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The welding of aluminium and its alloys

G Mathers, TWI Ltd. UK

Woodhead Publishing Series in Welding and Other Joining Technologies No. 50

…provides a very clear background text
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 - a practical user's guide by a respected expert to all aspects of welding of aluminium
 - designed to be easily understood by the non-metallurgist whilst covering the most necessary metallurgical aspects
 - demonstrates best practice in fabricating aluminium structures
 - covers all the major processes including TIG, MIG, plasma-arc welding, laser welding, electron beam welding and friction stir welding

The Welding of Aluminium and its Alloys is a practical user's guide to all aspects of welding aluminium and aluminium alloys. It provides a basic understanding of the metallurgical principles involved showing how alloys achieve their strength and how the process of welding can affect these properties. The book is intended to provide engineers with perhaps little prior understanding of metallurgy and only a brief acquaintance with the welding processes involved with a concise and effective reference to the subject.

It is intended as a practical guide for the Welding Engineer and covers weldability of aluminium alloys; process descriptions, advantages, limitations, proposed weld parameters, health and safety issues; preparation for welding, quality assurance and quality control issues along with problem solving.

The book includes sections on parent metal storage and preparation prior to welding. It describes the more frequently encountered processes and has recommendations on welding parameters that may be used as a starting point for the development of a viable welding procedure. Included in these chapters are hints and tips to avoid some of the pitfalls of welding these sometimes-problematic materials. The content is both descriptive and qualitative. The author has avoided the use of mathematical expressions to describe the effects of welding.

This book is essential reading for welding engineers, production engineers, production managers, designers and shop-floor supervisors involved in the aluminium fabrication industry.

ISBN 1 85573 567 9
ISBN-13: 978 1 85573 567 5
September 2002
248 pages  234 x 156mm  hardback  
£135.00 / US$230.00 / €160.00

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About the author

Gene Mathers is currently employed as a Welding Engineering Consultant at TWI. He formerly held the position of Head of the School of Welding Technology at TWI and has had more than 30 years experience in the welding industry, mostly in heavy engineering and power generation industries in welding engineering and quality management.

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Fundamentals of magnesium alloy metallurgy
Welding and joining of magnesium alloys
Welding processes handbook

Contents

Introduction to the welding of aluminium
 - Introduction
 - Characteristics of aluminium
 - Product forms
 - Welding: a few definitions

Welding metallurgy
 - Introduction
 - Strengthening mechanisms
 - Structure of metals
 - Aluminium weldability problems
 - Oxide film removal during welding
 - Hot cracking
 - Strength loss during welding

Material standards, designations and alloys
 - Designation criteria
 - Alloying elements
 - CEN designation system
 - Specific alloy metallurgy
 - Filler metal selection

Preparation for welding
 - Introduction
 - Storage and handling
 - Plasma-arc cutting
 - Laser beam cutting
 - Water jet cutting
 - Mechanical cutting
 - Cleaning and degreasing

Welding design
 - Introduction
 - Access for welding
 - Welding Speed
 - Welding position
 - Edge preparation and joint design
 - Distortion
 - Rectification of distortion
 - Fatigue strength of welded joints

TIG Welding
 - Introduction
 - Process principles
 - Mechanised/automatic welding
 - TIG spot and plug welding

MIG Welding
 - Introduction
 - Process principles
 - Welding consumables
 - Welding procedures and techniques
 - Mechanised and robotic welding
 - Mechanised electro-gas welding
 - MIG spot welding

Other welding processes
 - Introduction
 - Plasma-arc welding
 - Laser welding
 - Electron beam welding
 - Friction welding

Resistance welding processes
 - Introduction
 - Power sources
 - Surface condition and preparation
 - Spot welding
 - Seam welding
 - Flash butt welding

Welding procedure and welder approval
 - Introduction
 - Welding procedures
 - Welder approval

Weld defects and quality control
 - Introduction
 - Defects in arc welding
 - Non-destructive testing methods

Appendices
 - A, British and ISO standards related to welding and aluminium
 - B, Physical, mechanical and chemical properties at 20 degrees
 - C, Principal alloy designations: cast products
 - D, Alloy designations: wrought products

Bibliography