SMAW

"Shielded Metal Arc Welding"

In this process the heat obtained by an electric Arc using Ac/Dc power sours. and Arc struck between a coated electrode and the workpiece. Using this method the Arc temperature can be increased or decreased by employing higher or lower Arc current.
In this method, the electrode melts itself and transferred from the electrode to the workpiece.

DEFINITION OF SMAW:-

"It is an Arc Welding process wherein coalescence is produced by heating the job with an electric arc struck between the flux covered electrode and the job."

Advantage of SMAW Process:-

Shielded Metal Arc Welding is simplest then other Arc welding processes.
It is easy to implement in critical locations where other processes cannot weld due to space connections.
portability of equipment.
Due to the availability of different types of electrodes a large range of metals and their alloys can be welded by this process.
welding can be carried out in any position.

Although the SMAW Process is a very popular welding process in all fields today, there are also some limitations that are an obstacle to its popularity.

SMAW is slower as compare to the MIG process.
Welding control is slightly more difficult than MIG due to smoke and particles/slag,
ARC and metal transfer are not very clear.
In long/thick joint welding, electrodes need to be changed several times, this time additional care is required for proper cleaning for slag inclusions or insufficient penetration.

But today almost all of the employed metals and their alloys can be welded by this process. And SMAW is used both in the manufacturing process and in maintenance and repair work.

SMAW
Today SMAW is applied in many fields like:-