Welding positions in welding techniques

Basically, welding position (welding position) corresponds to different joining angles of a metal weld. Normally, there are four types of welding positions: horizontal welding, flat welding, vertical welding and ceiling welding. And the most common types of welds are groove welds and fillet welds. Welders can perform these two types of welds in all 4 positions. Besides, people use special letters to represent groove and corner welds.

Angle Welding (F) – This is a welding method in which two welded objects are joined together at a right or slightly inclined.
Groove Welding (G) – This is a joint groove welding method. This method requires the filling of weld metal for the weld to be solid.

Groove welding and Corner welding:

Normally, the following numbers and letters are used to display the weld:

For groove welding:

• 1G – (flat welding)
• 2G – (horizontal welding)
• 3G – (vertical welding)
• 4G – (welding ceiling)
• 5G – (vertical welding from bottom up or top down)
• 6G/6GR – (vertical welding + ceiling welding)

For fillet welding:

• 1F – (flat welding)
• 2F – (horizontal welding)
• 3F – (vertical welding)
• 4F – (vertical welding) ceiling)

Welding positions specified by AWS (American Welding Society) and ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers)

• 1G/1F
• 2F/2G
• 3G from bottom
• 3G from top down
• 4F/4G
• 5G from bottom up
• 5G from top down
• 6G from bottom up
• 6G from top down

Pipe and metal plate welding positions

There are usually six welding positions corresponding to the displayed numbers and letters, for example: 1G, 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, and 6G/6GR. The Welding positions are performed with many different angles and shapes. In general, the welding method is the same for every country. But each different standard uses different names for welding positions such as AWS D1.1 (according to AWS A3.0), ASME IX, and ISO 15614-1.

1G/1F/PA (Brazed)

1G/1F/PA is the flat welding position. In this welding position, the welder places the solder directly below the position of the soldering iron. This welding position is applicable for butt welding, groove welding as well as corner welding.

2G/PC (Horizontal welding)

This welding position is used for butt welding. In this welding position, the welding object lies parallel to the front of the welder's body.

2F(2f)/PB (Horizontal welding)

2F/PB is a horizontal welding position used for corner welds. This welding position is more difficult than 1F. The welder needs to hold the soldering iron at a 45° angle for most of the welding process. The soldering angle also depends on the welding angle of the welded object.

In the welding position 2F/2f, the butt weld is a bit more difficult than the flat weld. The reason is because the molten metal flows down the weld while the solder moves up the weld. As a result, the weld metal cannot completely fill the weld.

To weld better, the welder needs to properly align the welding object and the fixture at both the beginning and end points. The soldering iron should be moved up and down gently so that the amount of heat released is even on both edges of the solder. This way, the molten metal will not flow to the lower edge of the weld and the weld will harden faster. In general, a welder needs a lot of experience for the 2f welding position or any horizontal welding position. 2f is one of the welding positions available in the fillet welding test.

There is a position for horizontal welding of fixed welding objects also known as a pipe welding position. In this position, the axis of the tube is almost horizontal. What is worth noting in this welding position is that the welding object will not move or rotate during the welding process.

In position horizontal welding of rotating welding object,  the welding pipe is placed on the horizontal surface and the welding process is carried out by rotating the pipe. First, the welder must straighten the welds and then put them together. Welders can attach pipes by spot welding a metal bar to fix two welded objects.

Another familiar welding position is  2G - horizontal welding for groove joints and not corner joints. In this position, the welding axis is horizontal and the weld plane is vertical.

3G from bottom/PF (Vertical welding)

This is a vertical welding position from the bottom up used for both butt welding and corner welding. During welding, the soldering iron is kept at a 45° angle, and the welder performs the welding process from the bottom up.

3G top down/PG (Vertical welding)

This is a top-down vertical welding position used for butt and fillet welding. The welder will perform the welding process from top to bottom. This welding position is considered effective in terms of productivity.

4G/PE (Ceiling welded)

This is the ceiling welding position used for butt welds. The welder needs to keep the soldering iron in position below the solder. Usually, this is a difficult and complicated welding position. Welders must measure accurately before welding.

4F/PD (Ceiling welding)

This is the ceiling welding position used for corner welds. Welders mostly hold the soldering iron at a 45° angle below the workpiece, depending on the position of the workpiece.

5G welding position

5G welding position is used in pipe welding in which the axis of the pipe is kept firmly in a horizontal position, without rotation or movement. G stands for "Groove weld". AWS and ASME called 5G; According to the standard  ISO/EN , it is called PF.

5G from bottom up (Vertical welding)

This is a vertical welding position from the bottom up used to weld end pipes. This is a common welding method in pipe welding. In this welding position, the welder performs three welding styles in order: starting with ceiling welding, then horizontal welding and finally flat welding. During the welding process, the welded object (pipe) will not rotate or rotate; That's why this welding method is complicated.

5G from top to bottom (Vertical welding)

This is a top-down welding position used to weld end pipes. This is a very good and productive welding position in manual pipe welding. In this welding position, the welder needs to use appropriate tools and methods to overcome the sagging of molten weld metal during the welding process. In this way, welding productivity will increase, and the desired welding results will be achieved. In this welding position, the welder performs three welding styles in order: starting with flat welding, then horizontal welding and finally ceiling welding.

Different names of 5G welding position:

According to ASME/AWS	According to ISO
5G welding position from bottom up	PH welding position
5G welding position from top to bottom	PJ welding position

6G welding position

This is one of the most difficult welding positions. Welding in this position is the first condition to obtain a welding certificate. Depending on conditions, this welding position has similarities with the 5G/PH/PJ welding position but the welded pipe will lie at an angle of 45°. Another name for this welding position is  Welding position 6G Uphill/H-L045 and 6G Downhill/J-L045.

6G welding position is also known as top (ceiling) welding position or welding position to get worker certificate weld. In this welding position, the welded object (pipe) will be tilted at a 45° angle. That is why this is the most complex and challenging welding position for welders. Furthermore, the welder must change his body position many times during the welding process.

In the 6G welding process, there are mainly three types of welding: horizontal welding (difficult), flat welding (easy), and vertical welding (required). The difficulty of this welding position is mainly due to the fact that the filler metal always flows from high to low. And in a vertical welding position, it becomes even more difficult because the welder has to perform work at a height higher than his head. Therefore, the welder needs to practice a lot in the 6G welding position before conducting field welding. A certified welder is very rarely faced with a 6G welding position on the job, but it is often a recruitment test for welders.

The primary application of the 6G welding position is in the fabrication and installation of pipes and piping systems mainly for chemical, petroleum and industrial plants, and in similar industries where pipes and piping systems are used tube.

Exam 6GR

This is another form of the 6G test. The letter "R" stands for "restricted space". The weld is made in a welding position in which a metal plate is placed below the weld with a gap of 1 inch (2.5 cm), also known as “ring mode” mode. Essentially, this is another level of difficulty for welders in the certification process. In the 6GR welding position, the welder needs to perform the weld near obstacles such as racks, walls, and attaching pipes to another structure.

Conclusion

Thus, information about welding position types such as 1G, 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, and 6G/6GR is very useful for welders, students as well as teachers and people of other professions. Welding position plays an important role in the certification process for welders. They can be tested at different welding positions from 1G to 6G for either fillet or groove welds.

Source: https://www.weldinginfo.org/welding-processes/types-of-welding-positions-and-joins/

Abridged translation: Khanh An