Air Carbon Arc Gouging on stainless steel

[raf143]

hi,
can we use air carbon arc gouging on stainless steel?
which standard/code says air carbon arc gouging can use on stainless steel material?

 

[racookpe1978]

Ugh.

I usually don't "guess" about comments, so please let others correct me if this is wrong ....

Oxy-acetylene burning is an oxidation cycle cutting + melting method to remove steel or iron or cast iron. The iron is heated red-white hot with the inner part of the burner, then excess oxygen is added to the molten area through the outer "ring" of burner openings to "blow away" the melted iron and melt more iron into the molten pit by Fe + O2 high-intensity "combustion" (oxidation) ... The cut is made by both processes: the burning (heat) only melts the rion; the physical "push" of the melted iron away from the solid remaining iron is by the excess oxygen forced at high volumes into the melted pool of iron..

Carbon arc burning uses air pressure to 'blow away" the melted steel under the rod, but it uses the current going from the rod to the steel to melt the steel so it can be physically "pushed" away from the cut to continue the cut. But the melting itself is not combustion (as in oxy-acet burning and cutting) but the electric arc.

Thus, it is my opinion, but nor my specific knowledge nor experience that carbon arc could be used on th electrically conductive metals. NOT aluminum, since that would contaminate the cut area.

 

[stanweld]

Carbon arc has been as is being used for backgouging stainless steel followed by grinding to remove the contaminated area left behind. There is no Code prohibiting its use; however, there may be Purchasers who prohibit its use through their contract specifications.

 

[weldtek]

The only thing I would add to Stanwelds comment is that the heat input from ACAG may be a concern for certain stainless grades, such as Duplex.

 

[Duwe6]

And the 'worry' that carbon-arc / air-arc cutting causes carbon contamination of stainless steel has not been substantiated. It just does not happen. And even if it did, any 'contaminated' areas will be removed when the dross [black, nasty edge] from CAC is ground back to bright, clean metal.

Ran into that "old wives tale" at a powerplant in Iowa. Cost a massive ammount of time, boilermaker sweat, and $$$ to make repair excavations using only hand grinders. And some of the repairs were over 10-ft long. Woof.