Submerged-Arc Welding

What is submerged-arc welding?

Submerged-arc welding, in short SA welding, is an arc welding process where the welding arc burns invisibly between an endless electrode and the workpiece. The arc and the weld pool are covered by a granular powder (flux). The slag created from the flux protects the welding zone against environmental influences. A high thermal efficiency due to the flux cover results in a high deposition rate compared to other welding processes. For this reason, submerged-arc welding is referred to as high-performance process.

SA welding is economically efficient when used for material thicknesses from 6mm. The numerous fields of application of SA welding range from ship and bridge building to steel construction and container production. The process is used for joint welding as well as for surface welding of wear and corrosion protection layers. Unalloyed and alloyed steels as well as chromium-nickel steels can be welded with this process. High-performance welding processes like SA welding are mainly used as mechanical or automated processes. Shorter welding times combined with a higher duty cycle have the result that long seams can be welded without interruption. This leads to shorter downtimes with the positive effect that welding costs are also reduced.

The submerged-arc welding technique can be adapted to portals, column and booms, motor-driven axle systems or carriages. Thanks to the modular design of the Kjellberg SA welding technique and the diversity of available support systems, a variety of different component and seam geometries can be welded.