SEMINAR ON

TECHNOLOGY ,ART , COURAGE

By - KAVYANTH
17311A0347

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• Hyperbaric welding is the process of
welding at elevated pressures,
normally underwater.
• Hyperbaric welding can either take
place wet in the water itself or dry
inside a specially constructed
positive pressure enclosure and hence
a dry environment.
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• First under water welding by British
Admiralty – Dockyard
• In 1946, special waterproof electrodes were
developed in Holland by ‘Van der
Willingen’

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 INTRODUCTION TO
UNDERWATER WELDING

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We cant lift ship and then repair it. Hence comes the use of underwater
welding

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•Wet welding

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•Dry welding
Dry welding is used in preference to wet
underwater welding when high quality
welds are required because of the increased
control over conditions which can be
exerted, such as through application of
prior and post weld heat treatments.
The structure to be welded and is
filled with a gas ( He and Oxygen) at the
prevailing pressure.
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Dry welding can be of two types
•Large habitat
•Mini habitat

Mini habitat for underwater welding. 8

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• Higher cost of process, training, etc
• Large quantity of costly and complex
equipments
• More deep, more energy requirement.
• Cant weld if weld spot is at
unreachable place

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• Wet underwater welding directly exposes
the diver and electrode to the water and
surrounding elements.
• Divers usually use around 300–400 amps
of direct current to power their electrode,
and they weld using varied forms of arc
welding.
• This practice commonly uses a variation
of shielded metal arc welding, employing
a waterproof electrode.
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• Other processes that are used include flux-
cored arc welding and friction welding.
• In each of these cases, the welding power
supply is connected to the welding equipment
through cables and hoses.
• The process is generally limited to low carbon
equivalent steels, especially at greater depths,
because of hydrogen-caused cracking.

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• Power supply requrements-400 amp or larger.
DC generators, motor generators and rectifiers
are acceptable power supplies
• Power converters.
• Welding Generator, Pre-Setup
• Polarity.
• Diesel Driven Welding Generator Amperage
and Voltage settings.
• Gas Manifolds.
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• Underwater Oxygen-Arc Welding
Torches.-
Collet or grip
Oxygen valve
Flash arrester
• Waterproofing Surface Electrodes.
Epoxy 152
Lee lac 30-l2093
Polyurethane

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• WATER-------------HYDROGEN +
OXYGEN
• Dissolve in weld pool
• Solubility decrases and then comes out -
 porosity
• Oxygen as solid , liquid inclusions or
gases
• Hydrogen combines with oxygen forming
vapour
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Chemical composition

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Porosity-troubleshooted by including Calcium
carbonate

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• Effect of alloying elements on weld metal
microstructure and properties
• Managanese
• Boron and titanium
• Rare earth metals

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• Cheapest
• Fastest
• Tensile strength is high
• Ease of access the weld spot
• No waste of time in constructing habitat

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• Rapid quenching decreases impact
strength, Ductility.
• Hydrogen embrittlement.
• Poor visibility in water.
• Higher energy density of hydrogen,
higher efficiency.

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schematic diagram of underwater welding

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• Hydrogen and oxygen are dissociated
from the water and will travel separately
as bubbles
• Oxygen cutting is about 60 percent
efficient
• Above river beds, especially in mud,
because trapped methane gas in the
proper concentrations can explode.

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• There is a risk to the welder/diver of electric
shock.
• There is a risk that defects may remain
undetected
• The other main area of risk is to the life or
health of the welder/diver from nitrogen
introduced into the blood steam during exposure
to air at increased pressure

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• Start cutting at the highest point and work
downward
• By withdrawing the electrode every few
seconds to allow water to enter the cut
• Gases may be vented to the surface with a vent
tube (flexible hose) secured in place from the
high point where gases would collect to a
position above the waterline.
• Precautions include achieving adequate
electrical insulation of the welding equipment
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• Development of alternative welding methods
like friction welding, explosive welding, and
stud welding.
• Present trend is towards automation. THOR – 1
(TIG Hyperbaric Orbital Robot) is developed
where diver performs pipefitting, installs the
track and orbital head on the pipe and the rest
process is automated.

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