Aglomorated Flux and Fused Flux SAW 1

[bmoorthy]

Hello

can some one clear up the following

What are the advantages of using Advantages of using Aglomorated flux over Fused flux.

Why are fused flux called fused flux? is there any specific reason?

Under what circumstance the welding engineer chooses Aglomorated flux or Fused flux?

Thanks in advance for the info.

 

[GRoberts]

Agglomerated flux uses a binding agent to hold the material together, then is baked, and broken up. This would be similar to taking the flux off of a SMAW electrode and using it for SAW. Fused flux is actually melted, frozen, and then broken up into flux particles. One disadvantage for agglomerated flux, like a SMAW electode, will absorb moisture from the atmosphere. Fused flux is more resistant to that. Agglomerated fluxes are easier to customize for an application though, and can provide alloying elements when necessary. I think that choosing between the two is usually not the top priority as the ingredients tend to determine the properties of the weld more that the method of flux manufacture. When I have chosen fluxes before, it has usually been for small, unusual jobs, so agglomerated have been more avialable. If you are welding miles and miles of pipe or some other situation for high productivity, weldability would be a major concern. (easy slag detachment, tolerant of variation, etc).

 

[sayee1]

In addition to the above is the cost impact. Fused fluxes for continuous production as specified by GRoberts is much cheaper than using agglo fluxes. Added to it is the fact that agglo fluxes need redrying/holding typically at 120 Deg C b4 use, while fused fluxes need no redrying/holding. Also as Groberts pointed out, fused fluxes are with low availability in terms of application as compared to agglo fluxes. In addition the agglo fluxes tend to deteriorate more easily with time as comnpared to fused fluxes, to explain a bit more, fused fluxes as the name dentoes are manufactured by fusing the constituents and freezing the fused mayterial and then breaking into required grain size. So it is more like glass and hence less deterioration. In acase of agglo fluxes you can loose the moisture holding the binders together and hence more chances of fine generation. Thus recyclability of fused fluxes is much better.

Thanks and regards
Sayee Prasad R
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