AHW welding

[Ice Czar]

Wondering if anyone here has ever done any Atomic Hydrogen Welding?

[Phil Patrick]

Sounds like an over-funded US government defense project from the 1950's!!!!

Never heard of it,, what is it?

[Ice Czar]

AHW @ speciality welds (w\ video)

AHW is an arc welding process that uses an arc between two tungsten electrodes in a shielding gas atmosphere of hydrogen. Filler may or may not be used. A jet of hydrogen is disassociated as it passes through an electric arc. H2 > H + H = 422kJ. The temperature of the arc is in excess of 3700 °C.

The arc is maintained entirely independently of the work. The work is part of the electrical circuit only to the extent that a portion of the arc comes into contact with the work, at which time, a voltage exists between the work and the electrodes. The hydrogen can be thought of as simply a transport mechanism to extract energy from the arc plasma and transferring it to the work. It produces a flame as heat is liberated by the chemical reaction. Iron can be melted without contamination with carbon, oxygen or nitrogen. Because of the powerful reducing action of the atomic hydrogen, alloys can be melted without fluxes and without surface oxidation.

A feature of the flame is the speed by which it can deliver heat to the workpiece. When an arc is established in hydrogen, between two electrodes, the molecular hydrogen dissociates into atomic hydrogen. In the process of disassociation, large amounts of heat is absorbed from the arc by the hydrogen. This heat is released on recombination of the hydrogen atoms at the work surface due to hydrogen atoms recombining in their molecule form.

Irving Langmuir and Atomic Hydrogen

(note 3700C or 6692F, and the hydrogen recombines)

used prior to WWII largely in Germany

[Black Ink]

The only problem with hydrogen is when it makes a pocket somewhere . Alot of divers die that way.

[irnsrgn]

I tried it one time while at meeting that was held at a welding suppliers place of business. different!