Alberta Boilers Safety Association (ABSA) Practice Test

The oxy-acetylene method is a welding process that utilizes a filler rod and generates high temperatures from the combustion of oxygen and acetylene gases. This method produces a flame that can reach very high temperatures, enabling the welding of various metals. The use of a filler rod is common in this process to add material to the weld joint, which helps in creating a strong bond between the pieces being joined. This distinguishes it from other methods that may not require a filler material or operate at different temperature settings. For instance, submerged arc welding involves a different approach where the welding arc is submerged under a blanket of granular flux, eliminating the need for a filler rod to be exposed in the same way as in oxy-acetylene welding. Similarly, the heli-arc method (commonly referred to as TIG welding) uses a non-consumable tungsten electrode to produce the weld and often does not use a filler rod in the same way. Electric arc welding also has its own characteristics, typically using an electric arc between an electrode and the workpiece as the heat source, which differs from the gaseous flame of the oxy-acetylene method. Thus, when considering the requirement of a filler rod and the heat produced by the flame, the oxy-ac