Welding Steel to Aluminum
Welding Steel to Aluminum
(OP)
Can I weld steel to aluminum (don't know the type)? What kind of electrode should be used and what would be the electrodes capacity (kips per lineal inch per 1/16" of weld). I initally used 20% of the capacity of an E60xx electrode; this seemed conservative. Any thoughts?





RE: Welding Steel to Aluminum
No, not with conventional arc welding processes. Friction welding is possible.
RE: Welding Steel to Aluminum
RE: Welding Steel to Aluminum
Yes, that is correct. The problem with trying to fuse aluminum with steel is that aluminum will form brittle compounds along the weld fusion zone, which is the reason why fusion (melting) welding is not an acceptable method for joining steel to aluminum.
Friction welding is highly localized and does not result in melting. Explosive bonding is another alternative to join aluminum to steel. The above methods are not considered actual strength welds, like fusion welds.
RE: Welding Steel to Aluminum
RE: Welding Steel to Aluminum
These transition pieces were made by explosive welding.
Here is an article on welding dissembler metals you might want to read.
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RE: Welding Steel to Aluminum
Thanks
RE: Welding Steel to Aluminum
http:
http://www.alcotec.com/