Oxy-fuel welding(commonly calledoxyacetylene welding,oxy welding, orgas weldingin the U.S.) andoxy- fuel cuttingare processes that use fuel gases and oxygen toweldand cut metals, respectively. French engineers Edmond Fouché and Charles Picard became the first to develop oxygen-acetylene weldingin 1903.Pure oxygen, instead ofair,is used to increase theflame temperatureto allow localized melting of the workpiece material (e.g. steel) in a room environment. A common propane/air flame burns at about 2,250K (1,980°C; 3,590°F),a propane/oxygen flame burns at about 2,526K (2,253°C; 4,087°F),anoxyhydrogenflame burns at 3,073K (2,800°C; 5,072°F), and an acetylene/oxygen flame burns at about 3,773K (3,500°C; 6,332°F).
Oxy-fuel is one of the oldest welding processes, besidesforge welding.In recent decades it has been obsolesced in almost all industrial uses due to variousarc welding methodsoffering more consistent mechanical weld properties and faster application. Gas welding is still used for metal-based artwork and in smaller home based shops, as well as situations where accessing electricity (e.g., via an extension cord or portable generator) would present difficulties.
Inoxy-fuel welding, a welding torch is used to weld metals. Welding metal results when two pieces are heated to a temperature that produces a shared pool of molten metal. The molten pool is generally supplied with additional metal called filler. Filler material depends upon the metals to be welded.
In oxy- fuel cutting, a torch is used to heat metal to itskindling temperature.A stream of oxygen is then trained on the metal,burningit into a metal oxide that flows out of thekerfasslag
Torches that do not mix fuel with oxygen (combining, instead, atmospheric air) are not considered oxy-fuel torches and can typically be identified by a single tank (oxy-fuel cutting requires two isolated supplies, fuel and oxygen). Most metals cannot be melted with a single-tank torch. Consequently, single-tank torches are typically suitable for solderingandbrazingbut not for welding.