Submerged arc welding
![Submerged arc welding. The welding head moves from right to left. The flux powder is supplied by the hopper on the left hand side, then follow three filler wire guns and finally a vacuum cleaner.](/Images/godic/202502/13/Submerged_Arc_Welding3735.JPG")
![A submerged arc welder used for training](/Images/godic/202502/13/Submerged_arc_welder.lincoln.triddle3735.jpg")
![Close-up view of the control panel](/Images/godic/202502/13/Submerged_arc_welder_control_panel.lincoln.triddle3735.jpg")
![A schematic of submerged arc welding](/Images/godic/202502/13/Submerged_arc_welding_schematic.svg3735.png")
Submerged arc welding (SAW) is a common arc welding process. The first patent on the submerged-arc welding (SAW) process was taken out in 1935 and covered an electric arc beneath a bed of granulated flux. Originally developed and patented by Jones, Kennedy and Rothermund, the process requires a continuously fed consumable solid or tubular (metal cored) electrode. The molten weld and the arc zone are protected from atmospheric contamination by being "submerged" under a blanket of granular fusible flux consisting of lime, silica, manganese oxide, calcium fluoride, and other compounds. When molten, the flux becomes conductive, and provides a current path between the electrode and the work. This thick layer of flux completely covers the molten metal thus preventing spatter and sparks as well as suppressing the intense ultraviolet radiation and fumes that are a part of the shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) process.