1. Aluminum Welding History and Testing of Aluminum Welding Adam Robertson Duke Schimmer Euft Kruithof December 10, 2006 ENGR 45, Santa Rosa Junior College, SRJC

2. History 1827 - Friederich Wohler discovers aluminum 1892 - C.L. Coffin described the Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) beginnings when a weld was made in non-oxidizing atmospheres 1939 - Aluminum Spot Welding saw application in the Aviation Industry 1940s - With World War II GTAW was found to be useful for welding magnesium in fighter planes, and later found it could weld stainless steel and aluminum. 1946 - High Frequency stabilized AC tungsten-arc welding is used for aluminum alloys 1949 - US Navy uses inert-gas metal arc welding for aluminum hulls of 100 feet in length

3. More History 1969 - The Russian Welding program in Space began by producing Electron Beam welds, welding an AMG6 And DM-20 aluminum alloys with the Vulkan process. 1973 - The American Astronauts used Electron Beam welding process in June 1973, welding Aluminum Alloy 2219-T87. 1976 - The first welded aluminum sphere for a liquefied natural gas tanker was made. 1991 - TWI of Cambridge England develops the Friction Stir Weld (FSW) process in its laboratory. No shielding gas or filler metal is required. Metals joined successfully include, the 2xxx, 6xxx,and 7xxx series aluminum. NASA is the first Us venture which welded the massive fuel tank for the space shuttle.

4. Industries Aerospace Automotive Watercraft Bicycle Piping Cable Beverage Marking

5. The Aluminum Advantage Lightweight Excellent Thermal/Electrical Conductivity Can be Very Ductile or Rigid Resistance to Oxidation Corrosion Resistance Excellent Strength/Weight Ratio Reflective Non-Combustible Doesn’t Spark Non-Magnetic

6. Disadvantages (In some applications) Difficult to Form Difficult to Weld Dissipates Heat Quickly Material is Expensive Susceptible to Cyclic Wear Brittle

7. Aluminum Welding Tutorial Start by striking an arc on the parent metal in the desired area Heat the metal until a sufficiently sized puddle of molten metal is formed Begin running a bead by dipping the filler rod into the puddle, while managing the size of the puddle by controlling the amperage of the machine with the foot pedal Watch out for burning through the metal by using too much heat, or using too little heat and not getting sufficient penetration

8. Welding Theory Video

9. Video Demonstration

10. Pictures

11. Pictures

12. Descriptions of Tests Rockwell Hardness Tests –Took Hardness Data for an Aluminum Plate with a Weld Down the Center Tinius Olsen Bend Test –Compared the Bend Displacement of Two Welded Plates to One Solid Plate

13. Hardness Testing

14. Hardness Testing Results

15. Bend Test

16. Bend Test Results

17. Weld Weakness The material weakness in welded metals is not in the weld itself, but the area immediately surrounding it:

18. Weld Weakness – The Movie

19. Thanks for Watching!