Effect of Activating Flux on Appearance of Welds and Spatter in CO₂ Arc Welding

The influence of activating flux on appearance of welds and spatter in CO₂ arc welding with self-made activating welding rod was investigated.The experiments showed that with the activating flux,the spatter loss coefficient decreased,the depth and width of penetration increased and the appearance of welds was smooth.It is recognized that the activating flux decreases the effective ionizing voltage of mixed gases and increases conductibility of CO₂ arc and makes the transfer droplet finer in middle current which contributes to the decrease of spatter.