AR plate.

Date 12-21-2007 16:31

I' m no expert on AR steel, but a few yrs back we were welding AR 360 plate onto cat plow shanks ( used to plow in telephone & power cable & gas line ) If I remember correctly the preheat was about 3-400 F and we used Arctec 223 rod ( also works well on cast steels ). There is also good steel/welding info at http://www.key-to-steel.com/default.aspx?ID=Articles Look at # 11 Welding - Welding of special steels . They are recommending 400 F preheat and a low/hy rod. Have a good day - WS

By CHGuilford (****)

Date 12-21-2007 17:12

When we have some of that to weld, we contact the steel maker and they have always faxed us data sheets with all that info.

By turbolaser (**)

Date 12-22-2007 15:01

ChGuilford got it right. Talk to your steel supplier and have them give you the info. The same grade of AR plate made by 2 different manufacturers can have totally different pre and post heat requirements depending on the properties of there material. So definitely get in touch with the supplier.

By darren

Date 12-22-2007 18:26

i have welded plenty of ar for buckets and attachments for equip and there is many types, ive seen it designated ar 100 200 400 500 and all have different properties, you already know more than enough to weld it from other types of low alloy. arctec 223 is definitely the right choice for rod( once you use arctec 223 you wonder why all the other rod manufacturers cannot make a rod that runs that smooth). for myself when in doubt i make it a good preheat and give it a good post heat and blanket it or use floor dry to insulate it. the higher the number on the steel the more i conform to the preheat
an old time welder told me the best thing about wear plate is that whether you do it right or do it wrong they always blame the ground for how fast it wears out and not the welder.

By makeithot (***)

Date 12-22-2007 21:02

I was unable to get any info on the exact grade of the plate as the client is out of the country supplier is unknown. I took a chance went with 400 degree preheat (well 350 and a little bit as that was the only temp stick I had in the truck at the time) All is well so far as I have not seen any cracks develop. I used FCAW to weld it T-91 blueshield wire .045. I am thinking the test of time will tell, this particular bucket sees alot of abuse so it was a good test subject if nothing else. Thanks all for your responses the best part of this site is being able to gather info in such a short period of time. I'm with you Darren that artec 223 is most likely the nicest low/hy rod I've ever used and is a favorite of mine. This client keeps telling me it doesn't need to look good cause the rock don't care but I always have trouble that statement, I always like it to look good atleast till I'm out of the yard anyway.