Evaluation of Performance of Welding Electrodes Containing Nano-Sized Rare Earth CeO2 Powder

Based on the E5018 zirconia–alkali low hydrogen iron powder electrode as the base composition, this paper incorporates nano-rare earth CeO2 powder into the coating. Using the orthogonal experimental method, a total of nine groups of experiments were established, each with four factors and three levels. These factors include (A) nano-rare earth CeO2 powder at levels of 1.1%, 1.3%, and 1.6%; (B) iron powder at levels of 30%, 35%, and 40%; (C) fluorite at levels of 6%, 8%, and 10%; and (D) zirconium quartz at levels of 5%, 7%, and 9%. The arc combustion stability of the welding rod is determined by an arc analyzer, and the formation and slag removal of the weld seam are evaluated by wide slope welding. Welding a spatter is evaluated by an observation method. The range and variance of the orthogonal experiment results were calculated, and the process performance was studied and analyzed. The results indicate that samples No. 1, 4, 5, 7, and 9 demonstrate superior performance in the welding process, specifically in terms of arc stability, weld formation, slag detachment, and spatter. The addition of nano-rare earth CeO2 powder has the most significant impact on weld formation, while iron powder, fluorite, and zirconium quartz have notable effects on arc stability, spatter, and slag detachment, respectively. The optimal combination of these four factors at three levels for optimal welding process performance is A2B1C2D3, with the recommended amounts being 1.3% of nano-CeO2 powder, 30% of the iron powders, 8% of fluorite, and 9% of zirconium quartz.