GaugePass

GTAW · Low-alloy steel

ER80S-B2

The chrome-moly torch rod used for root passes on lower alloy high temperature piping, matched to the same alloy class as the companion covered electrode.

What the designation means

Point at any character to see what it claims. The classification is a sentence written in fields, not a product name.

  1. ERClassified as both an electrode and a hand fed filler rod, so the same product serves torch welding and wire feed welding.
  2. 8080,000 psi minimum tensile strength of the deposited weld metal.
  3. SSolid wire or rod rather than a tubular product.
  4. -B2A chromium-molybdenum chemistry class at nominally 1.25 percent chromium and 0.5 percent molybdenum.

At a glance

Process
GTAW
Family
Low-alloy steel
Positions
All positions
Polarity
DCEN
Shielding
Welding grade argon at the torch, with argon or nitrogen-free inert backing gas inside the pipe
Minimum tensile
80ksi

Typical uses

  • Root passes on 1.25 chromium 0.5 molybdenum piping
  • Boiler tube and superheater welds
  • Refinery and power plant piping requiring creep resistant weld metal

How it runs

  • Clean, controllable puddle typical of torch welding on alloy steel
  • Deposit is harder as welded than a carbon steel rod, so heat treatment is usual
  • Preheat and interpass control are normally specified by the procedure
  • Requires a full back purge to keep the root free of oxide

Storage and handling

Keep cut lengths in the original tube or a clean dry rack; alloy rods that pick up shop dirt or rust contaminate the deposit chemistry.

Compare with

GTAWER90S-B3The higher alloy chrome-moly torch rod, used on the piping grades that run hotter than the lower chromium class can handle, typically with preheat and heat treatment.SMAWE8018-B2A chrome-moly low-hydrogen rod for the lower alloy grades of high temperature piping, where chromium and molybdenum together resist creep and oxidation.GMAWER70S-2The most heavily deoxidised of the common carbon steel wires, which is why it tolerates rust and mill scale and is the standard pick for open root passes.