welding steel and aluminum

[RIVetron]

Hi,

Can someone tell me if it is possible to weld an aluminum plate (0.38 thk) to a steel structure? Or, would it have to be bolted. This is not for a production environment, only for a one-off design.

thanks

 

[Rich2001]

Bolt it.

 

[tobbe]

It is not possible to weld aluminium to steel without serious corrosion problems. However there are profiles with one side aluminium and one side steel which are "exploded together". Then you weld steel/steel and alu/alu. Maybe not an opion for you but a very neat way of joining structures.

More information:

http://www.nitrometall.se/english.html

 

[Rjeffery]

Tobbe is exactly correct. that is how the Al superstructers of ships are attached to the Fe deck.

 

[EnglishMuffin]

Boy, that sounds like a case of major corrosion just waiting to happen - seawater, dissimilar materials etc. How do they get around that ?

 

[rhodie]

Holy cow! Explosive bonding is awesome!

I wish I could find the project justification somewhere to use it!

Hmmm...

 

[tobbe]

The explosion welding is a well proven design often used in marine applications without corrosion problems
There is corrosion, but the speed is reduced greatly and as good as zero due to protective aluminium oxide in the interface between the materials. Due the solid bonding it is not possible for elctrolyte to penetrate this oxide.

Much better explained in this old article:

http://www.dynamicmaterials.com/clad/pdf/explosion_bonded_metals_for_marine Structures.pdf

 

[EnglishMuffin]

Very interesting. Thanks.

 

[Rjeffery]

We also use Zn as a sacraficial annode... 23-30 kilo's each. last 3-5 years...

 

[tobbe]

Rjeffery:

Do you mean that you use the anodes to protect the superstructure, or do you mean the underwater-hull mounted anodes?
Jusy curious.

 

[DWolff]

Hi,
I think you can actual weld Al/Steel together if you do it right. If I remember correctly, they had a sample of it in my welding engineer class. You might want to write an email to katrin.lehmann@slv-bb.de, she is pretty good with material science.
DWolff