www.iaset.us editor@iaset.us EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF ANGULAR DISTORTION AND TRANSVERSE SHRINKAGE IN CO 2 ARC WELDING PROCESS CHANDAR RATHOD & GONDI KONDA REDDY Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sreenidhi Institute of Science and Technology Ghatkesar, Hyderabad, Telangana (State), India ABSTRACT Now a days there are numerous types of welding techniques are used according to the application in which the major part of industries employed CO 2 arc welding process is one among the several different types of welding process. CO 2 arc welding process overcomes the restriction of using small lengths of electrodes. The present work is planned to carry out by experimental work to analyze distortions like angular distortion and transverse shrinkage in the welded joints due to the heat input by varying welding speeds for different butt joints keeping other parameters like arc voltage, welding current and electrode extension constant, using CO 2 arc welding process. The different butt joints used in this process are Single V-groove butt joints, Bevel groove butt joints and double V-groove butt joints. Distortion in welding can be classified as (1) angular distortion, (2) transverse shrinkage. Distortion can often controlled by adapting a suitable sequence of welding. A correct welding sequence which reduces the distortion to minimum does not remove or lower the locked up stresses. Further reduced heat input results in less distortion. KEYWORDS: Experimental Investigation of Angular Distortion INTRODUCTION Welding is a reliable and efficient joining process in which the coalescence of metals is achieved by fusion and is used extensively in the fabrication of many structures, buildings, ships, pressure vessels, automobile industries, etc., due to many advantages it has, over the other fabrication processes. Localized heating during welding, followed by rapid cooling, can generate residual stresses and distortion. However, distortion is a problem faced during welding by non uniform heating and unequal cooling of metals. The presence of distortion in weldments poses problems in further assembly. Now a days there are numerous types of welding techniques according to the applications required in which the major part of industries employed CO 2 arc welding process is one among several different types of welding process. CO 2 arc welding process overcomes the restriction of using small lengths of electrodes as manual metal-arc welding and overcomes the inability of the submerged-arc welding process to weld in various positions. Distortion is caused by the unequal heating and cooling of a metallic body during welding. It is also caused by the contraction of weld metal during solidification and cooling to room temperature and the contraction of the surrounding parent metal as it cools from high welding temperature when those portions contrast they try to pull the parts together and results in distortion. The CO 2 arc welding is the process in which the source of heat is an arc formed between a consumable metal electrode and the work piece, and the arc and the molten puddle are protected from contamination by the atmosphere with International Journal of Mechanical Engineering (IJME) ISSN(P): 2319-2240; ISSN(E): 2319-2259 Vol. 5, Issue 4, Jun - Jul 2016; 21-28 © IASET