Submerged Arc Surfacing with a Multiple-wire Electrode

Surfacing is a technological procedure of applying a layer of filler material to a surface of another material, i.e. a product. By surfacing, it is possible to improve chemical, mechanical, and physical properties of the parent metal, and, consequently, those of the product surfaced. Surfacing may be applied to worn surfaces as well as to new products. A surfacing weld may have the same, similar or completely different chemical, physical, and mechanical properties as the parent metal. In everyday practice several different processes can be used for application of the filler material to the parent metal, i.e., a product. They are welding, spraying, and brazing. Submerged arc surfacing with a multiple-wire electrode is a new process variant which has been rarely used, in spite of its numerous advantages in comparison to other processes, in practical applications. The unit for surfacing with the multiple electrode differs little from a classic unit for submerged arc welding with a single-wire electrode. The difference between them consists in that in our unit several wires travel through a joint contact tube simultaneously. All of the wires are fed with the same rate and have a joint regulation and power source. In welding with the multiple-wire electrode it is possible to weld with two, three, four or even more wires simultaneously. In the joint contact tube wires of different diameters and different chemical composition and solid or flux-cored wires may be used. Mechanical properties of surfacing welds depend on the type the parent metal and the filler material, welding parameters and the type of welding flux used.