General questions about aluminium
 

Hi.
I have to investigate how to weld (or join using other methods)
aluminium tubes together. I know that this is very difficult because
of the melting point of the material, but it is possible and has been
done before.
Can anyone provide further information on how to weld aluminium tubes
together or provide the address of a website for reference?
Thanks

General questions about aluminium
 

brandon26 wrote:

Hi.
I have to investigate how to weld (or join using other methods)
aluminium tubes together. I know that this is very difficult because
of the melting point of the material, but it is possible and has been
done before.
Can anyone provide further information on how to weld aluminium tubes
together or provide the address of a website for reference?
Thanks

Never heard of google? You can type just about anything in there and
get results.

Do a couple searches. Start with "welding aluminum tubing" then try
"alternatives to welding aluminum tubing", you could even try searching
for stuff like "building aluminum bicycle frames" or "structural bonding
of aluminum tubing" or "riveted tube construction techniques"

Have fun with your homework!

Cheers
Trevor Jones

General questions about aluminium
 

On Sun, 21 May 2006 17:02:26 GMT, lid (brandon26)
wrote:

Hi.
I have to investigate how to weld (or join using other methods)
aluminium tubes together. I know that this is very difficult because
of the melting point of the material, but it is possible and has been
done before.
Can anyone provide further information on how to weld aluminium tubes
together or provide the address of a website for reference?
Thanks
==================
Why do these have to be welded? What is the material and size of
the tubes? What is the end use/ environment? Two alternatives
are mechanical crimping and adhesive bonding. Both techniques
are use in air craft construction, even for structural members.


Unka George
(George McDuffee)

There is something to be said for government by a great aristocracy
which has furnished leaders to the nation in peace and war for generations;
even a democrat like myself must admit this.

But there is absolutely nothing to be said for government by a plutocracy,
for government by men very powerful in certain lines and gifted with the "money touch,"
but with ideals which in their essence are merely those of so many glorified pawnbrokers.

Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919), U.S. Republican (later Progressive) politician, president. Letter, 15 Nov. 1913.

General questions about aluminium
 

If only there was some way of heating up an area between the two
pieces, so both would become molten, then solidifying into a single
unit. But is that possible due to the melting temperature? It think it
melts at 2 bazillion degrees, or something like that...

Perhaps someone could construct some kind of tool that could use an
electric arc as a heat source and inert gas as a shield... I guess you
could use tungsten as an electrode and argon as an inert gas source.
You could call it tungsten inert gas welding, or "TIG" for short.....

General questions about aluminium
 

"Polymer Man" wrote: (clip) You could call it tungsten inert gas welding,
or "TIG" for short.....
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I think you can assume that if that would work, they would already be doing
it. ;-)

General questions about aluminium
 

brandon26 wrote:

Hi.
I have to investigate how to weld (or join using other methods)
aluminium tubes together. I know that this is very difficult because
of the melting point of the material, but it is possible and has been
done before.
Can anyone provide further information on how to weld aluminium tubes
together or provide the address of a website for reference?
Thanks



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tig_welding


Now, go out and play with the other kids.

General questions about aluminium
 

If you call welding aluminum difficult, wait until you try some difficult
metal to weld! Aluminum is easy and takes a nice weld very easily.

--
Why do penguins walk so far to get to their nesting grounds?

General questions about aluminium
 

Now, now. Stop bragging. You're making us amateurs
look bad! :-)

DOC

Cause they can't fly.


"Bob May" wrote in message
. ..
If you call welding aluminum difficult, wait until you try some difficult
metal to weld! Aluminum is easy and takes a nice weld very easily.

--
Why do penguins walk so far to get to their nesting grounds?

General questions about aluminium
 

On Sun, 21 May 2006 17:02:26 GMT, lid (brandon26) wrote:

Hi.
I have to investigate how to weld (or join using other methods)
aluminium tubes together. I know that this is very difficult because
of the melting point of the material, but it is possible and has been
done before.
Can anyone provide further information on how to weld aluminium tubes
together or provide the address of a website for reference?
Thanks

It isn't difficult, but it does take some practice to learn. There
are no secret silver bullets on the internet.

You can make things a lot easier by using either a piece of smaller
tube (or rod or rolled-up sheetmetal) on the inside of the joint, or a
sleeve on the outside. You can then aluminum braze it with a torch.
Butt welds in 1/16" aluminum tube can be done with either TIG or O/A
but there is no shortcut around practicing until you get it. Note
that, unlike steel, aluminum welds are never as strong as the parent
metal. If you need the joint to be as strong as the rest of the
assembly then you need significant build with filler. O/A welds do
tend to be more ductile and less brittle than TIG welds.

A videotape about welding aluminum with O/A is available from
http://www.tinmantech.com/html/vid_h..._weld_alum.php

I haven't seen it.

General questions about aluminium
 

On Sun, 21 May 2006 17:02:26 GMT, lid (brandon26) wrote:

Hi.
I have to investigate how to weld (or join using other methods)
aluminium tubes together. I know that this is very difficult because
of the melting point of the material, but it is possible and has been
done before.
Can anyone provide further information on how to weld aluminium tubes
together or provide the address of a website for reference?
Thanks

Two more thoughts:

1. Ernie mentioned types of tungstens. That can make a big
difference. I noted a marked difference between plain tungsten and
zirconiated tungsten when AC welding aluminum -- the Zr is much
better.

2. If you are new to TIG and if you are maintaining as short an arc
as you should be, then you are almost certainly dunking the electrode
now and then. When (not if) you dunk the electrode you must stop ,
grind or break off the contaminated part, and regrind. With
zirconiated tungstens I just grind a sharp point; it forms a little
ball almost immediately that is suitable for the current being used
and then holds that shape for quite a while if I don't increase the
current too much. I might run it on a piece of scrap for a couple
of seconds to form the little ball before starting on the aluminum
workpiece.

General questions about aluminium
 

Polymer Man wrote:

If only there was some way of heating up an area between the two
pieces, so both would become molten, then solidifying into a single
unit. But is that possible due to the melting temperature? It think it
melts at 2 bazillion degrees, or something like that...


HUH? Aluminum alloys melt at somewhere near 600 C / 1200 F, quite
low compared to steel, for instance.

Perhaps someone could construct some kind of tool that could use an
electric arc as a heat source and inert gas as a shield... I guess you
could use tungsten as an electrode and argon as an inert gas source.
You could call it tungsten inert gas welding, or "TIG" for short.....



Oh, OK, you've already heard of this, then.

Jon

General questions about aluminium
 

On Sun, 21 May 2006 20:11:48 GMT, "Leo Lichtman"
wrote:


"Polymer Man" wrote: (clip) You could call it tungsten inert gas welding,
or "TIG" for short.....
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I think you can assume that if that would work, they would already be doing
it. ;-)

This will never work. If tungsten carries enough current to glow
then it must be in a vacuum. You know that if you break a lightbulb
the tungsten filament instantly blows out, right?

Secondly, argon got its name from its electrical behavior. It was
initially known as R-gone because when the gas was admitted into the
region of an electric arc it eliminated the resistance (R) of the arc
and shorted out the machine.

General questions about aluminium
 

Hum - that sounds - the R-gone... like an urban legend to me.

I would not think two Sir's to think or say that myself.

Martin

Martin H. Eastburn
@ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net
NRA LOH & Endowment Member
NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder
IHMSA and NRA Metallic Silhouette maker & member
http://lufkinced.com/



Don Foreman wrote:
On Sun, 21 May 2006 20:11:48 GMT, "Leo Lichtman"
wrote:


"Polymer Man" wrote: (clip) You could call it tungsten inert gas welding,
or "TIG" for short.....
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I think you can assume that if that would work, they would already be doing
it. ;-)


This will never work. If tungsten carries enough current to glow
then it must be in a vacuum. You know that if you break a lightbulb
the tungsten filament instantly blows out, right?

Secondly, argon got its name from its electrical behavior. It was
initially known as R-gone because when the gas was admitted into the
region of an electric arc it eliminated the resistance (R) of the arc
and shorted out the machine.

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General questions about aluminium
 

On Tue, 23 May 2006 22:20:45 -0500, "Martin H. Eastburn"
wrote:

Hum - that sounds - the R-gone... like an urban legend to me.

Ya think?

General questions about aluminium
 

On Sun, 21 May 2006 14:19:44 -0700, "Bob May" wrote:

If you call welding aluminum difficult, wait until you try some difficult
metal to weld! Aluminum is easy and takes a nice weld very easily.

Can I see the pictures of those welded Coke cans again?



Regards,

Boris Mohar

Got Knock? - see:
Viatrack Printed Circuit Designs (among other things) http://www.viatrack.ca

void _-void-_ in the obvious place