A pressure vessel includes: (a) a cylindrical sidewall having a wall thickness, an inside surface, an outside surface, and the cylindrical sidewall extending between a first end and a second end, wherein one of the first end or the second end includes a sidewall edge that forms part of an outwardly opening weld groove; (b) an end cap constructed to engage the cylindrical sidewall edge, the end cap comprising an end cap edge corresponding to the sidewall edge and that, when combined with the sidewall edge, forms the outwardly opening weld groove; (c) a cylindrically extending backer bar located in support of the outwardly opening weld groove formed by the sidewall edge and the end cap edge; and (d) a weld joint formed in the outwardly opening weld groove and holding the cylindrical sidewall to the end cap. A method for welding a pressure vessel sidewall and end cap together is provided.

Steel weld metal compositions can include from 10.75 to 12.00 wt % chromium, from 0.09 to 0.13 wt % carbon, from 0.2 to 0.5 wt % manganese, from 0.1 to 0.3 wt % silicon, from 0.2 to 0.7 wt % nickel, from 0.1 to 0.5 wt % molybdenum, from 0.8 to 1.2 wt % cobalt, from 0.03 to 0.08 wt % niobium, from 0.8 to 1.2 wt % tungsten, from 0.3 to 0.8 wt % copper, from 0.10 to 0.15 wt % vanadium, from 0.01 to 0.05 wt % titanium, from 0.005 to 0.010 wt % boron, from 0.005 to 0.015 wt % nitrogen; wherein the balance of the steel weld metal composition is iron and unavoidable impurities. Methods of depositing the steel weld metal compositions on a workpiece by an electric arc welding process are also described. Consumable electric arc welding electrodes producing high chromium creep resistant steel weld metal compositions are also described.

Steel weld metal compositions can include from 9.00 to 12.00 wt % chromium, from 0.02 to 0.06 wt % carbon, from 0.3 to 0.7 wt % manganese, from 0.1 to 0.3 wt % silicon, from 0.5 to 1.2 wt % nickel, from 0.1 to 0.5 wt % molybdenum, from 1.0 to 1.5 wt % cobalt, from 0.03 to 0.08 wt % niobium, from 0.2 to 0.8 wt % tungsten, from 0.3 to 0.8 wt % copper, from 0.005 to 0.010 wt % boron, and from 0.005 to 0.025 wt % nitrogen; wherein the balance of the steel weld metal composition is iron and unavoidable impurities. Methods of depositing the steel weld metal compositions on a workpiece by an electric arc welding process are also described without the use of a post weld heat treatment. Consumable electric arc welding electrodes producing high chromium creep resistant steel weld metal compositions are also described.

Systems and methods are disclosed that provides a helical wire for use in welding applications. A torch can be adapted to form the helical wire from a straight wire and to provide the helical wire as a consumable electrode in a welding or cladding application. The helical wire can be, for example, solid, tubular, or seamless tubular. The torch concurrently forms the helical wire and provides welding current for the welding or cladding application.

A contact device for a welding apparatus is disclosed. The contact device for feeding current to at least a first welding wire and a second welding wire. The contact device including first and second contact jaws. The first and second contact jaws including a slot formed therein to provide the first and second contact jaws with improved flexibility to individually and independently flex about the first and second welding wires to ensure proper contact is maintained between the contact jaws and the welding wire.

A heat input control method for a welding system includes the step of receiving data encoding a desired heat input range having heat input values included between an upper limit and a lower limit. The method also includes the step of receiving data encoding a desired change to a level of a first weld variable of a set of weld variables. Further, the method includes determining a change to a level of a second weld variable of the set of weld variables. The determined change to the level of the second weld variable is suitable to maintain a heat input of a welding operation within the desired heat input range.

A Ni-based alloy wire for submerged arc welding according to an aspect of the present invention includes, as a chemical composition, by mass %, C: 0.001% to 0.060%, Si: 0.01% to 3.00%, Mn: 0.01% to 6.00%, Mo: 15.0% to 25.0%, W: 2.5% to 10.0%, Ta: 0.002% to 0.100%, Ni: 65.0% to 82.4%, Al: 0% to 2.00%, Ti: 0% to 2.00%, Cu: 0% to 1.0%, P: 0% to 0.0200%, S: 0% to 0.0200%, N: 0% to 0.1000%, 0: 0% to 0.0100%, Fe: 0% to 10.0000%, Co: 0% to 0.1000%, Cr: 0% to 1.0000%, V: 0% to 0.1000%, Nb: 0% to 0.1000%, B: 0% to 0.0100%, Bi: 0% to 0.0100%, Ca: 0% to 0.0200%, REM: 0% to 0.0300%, Zr: 0% to 0.1000%, and a remainder: impurities; in which a value X is 0.010% to 0.180%.

A pressure vessel includes: (a) a cylindrical sidewall having a wall thickness, an inside surface, an outside surface, and the cylindrical sidewall extending between a first end and a second end, wherein one of the first end or the second end includes a sidewall edge that forms part of an outwardly opening weld groove; (b) an end cap constructed to engage the cylindrical sidewall edge, the end cap comprising an end cap edge corresponding to the sidewall edge and that, when combined with the sidewall edge, forms the outwardly opening weld groove; (c) a cylindrically extending backer bar located in support of the outwardly opening weld groove formed by the sidewall edge and the end cap edge; and (d) a weld joint formed in the outwardly opening weld groove and holding the cylindrical sidewall to the end cap. A method for welding a pressure vessel sidewall and end cap together is provided.

Submerged arc welding torches and systems to resistively preheat electrode wire are disclosed. A disclosed example submerged arc welding torch includes: a first contact tip configured to transfer weld current and preheating current to the wire; a second contact tip configured to conduct the preheating current to the wire; an air-cooled first conductive body portion configured to receive the weld current and to conduct the weld current and the preheating current to the first contact tip; an air-cooled second conductive body portion configured to receive the preheating current and to conduct the preheating current to the second contact tip; and an insulator coupled between the first and second conductive body portions.

Strip cladding heads having independent strip pressure adjustments and strip cladding systems with strip cladding heads having independent strip pressure adjustments are disclosed. A disclosed example cladding head for strip cladding system includes a first contact jaw, a second contact jaw, and a third contact jaw. The first contact jaw includes first and second contacts to deliver welding power to a cladding strip that is driven between the first and second contacts. The second contact jaw includes third and fourth contacts to deliver the welding power to the cladding strip that is driven between the third and fourth contacts. The third contact jaw includes fifth and sixth contacts to deliver the welding power to the cladding strip that is driven between the fifth and sixth contacts, where the first, second, and third contact jaws selectively provide symmetrical contact with the cladding strip across a width of the cladding strip when the cladding strip has one of at least three incremental strip widths, and the three incremental strip widths correspond to ones of the first, second, and third contact jaws.