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INTRODUCTION TO ALUMINUM.
CLASSIFICATION OF ALUMINUM ALLOYS
WELDING PROCESSES USED FOR ALUMINUM
SMAW
GTAW
GMAW
WELDING DEFECTS
ALUMINUM
Light in weight.
Good corrosion resistance.
Good thermal and electrical conductivity.
Highly reflective.
Non-magnetic (no arc blow).
Pure metal is very ductile.
Strengthened by alloying,cold working, heat treatment.
PROPERTIES OF ALUMINUM
Properties
Aluminum
Steel
Melting point, 0C
660
1536
900
460
Density, g/cm3
2.7
7.87
Thermal conductivity,
cal/ cm3 .0C.s
0.53
0.18
Electrical resistivity,.cm
2.65
9.71
1XXX
2XXX
COPPER
3XXX
MANGANESE / (Si+Cu)
4XXX
SILICON
5XXX
MAGNESIUM
6XXX
MAGNESIUM+SILICON
7XXX
ZINC
8XXX
OTHER ELIMENTS
Classification of Al-alloys
Non heat treatable alloys: 1xxx, 3xxx, 5xxx series.
Optimum mechanical properties- Strain hardening
(cold working)
1xxx series
It is pure aluminum series, non-heat treatable..
U.T.S: 10-27 ksi.
Good corrosion resistance, electrical properties.
Welded with matching /4xxx filler material.
Applications:
Specialized chemical tanks manufacture.
Piping, Bus bars, General structural applications
2xxx series
It is Al-Cu (0.7-6.8% Cu ), heat treatable alloys.
U.T.S: 27-62 Ksi.
High strength and high performance alloys.
Welded with 2xxx/4xxx series fillers.
Some of these alloys are not Weldable
(Susceptibility to Hot cracking and SCC)
Applications:
Aerospace and air craft applications.
3xxx series
It is Al-Mn(0.05-1.8 Mn), non heat treatable alloys.
U.T.S: 16-41 Ksi.
Moderate strength, good corrosion resistance and
formability.
Welded with 1xxx, 4xxx and 5xxx.
Applications:
Heat exchangers in vehicles and power plants.
Structural applications.
4XXX SERIES
.
It is Al-Si (0.6-21.5% Si), both H.T & Non H.T alloys.
U.T.S: 25-55 ksi.
These fillers are low M.P & improve its fluidity.
(Predominantly used for Fusion welding & brazing)
Addition of Mg (or) Cu to these alloys, improves
respond to H.T.
5XXX SERIES
It is Al-Mg (0.2-6.2%), Non H.T alloys.
U.T.S: 18-51 Ksi (Highest strength of Non H.T alloys).
Readily weldable alloys.
Base alloy < 2.5 % Mg welded with 4xxx/5xxx filler metals.
Base alloy >2.5% Mg more susceptible to S.C.C.
Applications
Ship building
Transportation
Pressure vessels, Bridges
6XXX SERIES
It is Al-Mg-Si (Mg &Si additions of around 1%).
U.T.S: 18-58 ksi,Heat treatable alloys.
It should not be arc welded autogenously.
(Solidification crack sensitive)
They are welded both 4xxx & 5xxx series.
Widely used in welded fabrication.
7XXX SERIES
It is Al-Zn (0.8-12%Zn), heat treatable alloy.
U.T.S: 32-88 Ksi.(highest strength of Al-alloys).
Some alloys regarded as unsuitable for arc welding.
Welded alloys are welded with 5xxx series filler metals.
Applications
Used for high performance applications.
(Aircraft & Aerospace applications)
Used for competitive sporting equipment.
SMAW
Important factors:
Moisture content of the electrode covering.
Cleanliness of the electrode and base metal.
Preheating of base metal.
Proper slag removal between passes and after welding.
AC CURRENT
DCEN
DCEP
DC- PULSED
To provide good control of the molten weld pool,
particularly welding in other than the flat position.
Precaution in TIG welding:
when TIG welding of Al-alloys, a band of white deposit
appear alongside the weld bead.
When deposit band is of hair line width, it indicates
that the shielding gas is just adequate.
If the band is wider, it means the gas flow is too much
and gas is being wasted.
Preheat temperatures
GMAW
Welding speeds are higher (continuous filler wire).
Higher deposition rate.
Heat effected zones are narrower & less distortion.
It gives greater weld strength at low welding costs.
Problems:
Porosity.
Crater cracks.
Shielding gases
Argon:
It gives lower arc heat, smoother and steadier arc.
It gives less penetration than He & less spatter.
.It is prefer for thinner sections- Upto 19 mm thick.
Helium:
It gives higher arc heat, deeper penetration.
weld profile which is wider and less convex.
The spatter is slightly more than with Argon.
Weld defects
Porosity:
Causes:
Hydrogen is main cause (high solubility in molten Al).
Moisture content, oil, greases on the work surface.
Excessive moisture pickup in electrode covering.
By maintaining the long arc length.
By excessive current, higher travel speed.
Remedies:
Clean the joint area free from oil, grease, dirt etc.
Store electrodes properly and Bake the electrodes
just before welding.
By change in weld parameters and technique.
Crater cracks
Remedies:
Reverse the direction of welding at the end of
each tack/intermittent weld.
Use run on and run-off tabs.
Break the arc and restrike to fill the crater.
Use special circuitry and power source control to
produce a special rate of arc decay.
Thank Q