WE Colloquium: Darren Barborak, The Hot PulseTM Welding Process for High Integrity Thick Section Welds

Abstract

The GTAW process (also known as TIG) has long been heralded as the industry standard for high quality volumetrically inspected welds.  While GTAW is associated with first-time weld quality, a major limitation has been its relatively low deposition rate as compared to other arc welding processes.  A modified GTAW process, termed Hot PulseTM has been recently developed to address this limitation.  As a simple modification to a widely accepted welding process, the “Hot Pulse” process couples hot-wire technology with a reciprocating wire that pulses in and out of the weld puddle.  The process can be employed in a semi-automatic or a mechanized torch set-up on an orbital or linear track.  The Hot PulseTM process is particularly suited for thick section weld joints such as heavy-wall piping and thick-section components.  The benefits of the process along with several case studies will be discussed.

Bio

Dr. Darren Barborak is Director of Materials & Welding Technology, and manages the Materials & Welding Group at WSI.  Dr. Barborak holds a B.Sc., M.Sc., & Ph.D. in Welding Engineering from The Ohio State University, where he is presently an adjunct professor.  He has over twenty five years’ experience managing welding related research and development projects, with expertise in arc welding processes and experience in many industrial segments.  Dr. Barborak holds 1 patent, co-authored the American Welding Society handbook chapter on “Monitoring and Control of Welding and Joining Processes”, and is a peer reviewer for the AWS Welding Journal.  In addition, he actively participates in welding code committees including the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), and the American Petroleum Institute (API).