Exploring the Effectiveness of a Nickel-Chromium (NiCr) Alloy Shielded Metal Arc Welding Electrode on Welding Metal ~1/8" or Thinner

With the increasing number of applications that require welding, ease of access to welding tools has become very important. The most accessible and cost-effective form of welding is Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) which uses a consumable metal electrode to conduct electricity to the workpiece by completing a circuit. SMAW has many advantages, however, its main disadvantage is welding metals ≤ ⅛”, which is required in many areas such as automotive repair/construction. SMAW struggles with this because it conducts an excess of heat and electricity to the workpiece, causing overpenetration. It was hypothesized that nickel-chromium alloy (NiCr) would make an effective electrode for welding metal ≤ ⅛”, as the higher electrical resistivity of NiCr would conduct less electricity to the workpiece, theoretically reducing the possibility of overpenetration and creating a higher quality weld. NiCr is an alloy most commonly composed of 80% nickel and 20% chromium which has a very high corrosion resistance and electrical resistivity, meaning that it has the capacity to conduct less electricity, therefore preventing overpenetration. The purpose of this paper was to create a NiCr welding electrode with a spreadable flux paste for usage in welding metals ≤ ⅛”. The final design failed to create a stable arc when welding two 2” x 2” segments together because of low amperage or the electrical resistivity of NiCr being too high. This suggests that NiCr 8020 does not have a practical application for welding ferrous metals ≤ ⅛” at less than 80 amperes.