Effect Of Electrode Tips Geometry On The Welding Results Of The Zircalloy-4 Fuel Pin End Cap In TIG Welding

Abstract:

The experiment of the effect of pointed, sharp and flat electrode tips on the welding results of the zirvalloy-4 fuel pin end cap in TIG welding, has been done. Welding condition with the same welding program for very electrode shape, produced the same weld and HAZ width, but the weld depth wass different.

The flat electrode produced  weld depth more deeper about 40% than those produced pointed and sharp electrode tips. In the case when the weld condition reached more than 100% tube thick, the flat electrode produced weld width about 32% smaller than that produced by using pointed electrode tip and about 38% smaller than that produced by using sharp electrode tip, but the HAZ width 18% smaller than that produced by using pointed electrode tip and 23% smaller than that  produced sharp electrode tip. The type of microstructure on the weld are widmanstaten and parallel pacage. These types were the same for every electrodes geometry used. The use of the flat electrode where the weld condition reached more than 100% tube thick, produce grain size which 20% smaller than the use of pointed and sharp electrodes.

Keywords: electrode tips geometry, TIG welding, fuel pin, welding condition, weld deep, microstructur

Saeful Hidayat*, Efrizon Umar*, Tony Kuswoyo**

*Pusat Penelitian dan Pengembangan Teknik Nuklir-Batan

**Fakultas Teknik, Jurusan Metalurgi, UNJANI