A cellulose electrode is a welding

electrode An electrode is an electrical conductor used to make contact with a nonmetallic part of a circuit (e.g. a semiconductor, an electrolyte, a vacuum or air). Electrodes are essential parts of batteries that can consist of a variety of materials de ...

that has a coating containing organic materials. About 30% of the coating weight is

cellulose Cellulose is an organic compound with the formula , a polysaccharide consisting of a linear chain of several hundred to many thousands of β(1→4) linked D-glucose units. Cellulose is an important structural component of the primary cell wall ...

. In some countries,

paper pulp Pulp is a lignocellulosic fibrous material prepared by chemically or mechanically separating cellulose fibers from wood, fiber crops, waste paper, or rags. Mixed with water and other chemical or plant-based additives, pulp is the major raw mate ...

and wood powder are added to the coating in certain ratios to reduce the amount of pure cellulose. The organic compounds in the coating decompose in the arc to form

carbon monoxide Carbon monoxide (chemical formula CO) is a colorless, poisonous, odorless, tasteless, flammable gas that is slightly less dense than air. Carbon monoxide consists of one carbon atom and one oxygen atom connected by a triple bond. It is the simple ...

carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide (chemical formula ) is a chemical compound made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in the gas state at room temperature. In the air, carbon dioxide is transpar ...

and

hydrogen Hydrogen is the chemical element with the symbol H and atomic number 1. Hydrogen is the lightest element. At standard conditions hydrogen is a gas of diatomic molecules having the formula . It is colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, an ...

, which increase the arc tension and thus, the

welding arc Welding is a fabrication process that joins materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, by using high heat to melt the parts together and allowing them to cool, causing fusion. Welding is distinct from lower temperature techniques such as brazi ...

becomes stronger and harder. Compared with other types of electrodes, with the same current values, a 70% deeper penetration can be obtained with cellulose electrodes. This type of electrode is generally produced with thin or medium coating thicknesses. When the coating is thin, a light amount of

slag Slag is a by-product of smelting (pyrometallurgical) ores and used metals. Broadly, it can be classified as ferrous (by-products of processing iron and steel), ferroalloy (by-product of ferroalloy production) or non-ferrous/base metals (by-prod ...

is formed on the welding bead and the spatter loss is high. On the other hand, the gap filling and vertical down

welding Welding is a fabrication (metal), fabrication process that joins materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, by using high heat to melt the parts together and allowing them to cool, causing Fusion welding, fusion. Welding is distinct from lower ...

capability as well as penetration of the weld obtained by this electrode is good. Since this electrode can be used in every position (particularly in vertical down), it has a wide range of applications in the ship building industry and in the welding of pipelines with a wall thickness of less than 12.5 mm. The cellulose that burns during welding forms a very good protective gaseous atmosphere.

Application

The main features of cellulose electrodes are as follows:Baker's Gas, "How to Weld Using Cellulosic Electrodes", https://www.bakersgas.com/weldmyworld/2012/02/26/how-to-weld-using-cellulosic-electrodes/ * Deep penetrating welding in every position * Vertical down welding capability * Weld metal with good mechanical properties * A less amount of weld pool is developed The

titanium Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. Found in nature only as an oxide, it can be reduced to produce a lustrous transition metal with a silver color, low density, and high strength, resistant to corrosion in ...

compounds in the coating provide arc stability as well as help clean the slag easily. Adding a certain amount of

ferromanganese Ferromanganese is a ferroalloy with high manganese content (high-carbon ferromanganese can contain as much as 80% Mn by weight). It is made by heating a mixture of the oxides MnO2 and Fe2O3, with carbon (usually as coal and coke) in either a bla ...

to the coating makes it possible to compensate for the

manganese Manganese is a chemical element with the symbol Mn and atomic number 25. It is a hard, brittle, silvery metal, often found in minerals in combination with iron. Manganese is a transition metal with a multifaceted array of industrial alloy use ...

that is lost through

oxidation Redox (reduction–oxidation, , ) is a type of chemical reaction in which the oxidation states of substrate change. Oxidation is the loss of electrons or an increase in the oxidation state, while reduction is the gain of electrons or a d ...

during welding and to deoxidize the weld pool. Since these electrodes are generally manufactured using a

sodium silicate Sodium silicate is a generic name for chemical compounds with the formula or ·, such as sodium metasilicate , sodium orthosilicate , and sodium pyrosilicate . The anions are often polymeric. These compounds are generally colorless transparent ...

binder, they can best be used with DC(+) polarity.

References

Electrodes Cellulose {{electrochem-stub