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Index >>Arc Welding Processes and Equipments >>Advantages, Disadvantages and Applications of Flux Cored Electrode Wires

Advantages, Disadvantages and Applications of Flux Cored Electrode Wires
Advantages, Disadvantages and Applications of Flux Cored Electrode Wires -
(1) FCAW provides high quality weld metal at lower cost with less effort on the part of the welder than SMAW. It is more forgiving than gas metal arc welding and is more flexible and adaptable than submerged arc welding.
(2) Excellent weld appearance smooth and uniform welds, less liable to porosity.
(3) Excellent contour of horizontal fillet welds.
(4) FCAW welds a variety of steels over a wide thickness range.
(5) High operating factor can is easily mechanized.

(6) High deposition rate high current density.
(7) Relatively high travel speeds and considerably reduced spatter.
(8) Economical engineering joint designs.
(9) Visible arc easy to weld.
(10) Less pre cleaning required than gas metal arc welding.
(11) Reduced distortion over shielded metal arc welding (SMAW)

Limitations of FCAW
(1) Used only to weld ferrous metals, primarily steels
(2) FCAW produces a slag covering which has to be removed.

(3) Electrode wire is more expensive on a weight basis than solid electrode wires.
(4) Equipment is more expensive and complex than required for shielded metal arc welding; however the increased productivity compensates for this.
(5) Earlier, self shielding wires, because of their limited mechanical properties and their inability to operate in vertical and overhead positions could not become popular. These inadequacies have now been overcome and today FCAW is widely used for all position welding.
Applications of FCAW
(1) FCAW is replacing SMAW for many applications, replacing GMAW, primarily the CO2 version, and replacing submerged arc welding (SAW) for thinner metal.

(2) FCAW is widely used on medium thickness steel fabricating work where the fine wire GMAW process would not apply and where the fit up is such that SAW would be unsuitable.
(3) FCAW is also used for surfacing and for buildup.
(4) The metals weldable by FCAW are: Cast iron, low carbon steel, low alloy steel, high and medium carbon steel, alloy steels, stainless steels limited types.
(5) FCAW has been widely used for welding in bridges, high rise buildings, ship building and offshore drilling platforms.
(6) Other applications of FCAW are as follows:
Main frames on bulldozers,

Bulldozer blades,
Rotating frames for shovels and cranes,
Tractor frames,
Base frames for punch presses,
Crown assemblies for bending presses,
Bridge girders, large gantry cranes, furnace tubes,
Locomotive under frames and diesel engine chassis etc.

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