Underwater Welding in the Deep Sea.

Underwater welding methods presently in use or under development are reviewed in order to determine which methods have possible application to deep sea use depths greater than 1000 feet. Studies on one of the new methods under development flux-shielded method were carried out with the use of a hyperbaric chamber. A series of flux-shielded bead-on-plate welds were performed underwater up to simulated water depths of 680 feet. The quality of the welds was evaluated by examination of the macrostructure, microstructure and microhardness of the weld joint. The welds performed indicated the flux-shielded method may be suitable for underwater welding in the deep sea.