DCEN concentrates about ____ of its welding heat on the work, and about ____ on the tungsten.

DCEN concentrates about ____ of its welding heat on the work, and about ____ on the tungsten.

• A. 2/3, 1/3
• B. 1/3, 2/3
• C. 1/2, 1/2
• D. 3/4, 1/4

Answer: (A)

With DCEN, the electrode is negative and the workpiece is positive, so most of the arc energy goes into the weld area while the tungsten tip stays comparatively cooler. The typical split is about two-thirds of the heat into the workpiece to melt and form the weld pool, and about one-third into the tungsten, which helps keep the electrode from overheating. This distribution helps the weld process by concentrating heat where you need fusion in the joint, while preserving the tungsten tip integrity. If polarity were reversed (DCEP), the heat distribution would favor the tungsten instead.

With DCEN, the electrode is negative and the workpiece is positive, so most of the arc energy goes into the weld area while the tungsten tip stays comparatively cooler. The typical split is about two-thirds of the heat into the workpiece to melt and form the weld pool, and about one-third into the tungsten, which helps keep the electrode from overheating. This distribution helps the weld process by concentrating heat where you need fusion in the joint, while preserving the tungsten tip integrity. If polarity were reversed (DCEP), the heat distribution would favor the tungsten instead.