Welding of titanium

Claim 1

THE PROCESS OF FORMING DUCTILE WELDS OF WORKPIECES OF TITANIUM AND ALLOYS THEREOF SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF HYDROGEN, NITROGEN, OXYGEN AND CARBON WHICH COMPRISES GENERATING AN ELECTRIC ARC BETWEEN A WORKPIECE AND AN ELECTRODE TO FUSE ADJOINING PARTS OF THE WORKPIECE AND THEREBY FORM A WELD THEREBETWEEN, AND PROTECTING THE WELDED PARTS AGAINST EMBRITTLING CONTAMINATIONS WHILE AT HIGH TEMPERATURES, THE PROTECTING PROCESS INCLUDING MIXING AND APPLYING TO BEST-AFFECTED SURFACES OF SAID WORKPIECE THE MIXTURE OF FINELY-DIVIDED PARTICLES CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF TITANIUM WITH A NON-REACTIVE FLUX CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF AT LEAST ONE FINELY-DIVIDED HALIDE WHICH AT TEMPERATURES, ABOVE ABOUT 1,000*F. GENERATES A PROTECTIVE GASEOUS HALIDE FILM WHICH SHIELDS SAID SURFACES AGAINST ATMOSPHERIC CONTAMINANTS, WHEREBY UNMELTED AMOUNTS OF SAID FINELY-DIVIDED PARTICLES HOLD QUANTITIES OF THE MELTED FLUX TOGETHER ON THE HEAT-AFFECTED SURFACES IN PROTECTIVE RELATIONSHIP THERETO, AND MAINTAINING SAID FLUX IN CONTACT WITH SAID HEAT-AFFECTED SURFACES UNTIL THEY COOL BELOW ABOUT 1,000*F.