Guidance for Selecting Aluminum Filler Materials Many useful tips are presented for avoiding a number of mistakes welders often make in welding aluminum Considering there are more than 400 wrought aluminum alloys and more than 200 aluminum alloys in the form of castings and ingots registered with The Aluminum Association, it is not surprising there is a degree of confusion when selecting filler materials for gas metal arc (GMA) and gas tungsten arc (GTA) welding. Also, while preheating steel increases penetration, the opposite occurs with aluminum. As the temperature increases, its electrical conductivity decreases. Because of aluminum’s high 42 WELDING JOURNAL / APRIL 2015 BY THOM BURNS AND ROB KRAUSE The welder must use a larger-diameter wire and power supply to weld this aluminum wheel than he would use for a steel wheel of the same thickness because of aluminum’s much higher thermal conductivity.
Welding Journal | April 2015
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