SMAW

 


SMAW in Progress at the Mobile Weldling Lab

 

SMAW in Progress at the Mobile Weldling Lab

The shielded metal arc process is one of the most commonly used processes in the maintenance and repair industry. The versatility, simple equipment, mobility, and ability to produce high quality welds make it extremely useful in the maintenance and repair field.

 

The Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) process is the oldest and most versatile of the welding processes. It is a manual process in which the welder uses a consumable metal electrode coated in flux to create the weld. An electric current, either Direct Current (DC) or Alternating Current (AC) from a welding power supply is used to create an electic arc between the electrode and the metals to be joined. The electrode disintegrates adding metal to the weld pool and the flux coating burns off providing shielding gas for the weld pool, and a slag coating. Both of which protect the weld from harmful atmospheric contamination.

A drawing of the SMAW process at the weld pool:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Drawing of typical SMAW Equipment: