This disclosure relates generally to welding and, more specifically, to electrodes for arc welding, such as Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) or Flux Core Arc Welding (FCAW) of zinc-coated workpieces. In an embodiment, a welding consumable for welding a zinc-coated steel workpiece includes a zinc (Zn) content between approximately 0.01 wt % and approximately 4 wt %, based on the weight of the welding consumable. It is presently recognized that intentionally including Zn in welding wires for welding galvanized workpieces unexpectedly and counterintuitively alleviates spatter and porosity problems that are caused by the Zn coating of the galvanized workpieces.

In a stick electrode for electric arc welding having a center alloy wire and an outer cellulose coating which coating includes powdered fluxing agents, alloy powder, cellulose powder and a binder. The improvement involves forming the binder as a solution of sodium silicate and 61-78 percent by weight of the binder. The binder comprises 25-35% of the coating to produce at least about 4% by weight of water in the electrode. Furthermore, the fluxing agent is titanium dioxide with a percentage greater than 12 percent of the coating.

A flux (55) for superalloy laser welding and additive processing (20, 50), including constituents which decompose when heated in a laser induced plasma or to a melt temperature of the superalloy (42), creating one or more gases (46) that blanket the melt to protect it from air, while producing not more than 5 wt. % of slag relative to the weight of the flux. Embodiments may further include compounds providing one or more functions of surface cleaning, scavenging of impurities in the melt, and elemental additions to the superalloy.

A method for the manufacture of a welded joint including the following successive steps: I. The provision of at least two metallic substrates wherein at least one metallic substrate is a steel substrate, and II. The welding of the at least two metallic substrates with a welding head while, simultaneously, applying on the at least two metallic substrates, ahead of the welding head, a welding flux including a titanate and a nanoparticulate oxide selected from the group consisting of TiO.sub.2, SiO.sub.2, ZrO.sub.2, Y.sub.2O.sub.3, Al.sub.2O.sub.3, MoO.sub.3, CrO.sub.3, CeO.sub.2, La.sub.2O.sub.3 and mixtures thereof.

The invention relates to a coated electrode comprising a central metal core being surrounded at least in part by an outer coating containing rutile and at least one lithium-based compound and being free of sodium feldspar and potassium feldspar. According to the invention, the electrode comprises at least one inner coating arranged between the outer coating and the central metal core, said inner coating containing at least one sodium-based compound and/or at least one potassium based compound. Associated process for welding stainless steel.

The system and method for tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding of thick plates (e.g. 10 mm or more) using a flux comprising a mixture of nanoparticle-sized oxides in a volume of nonevaporable sodium silicate (Na.sub.2xSiO.sub.2+x or (Na.sub.2O)x.Math.SiO) solvent. The nanoparticle-sized oxides may be Titanium oxide and Silicon oxide. The solvent may be at least one of sodium metasilicate (Na.sub.2SiO.sub.3), sodium orthosilicate (Na.sub.4SiO.sub.4), or sodium pyrosilicate (Na.sub.6Si.sub.2O.sub.7). Use of the flux provides for forming a weld having a cross-section having complete penetration to up to 14 mm using a current of about 300 A.

A pre-coated steel substrate wherein the coating including at least one titanate and at least one nanoparticle; a method for the manufacture of an assembly; a method for the manufacture of a coated steel substrate and a coated substrate substrate. It is particularly well suited for construction, shipbuilding and offshore industries.

A flux-cored wire may be used with an ArCO.sub.2 mixed gas, the wire having a steel sheath filled with a flux. Such flux-cored wires may include, as a total of the steel sheath and the flux, relative to a total wire mass: Fe in 92 mass % or more, total Si in a 0.50 mass % or more and 1.50 mass % 15 or less, Mn in 1.00 mass % or more and 3.00 mass % or less, total Li in 0.010 mass % or more and 0.10 mass % or less, and total Mg in 0.02 mass % or more and less than 0.50 mass %, C in 0.15 mass % or less, P in 0.030 mass % or less, S in 0.030 mass % or less, and a slag forming agent in 0.50 mass % or less.