but 7018 cannot and requires a backin strip to provide a surface for ..... to weld to

[JACEK1]

Hello everybody!

Below, you will find the whole text.

Backup Strip — is a strip or section of steel butted up to an open gap between two pieces of steel. 6010 welding rods can be used for open butt welding, but 7018 cannot and requires a backing strip to provide a surface for the electrode to weld to. Some backup strips are cut off and some are left in place.

I don't quite understand the bolded part in italics. Does it mean that 1) "7018 (welding rod) requires a backing strip in order to provide a surface to which the electrode can/should be welded" or 2) "7018 (welding rod) requires a backing strip in order to provide a surface for the electrode to which (by which I mean the surface, of course) to weld"?

In my opinion, the second version may make more sense but I would be grateful for your help, anyway.

What do you think?

A reply would be welcome.

http://www.keenovens.com/articles/welding-terms.htm

 

[GoesStation]

Your second version makes more sense to me.

 

[JACEK1]

Could I also hear from a welding worker/welder?

 

[GoesStation]

This article shows what a backing strip does in welding.

 

[JACEK1]

I am not much of a technically oriented person. Please enlighten me on that.

 

[Tarheel]

You don't need to use "in order to" there. The word "to" is fine by itself. Also, it might help to put the choices in separate paragraphs.

 

[GoesStation]

I am not much of a technically oriented person. Please enlighten me on that.

Figure 3 shows three kinds of backing strips, all of which serve to stop the weld material from emerging past the back surfaces of the pieces being welded together. The text you were having trouble with reads "6010 welding rods can be used for open butt welding, but 7018 cannot and requires a backing strip to provide a surface for the electrode to weld to." I understand this to mean that the welder would have to first tack-weld a metal (not ceramic) backing strip to one of the pieces, then clamp the two pieces with a small gap between them (this would be the "open butt" if not for the backing strip), then apply a weld to the backing strip and the two pieces.

 

[Skrej]

I'm not sure which of your examples fits my explanation, but what it's saying is that 6018 can be used to fill an open root (small gap) butt joint, but 7018 requires a backing strip to weld the electrode to.

You're not welding the backing strip to the joint, but rather the backing strip just gives a surface for the 7018 to puddle on.

A 6010 puddle cools faster than 7018, so it will fill a small gap. A 7018 puddle stays fluid longer, so without a backing surface, 7018 will just run out the backside of the gap.

 

[probus]

They appear to be grammatically equivalent, although awkward.