![\"Welding](\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/welding-K.jpg\")
<\/p>\nWelding is a process used to fuse two pieces of metal together and, if you work in manufacturing or engineering environments, is likely an activity you carry out regularly. Sometimes getting your head around all the technical terms can be overwhelming, so we’ve created this welding glossary to help you\u00a0understand common welding terminology.<\/p>\n
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There are several technical terms used to describe various welding and cutting processes that you should be aware of. This welding glossary will\u00a0explain common welding\u00a0terms to help you understand them in greater detail.<\/p>\n
Terms and phrases are listed alphabetically to help you find specific terms and navigate the glossary with ease.\u00a0Bold italic<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0indicates that there is a definition for a term elsewhere in the glossary in case you need further clarification.<\/p>\n You can refer back to this guide as often as you need.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Arc-eye: <\/strong>Arc-eye (also known as ocular flash burn or welder’s flash<\/em><\/strong>) is an inflammation of the cornea. It occurs if a welder looks directly at the intense bloom of UV light produced during the welding process.<\/p>\n Arc welding: <\/strong>The technique by which heat created from an electrical arc is used to weld metal.<\/p>\n Back to Top<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Base material: <\/b>The base material, or base metal, is the metal or alloy being cut or welded.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n Back to Top<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Carcinogenic: <\/strong>A carcinogenic material is a substance that has the potential to cause cancer.<\/p>\n Back to Top<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Double insulated: <\/b>Double insulated appliances are electrical\u00a0appliances that don’t need safety connections to electrical earth.<\/p>\n Back to Top<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Earthing: <\/strong>Earthing is the connection of electrical devices to the ground. It protects you from electric shocks should there be a fault with your electrical device. If there is a fault in your circuit, earthing allows the\u00a0fault current to flow to earth through a protective conductor while the circuit-breaker stops the electric current flowing to the faulty circuit.<\/p>\n Electric arc: <\/b>An electric\u00a0arc is the name of the electrical\u00a0discharge created when two conductors touch and then are separated\u00a0very slightly to allow the current to continue flowing through the air.\u00a0An electric arc maintains a temperature of between\u00a04000 \u00b0C to 6000 \u00b0C.<\/p>\n Electric welding: <\/strong>Electric welding is the name of the welding process that uses an electric arc<\/strong><\/em> to fuse metal. AC and DC current are both used to produce an arc in welding, and each current has their own applications and advantages. The term electric welding includes arc welding<\/strong><\/em>, MIG welding<\/strong><\/em>, TIG welding<\/strong><\/em>, electroslag welding<\/strong><\/em> and several other types of welding.<\/p>\n Electrode: <\/strong>An electrode is the collective name for the positive and negative conductors that allows electrons to leave and enter an electrical device, respectively. An electric arc<\/em><\/strong> is created when a base metal and an electrode come into contact and then are separated very slightly.<\/p>\n Electroslag welding: <\/b>In electroslag\u00a0<\/b>welding, welding flux<\/em><\/strong> is used to fill\u00a0the gap between the electrode\u00a0and the base metal. The heat generated by the electrical arc melts the welding flux and creates molten slag. The slag conducts heat and melts the filler and base metals. Electroslag\u00a0<\/b>welding is commonly used to join very thick metal components.<\/p>\n Our Welding Safety Training<\/a> raises awareness of the risks presented by welding operations, including both gas and electric arc welding. It provides details of how to complete a risk assessment and follow the appropriate control measures.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Back to Top<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Flashback: <\/strong>Flashback occurs when gas flows back into the equipment or supply line and burns within the torch or hose.<\/p>\n Flashback-arrestors: <\/strong>Flashback arrestors\u00a0(also known as flash\u00a0arrestors) are\u00a0gas safety devices commonly used in oxy-fuel welding and cutting.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n They prevent gas flowing back or burning in the torch or hose, stopping the equipment being damaged or exploding.<\/p>\n Back to Top<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Gas cutting:<\/strong> A cutting process in which a gas flame is used to cut metals.<\/p>\n Gas welding: <\/strong>A welding process in which a gas flame is used to create the welding heat. Gas welding is mainly used for repair work, as well as the welding of pipes and tubes. The most common type of gas welding is\u00a0oxyfuel welding.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Back to Top<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Inert gas: <\/b>Inert gases are extremely nonreactive\u00a0gases, which will usually not react with your base or filler metals. They include argon\u00a0and helium.<\/p>\n Back to Top<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Metal Active Gas (MAG) welding: <\/strong>MAG welding is one of the\u00a0arc welding<\/em><\/strong> processes\u00a0that use the heat created by a DC electric arc to weld. The electric arc<\/em><\/strong> is created between the tip of the consumable wire that is constantly fed to the electrode<\/em><\/strong> and the weld pool<\/em><\/strong> on the base metal. The feed wire is continually melted and becomes part of the weld pool. A shield of active gas\u00a0mixtures (usually an argon\/carbon dioxide\/oxygen mix) is used to protect the arc and weld pool from atmospheric contamination. The composition of the active gas mixture has a significant effect on arc stability, splatter and metal transfer, as well as affecting the weld pool behaviour and the mechanical properties of the weld.<\/p>\n Metal Inert Gas (MIG) welding: <\/b>MIG welding is one of the\u00a0arc welding<\/em><\/strong> processes\u00a0that use the heat created by a DC electric arc to weld. The electric arc<\/em><\/strong> is created between the tip of the consumable wire that is constantly fed to the electrode<\/em><\/strong> and the weld pool<\/em><\/strong> on the base metal. The feed wire is continually melted and becomes part of the weld pool. A shield of inert gas<\/em><\/strong> (usually argon or helium) is used to protect the arc and weld pool from atmospheric contamination.<\/p>\n Back to Top<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Oxyfuel welding: <\/strong>Also known as gas welding<\/em><\/strong>, oxyfuel welding uses a mixture of oxygen and another gas (usually\u00a0acetylene, propylene, or propane) to weld and cut metal. The most common type of oxyfuel welding is oxyacetylene welding<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n Oxyacetylene welding:\u00a0<\/strong>Oxyacetylene welding is a type of oxyfuel welding<\/strong><\/em>, where the welding flame is created by a mixture of oxygen and acetylene gas. This flame typically burns at around 3500\u00a0\u00b0C which is hot enough to melt the surface of the base metal<\/strong><\/em> and allows the welding process to take place. The oxyacetylene welding process allows the user to quickly change between welding and cutting by changing the tip. This type of welding is commonly used to weld steel and bronze.<\/p>\n Back to Top<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Regulator:<\/strong> A regulator is used to monitor the amount of shielding gas<\/strong><\/em> flowing to the welding puddle. It also ensures that\u00a0it flows into the welding puddle smoothly and evenly.<\/p>\n Back to Top<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Shielding gas: <\/b>This is the name for an inert gas<\/em> <\/b>used to protect a welding area when electric arc welding processes\u00a0are being carried out. The most common type of ‘shielding gas’ is argon.<\/p>\n Slag:<\/strong> Slag, also known as welding slag, is created as a by-product of arc welding when solidified flux remains after the weld pool cools.<\/p>\n Back to Top<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding: <\/strong>TIG welding is another form of\u00a0electric welding<\/em>. <\/strong>The electric arc<\/em><\/strong> is created between a\u00a0non-consumable tungsten electrode and the base metal<\/em><\/strong>, and the heat generated forms a\u00a0weld pool<\/em><\/strong>. A consumable filler wire may or may not be added to the weld pool.\u00a0A shield of inert gas<\/em><\/strong> (usually an argon\/carbon dioxide mix) is used to protect the arc and weld pool from atmospheric contamination.<\/p>\n Back to Top<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Welder’s flash:\u00a0<\/strong>Welder’s flash (also know as ocular flash burn or arc-eye<\/em><\/strong>) is an inflammation of the cornea. It occurs is a welder looks directly at the intense bloom of UV light<\/em><\/strong> produced during the welding process.<\/p>\n Welding flux:\u00a0<\/strong>The flux is a chemical agent that has three main purposes when used in welding. It cleans the base metal and protects the weld pool from atmospheric gases, it aids the transfer of heat from the electrode to the base metal<\/em><\/strong> and helps remove surface metal oxides. Overall, the flux is integral to a good welding process.<\/p>\n Welding rods:<\/b> A welding rod, also known as a welding electrode, is a piece of wire that is connected to the welding machine. A current is fed through the electrode, which allows for an electric arc<\/em><\/strong> to be generated between the electrode and the base metal<\/em><\/strong>. Welding rods can be consumable (the wire melts and forms part of the welding pool, such as in MIG<\/em><\/strong> welding) or non-consumable (the wire does not melt, such as in TIG<\/em><\/strong> welding).<\/p>\n Weld pool: <\/strong>The weld pool is the small area on the base metal which has reached its melting point.<\/p>\n Back to Top<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n An A-Z glossary defining common welding terms to help you get your head around the technical vocabulary. Further information and resources provided.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":25550,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[91],"class_list":["post-26296","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-safety","tag-safety-management"],"acf":{"schema_disabled":false,"schema_properties_FAQPage_question_answer":null,"schema_properties_HowTo_howto_tools":null,"schema_properties_HowTo_howto_supplies":null,"schema_properties_HowTo_howto_steps":null,"schema_properties_WebPage_cssSelector":null,"schema_sameAs_repeater":null,"schema_custom_json_repeater":null,"schema_custom_json_override":false},"yoast_head":"\nA<\/a>|B<\/a>|C<\/a>|D<\/a>|E<\/a>|F<\/a>|G<\/a>|H|I<\/a>|J|K|L|M<\/a>|N|O<\/a>|P|Q|R<\/a>|S<\/a>|T<\/a>|U|V|W<\/a>|X|Y|Z<\/h4>\n
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