A recently introduced welding electrode wire, Armco W-24, has been accepted for the qualified product list by the Naval Sea Systems Command, Department of the Navy, according to an Armco spokesman. The low-alloy wire is produced at the Houston plant of Armco's Southwestern Steel Division.

Acceptance by the Navy of the electrode wire was based on its performance against requirements that must be met to qualify material for general use in the fabrication of a wide range of military applications. These applications include ships, submarines, tanks, personnel carriers, and military hardware requiring welding of high yield strength, notch-tough and armor-plated steels.

The military welding specification is MIL-E-23765/2A (ships), and the grade designation is 100S-1. Armco W-24 is also classed by the American Welding Society to Specification 5.23-80, Classification EM2 for submerged arc welding. The gas shield arc welding AWS Specification is A5.28-79 and the W-24 Classification is ER100S-1.

Armco W-24 is a 1.75 percent manganese, 2 percent nickel, 0.40 percent molybdenum alloy with additions of chromium, titanium, zirconium, and aluminum. Deposits made with this alloy will produce ultimate tensile strength levels in the 105 KSI range and yield strengths in the 95 KSI range. High levels of impact toughness measured by Charpy V-notch and dynamic tear tests are significant features of the alloy. A Charpy V-notch average of 80 feet/pounds of energy absorption can be achieved at temperatures as low as —60 F. All weld metal dynamic tear test values average 640 feet/pounds.

In addition to the dynamic tear and Charpy V-notch testing, the weldments also must pass a restrictive side bend test as well as conventional tensile, radiography, and magnetic particle tests. Navy requirements involved explosion testing as well.

An Armco spokesman stated that the wire was developed for joining HY-80 (MIL-S-16216H) and ASTM pressure vessel steels such as A543. It was created to provide combinations of high strength and low temperature impact toughness.

Today W-24 is also being used to weld a variety of other high-strength steels. These include 100 KSI yield strength steels such as SSS-100, Astm A514 and A517. In addition, it is used for welding lower strength steels such as Armco NI-COP (A710 and A736) where very low temperature toughness is desired.

The wire is made fully killed and designed to be used with neutral or basic fluxes and argon-oxygen shielding gases. W-24 has been used in diameters of 1/16, 5/64, 3/32, 1/8 and 5/32 inches.

For further information on Armco W-24 welding electrode wire, Write 17 on Reader Service Card