Page 6 - Welding of Aluminium and its Alloys

Contents

Preface ix

1 Introduction to the welding of aluminium 1

1.1 Introduction 1
1.2 Characteristics of aluminium 4
1.3 Product forms 6
1.4 Welding: a few definitions 6

2 Welding metallurgy 10

2.1 Introduction 10
2.2 Strengthening mechanisms 10
2.3 Aluminium weldability problems 18
2.4 Strength loss due to welding 31

3 Material standards, designations and alloys 35
3.1 Designation criteria 35
3.2 Alloying elements 35
3.3 CEN designation system 36
3.4 Specific alloy metallurgy 40
3.5 Filler metal selection 46

4 Preparation for welding 51

4.1 Introduction 51
4.2 Storage and handling 51
4.3 Plasma-arc cutting 52
4.4 Laser beam cutting 58
4.5 Water jet cutting 63
4.6 Mechanical cutting 64
4.7 Cleaning and degreasing 66

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