Low Temperature

Wet Gas Dissolved in Water

In this condition normal welding is impossible

Under water welding method enables us to weld properly under this condition.

Under water welding is an important tool for under water fabrication work.

What is under water welding?

Under water welding is the process of welding at elevated pressures, normally underwater.

A number of different welding techniques can be used underwater.

HISTORY

The first ever under water welding was carried out by British Admiralty for sealing leaking ship rivets below the water line.

In 1946 special waterproof electrodes were developed in Holland by Van Der Willingen.

UNDER WATER WELDING

WET WELDING DRY/HYPERBARIC WELDING

TYPES OF UNDER WATER WELDING

WET WELDING

Wet Welding indicates that welding is performed underwater, directly exposed to the wet environment.

A special electrode is used and welding is carried out manually just as one does in open air welding.

Supply is connected to the welder/driver via cables or hoses

MMA (Manual Metal Arc) welding is commonly

used process in the repair of offshore platforms.

Complete insulation of the cables and hoses are

essential in case to prevent the chance for electric

shock

The work is connected to the positive side of dc source and electrode to the negative

The two parts of the circuit are brought together and then slightly separated

An electric current occurs in the gap and causes a sustained spark which melts the bare metal forming a weld pool

PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION

The flux covering the electrode melts to provide a shielding gas.

Arc burns in the cavity formed inside the flux covering, which is designed to burn slower than the metal barrel to the electrode

Advantages

The versatility and low cost.

Less costlier than dry welding.

Speed with which it is carried out

No enclosures so no time is lost for building.

Disadvantages

Rapid quenching of the weld metal by the surrounding water.

Welders working under water are restricted in manipulating arc.

Hydrogen embrittlement causes cracks.

Poor visibility due to water contaminance.

chamber is created near the area to be welded and the welder does the job by staying inside the chamber.

It produces high quality weld joints . The gas-tungsten arc welding process is used mostly

for pipe works Gas metal arc welding is the best process for this

welding.

DRY WELDING

CLASSIFICATION OF DRY WELDING

There are two basic types of dry welding :

i. Hyperbaric welding

ii. Cavity welding

Hyper baric welding:-

It is carried out in chamber sealed around the structure to be welded

The chamber is filled with a gas at the prevailing pressure, to push water back

The welder fitted with breathing mask and other protective devices on the pipe line

Mask filled with a breathable mixture of helium and oxygen in the habitat

The area under the floor of the habitat is open to water, so hyper baric welding is termed as “HABITATWELDING”

Limitation:-

As depth increase pressure also increases, it affects

both for driver and welding process

Cavity welding:- Cavity welding is another approach to weld in water

free environment Conventional arrangements for feeding wire and

shielding gas Introducing cavity gas and the whole is surrounded

by a trumpet shaped nozzle through which high velocity conical jet of water passes.

It avoids the need for a habitat chamber and it lends itself to automatic and remote control.

The process is very suitable for flat structures

Advantages:-

Welder/diver safety

Good quality weld

Surface monitoring

Non destructive testing

Disadvantages:-

The habitat welding requires large quantities of

complex equipment and much support equipment on

the surface

Cost is extremely high

RISKS & PRECAUTIONS

Risk of electric shock so achieving electrical insulation of electrical welding equipments

Hydrogen and oxygen are produced by the arc in wet welding are potentially explosion so precaution must be taken to avoid the build up of pockets of gas

The life or health of the welder will be in risk from nitrogen introduce into the blood stream, precautions include the provision of an emergency air or gas applied

Scope of further developments Hyper baric welding is well established and generally

well researched. Research being carried out for welding at a range of

500 to 1000m deep. THOR-1 (Tig Hyperbaric Orbital Robot) is developed

where diver performs pipe fitting, installs the tracks and orbital head on the pipe and rest process is automated.

APPLICATIONS

Offshore construction for tapping sea resources Temporary repair work caused by ship’s collisions,

unexpected accidents Salvaging vessels sunk in the sea Repair and maintenance of ships Construction of large ships beyond the capacity of

existing docks

APPLICATIONS

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