All about nickel
Guide to Nickel Welding and Soldering
Guide to Nickel Welding and Soldering from Weld Guru
All about metals for welding
A Guide to Aluminum GMAW Welding
A guide to welding aluminum in GMAW
International Titanium Association (ITA)
Trade association dedicated to the titanium metal industry.
International Zinc Association (IZA)
Only organization dedicated exclusively to the interests of zinc and its users
Amercian Iron and Steel Institute
AISI serves as the voice of the North American steel industry in the public policy arena and advances the case for steel in the marketplace as the preferred material of choice
Copper Development Association
Weldability of Metals
The term weldability has been coined to describe the ease with which a metal can be welded properly
In terms of weldability, commonly used materials can be divided into the following types:
Several factors influence the weldability of metals. Below is a list of the most common factors.
Carbon and alloy steels
Steels alloyed with carbon and only a low concentration of silicon and manganese are known as plain carbon steels
Alloy steels contain specified larger proportions of alloying elements.
Low-Carbon or Mild Steel have carbon content of less than 0.30%. These steels can be welded easily by all welding processes.
Medium-carbon steels have carbon content of 0.30% to 0.50%
High-carbon steels usually have a carbon content of 0.50% to 0.90%. These steels are much more difficult to weld than either the low- or medium-carbon steels. Because of the high carbon content, the heat-affected zone can transform to very hard and brittle martensite.
Tool steel has a carbon content from 0.8% to 1.50%, and is very difficult to weld.
High-manganese steel contains 12% or more manganese and a carbon content ranging from 1% to 1.4%.
Low-alloy steels are used increasingly because of requirements for high strength with less weight. These types of steel are readily weldable by all of the common welding processes.
Chromium-molybdenum steel is used for high-temperature service and for aircraft parts. It can be welded by the following processes: shielded metal arc, gas tungsten arc, gas metal arc, flux cored, and submerged arc.
Maraging Steel, which combines nickel and elements such as cobalt, titanium, molybdenum or aluminum. With a lower carbon content, this type of steel is known for its high yield strength
Stainless steels consist of four groups of alloys:
Characteristics of Aluminum
Pure aluminum melts at 1200°F (650°C). The oxide that protects the metal melts at 3700°F (2037°C). The metal must be cleaned prior to welding.
Aluminum can be arc welded using aluminum welding rods.
There are many different types of copper alloys. Copper is often alloyed with other metals such as tin, zinc, nickel, silicon, aluminum, and iron. Copper and copper alloys can be joined by most of the commonly used methods such as gas welding, arc welding, resistance welding, brazing, and soldering.
When you are welding copper, the welding current should be considerably higher than when welding steel.
Types of Cast Iron:
Metal Type |
Welding Process |
|||||
|
Stick |
MIG |
Flux Wire |
AC-TIG |
DC-TIG |
Resistance Spot |
Steel |
X |
X |
X |
|
X |
X |
Stainless Steel |
X |
X |
X |
|
X |
X |
Aluminum |
X |
X |
|
X |
|
|
Cast Iron |
X |
|
|
|
|
|
Copper/Brass |
|
|
|
|
X |
|
Magnesium Alloys |
|
|
|
X |
|
|
Titanium |
|
|
|
|
X |
Titanium is a silver-gray metal weighing approximately half as much as steel or approximately one and one-half times as much as aluminum.
properties of titanium
Titanium alloys, unlike most other light metals, retain their strength at temperatures up to approximately 800°F (426°C).
Nickel is a strong, lustrous, silvery-white metal
Nickel alloys can be joined reliably by all types of welding processes or methods, with the exception of forge welding and oxyacetylene welding.
Welding of Cast Nickel Alloys: Cast nickel alloys can be joined by the GTAW, GMAW and SMAW processes. For optimum results, casting should be solution annealed before welding to relieve some of the casting stresses and provide some homogenization of the cast structure.