How does carbon arc gouging work? What are the advantages and disadvantages compared to other gouging processes such as plasma gouging

How does carbon arc gouging work? What are the advantages and disadvantages compared to other gouging processes such as plasma gouging

Working principle of carbon arc gouging

Carbon arc gouging is a hot working process that uses the arc heat generated between a carbon rod or graphite rod and the workpiece to locally heat the metal to a molten state, and uses the high-speed airflow of compressed air to blow away the molten metal, thereby processing grooves on the metal surface1.

Comparison of advantages and disadvantages of carbon arc gouging and plasma gouging

• Advantages of carbon arc gouging

Simple equipment: only basic equipment such as power supply, carbon rod, gouging gun and compressed air source is required. Most operators can use welding machines as power sources for carbon arc gouging, and the equipment procurement cost is low.

Flexible operation: Manual carbon arc gouging is flexible and can be operated in all positions. It can be used in narrow workstations or parts with poor accessibility. It can be operated in a compact space by rotating the carbon rod and the cutting torch head.

Wide range of applications: not only suitable for ferrous metals, but also for non-ferrous metals such as stainless steel, aluminum, copper and their alloys.

Convenient observation: When removing defects in welds or castings, the shape and depth of the defects can be clearly observed under the arc, which is conducive to accurate defect removal.

Disadvantages of carbon arc gouging

Serious environmental pollution: it will produce loud noise, smoke and dust, strong arc radiation, and have certain harm to the environment and the health of operators.

Easy to produce defects: manual operation has high requirements for process specifications. If the operation is improper, it is easy to produce defects such as carbon inclusion and slag sticking, and the welds after root cleaning are often uneven in width and depth.

Limitations on materials: when used on materials such as stainless steel that have strict control of carbon content, it may cause carburization and affect material properties, and usually requires subsequent strict grinding.

Low efficiency: carbon rods burn quickly and cannot operate continuously. The gouging speed is relatively slow, the work efficiency is low, and the construction cost is high.