Guide to Aluminum Welding

Equipment Selection, Material Prep, Welding Technique...
A Guide to Aluminum Welding

Reprinted courtesy of Welding Design and Fabrication magazine.
Follow the rules of thumb offered here for selecting welding

equipment, preparing base materials, applying proper technique, and
visually inspecting weldments to ensure high-quality gas-metal-and
gas tungsten-arc welds on aluminum alloys.
Even for those experienced in welding steels, welding aluminum alloys
can present quite a challenge. Higher thermal conductivity and low
melting point of aluminum alloys can easily lead to burn-through
unless welders follow prescribed procedures. Also, feeding aluminum
welding wire during gas-metal-arc-welding (GMAW) presents a
challenge because the wire is softer than steel, has lower column
strength, and tends to tangle at the drive roll.
To overcome these challenges, operators need to follow the rules of

thumb and equipment-selection guidelines offered here...
Gas-metal-arc-welding:
Base-metal preparation: To weld aluminum, operators must take
care to clean the base material and remove any aluminum oxide and
hydrocarbon contamination from oils or cutting solvents. Aluminum
oxide on the surface of the material melts at 3,700 F while the base-
material aluminum underneath will melt at 1,200 F. Therefore, leaving
any oxide on the surface of the base material will inhibit penetration of
the filler metal into the work piece.
To remove aluminum oxides, use a stainless-steel bristle wire brush or
solvents and etching solutions. When using a stainless-steel brush,
brush only in one direction. Take care to not brush too roughly: rough
brushing can further imbed the oxides in the work piece. Also, use the
brush only on aluminum work-don't clean aluminum with a brush that's
been used on stainless or carbon steel. When using chemical etching
solutions, make sure to remove them from the work before welding.
To minimize the risk of hydrocarbons from oils or cutting solvents
entering the weld, remove them with a degreaser. Check that the
degreaser does not contain any hydrocarbons.
Preheating: Preheating the aluminum work piece can help avoid weld
cracking. Preheating temperature should not exceed 230 F-use a
temperature indicator to prevent overheating. In addition, placing tack
welds at the beginning and end of the area to be welded will aid in the
preheating effort. Welders should also preheat a thick piece of
aluminum when welding it to a thin piece; if cold lapping occurs, try
using run-on and run-off tabs.
The push technique: With aluminum, pushing the gun away from the
weld puddle rather than pulling it will result in better cleaning action,
reduced weld contamination, and improved shielding-gas coverage.
Travel speed: Aluminum welding needs to be performed "hot and

fast." Unlike steel, the high thermal conductivity of aluminum dictates
use of hotter amperage and voltage settings and higher weld-travel
speeds. If travel speed is too slow, the welder risks excessive burn
through, particularly on thin-gage aluminum sheet.
Shielding Gas: Argon, due to its good cleaning action and penetration
profile, is the most common shielding gas used when welding
aluminum. Welding 5XXX-series aluminum alloys, a shielding-gas
mixture combining argon with helium - 75 percent helium maximum -
will minimize the formation of magnesium oxide.
Welding wire: Select an aluminum filler wire that has a melting

temperature similar to the base material. The more the operator can
narrow-down the melting ranges of the metal, the easier it will be to
weld the alloy. Obtain wire that is 3/64- or 1/16- inch diameter. The
larger the wire diameter, the easier it feeds. To weld thin-gage
material, a 0.035-inch diameter wire combined with a pulsed-welding
procedure at a low wire-feed speed - 100 to 300 in./min - works well.
Convex-shaped welds: In aluminum welding, crater cracking causes

most failures. Cracking results from the high rate of thermal expansion
of aluminum and the considerable contractions that occur as welds
cool. The risk of cracking is greatest with concave craters, since the
surface of the crater contracts and tears as it cools. Therefore, welders
should build-up craters to form a convex or mound shape. As the weld
cools, the convex shape of the crater will compensate for contraction
forces.
Power-source selection: When selecting a power source for GMAW

of aluminum, first consider the method of transfer -spray-arc or pulse.
Constant-current (cc) and constant-voltage (cv) machines can be used
for spray-arc welding. Spray-arc takes a tiny stream of molten metal
and sprays it across the arc from the electrode wire to the base
material. For thick aluminum that requires welding current in excess of
350 A, cc produces optimum results.
Pulse transfer is usually performed with an inverter power supply.
Newer power supplies contain built-in pulsing procedures based on and
filler-wire type and diameter. During pulsed GMAW, a droplet of filler
metal transfers from the electrode to the work piece during each pulse
of current. This process produces positive droplet transfer and results
in less spatter and faster follow speeds than does spray-transfer
welding. Using the pulsed GMAW process on aluminum also better-
controls heat input, easing out-of-position welding and allowing the
operator to weld on thin-gage material at low wire-feed speeds and
currents.
Wire feeder: The preferred method for feeding soft aluminum wire
long distances is the push-pull method, which employs an enclosed
wire-feed cabinet to protect the wire from the environment. A
constant-torque variable-speed motor in the wire-feed cabinet helps
push and guide the wire through the gun at a constant force and
speed. A high-torque motor in the welding gun pulls the wire through
and keeps wire-feed speed and arc length consistent.
In some shops, welders use the same wire feeders to deliver steel and
aluminum wire. In this case, the use of plastic or Teflon liners will help
ensure smooth, consistent aluminum-wire feeding. For guide tubes,
use chisel-type outgoing and plastic incoming tubes to support the wire
as close to the drive rolls as possible to prevent the wire from tangling.
When welding, keep the gun cable as straight as possible to minimize
wire-feed resistance. Check for proper alignment between drive rolls
and guide tubes to prevent aluminum shaving.
Use drive rolls designed for aluminum. Set drive-roll tension to deliver
an even wire-feed rate. Excessive tension will deform the wire and
cause rough and erratic feeding; too-little tension results in uneven
feeding. Both conditions can lead to an unstable arc and weld porosity.
Welding guns: Use a separate gun liner for welding aluminum. To

prevent wire chaffing, try to restrain both ends of the liner to eliminate
gaps between the liner and the gas diffuser on the gun.
Change liners often to minimize the potential for the abrasive
aluminum oxide to cause wire-feeding problems.
Use a contact tip approximately 0.015 inch larger than the diameter of
the filler metal being used - as the tip heats, it will expand into an oval
shape and possibly restrict wire feeding. Generally, when a welding
current exceeds 200 A use a water-cooled gun to minimize heat
buildup and reduce wire-feeding difficulties.
When should I use 4043 and when should I use 5356?
4043 is designed for welding 6xxx series aluminum alloys. It may also
be used to weld 3xxx series alloys or 2xxx alloys. 4043 has a lower
melting point and more fluidity than the 5xxx series filler alloys, and is
preferred by most welders because it "wets and flows better" and it's
less sensitive to weld cracking with the 6xxx series base alloys. 4043
can also be used for welding castings. 4043 also makes brighter
looking MIG welds with less smut because it doesn't contain
magnesium. 4043 gives more weld penetration than 5356, but
produces welds with less ductility than those made using 5356.
However, 4043 is not well suited for welding Al-Mg alloys and should
not be used with high Mg content alloys such as 5083, 5086 or 5456
because excessive magnesium-silicide (Mg2Si) can develop in the weld
structure to decrease ductility and increase crack sensitivity. (One
exception to this rule is 5052, which has a low magnesium content.)
5356 wire has become the most commonly used of all aluminum filler
alloys because of its good strength and its good feed-ability when used
as a MIG electrode wire. It is designed to weld 5xxx series structural
alloys and 6xxx series extrusions, basically anything other than
castings, because castings are high in silicon. Its one limitation is that
5356 is not suitable for service temperatures exceeding 150 degrees
Fahrenheit (65 degrees Celsius). The formation of Al2Mg at elevated
temperatures at the grain boundaries makes the alloys prone to stress
corrosion. For components that will be anodized after welding, 5356 is
recommended over 4043, which turns jet black when anodized.

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Equipment Selection, Material Prep, Welding Technique...

A Guide to Aluminum Welding

Follow the rules of thumb offered here for selecting welding

To overcome these challenges, operators need to follow the rules of

Travel speed: Aluminum welding needs to be performed "hot and

Welding wire: Select an aluminum filler wire that has a melting

Convex-shaped welds: In aluminum welding, crater cracking causes

Power-source selection: When selecting a power source for GMAW

Welding guns: Use a separate gun liner for welding aluminum. To

When should I use 4043 and when should I use 5356?

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