Challenges in Thermal Welding of Aluminium Alloys

Abstract

Modern transport systems have the challenge to integrate more and more functions. This increases the weight of the structures. On the other hand demands and the legal regulations for emissions can only be fulfilled if the weight is reduced. This results in an ongoing increase of the usage of lightweight materials. Due to its low density and high strength Aluminium Alloys are the most used lightweight metals. However, some other physical properties hamper the processing of these alloys. The publication shows ways to overcome these challenges applying appropriate material preparation and handling in combination with specialized welding equipment for Aluminium welding. Application examples demonstrate the state of the art in Aluminium welding. Keywords Aluminium Alloys, Thermal Welding 1. Potentials and Problems in Aluminium Welding Table 1 compares typical properties of Aluminium and Iron. These two metals characterize Aluminium alloys on the one side and steels on the other side. The low density and the high specific strength of Aluminium alloys are the main reasons for the increased usage. Figure 1 shows the Aluminium usage [1]. The graph clearly shows that Aluminium use in cars will continuously increase over the next years. Other sources also show the material distribution for different materials in automotive industry since 1975. The usage of Aluminium was rising from 3% to 13% in the last 40 years. The challenges to apply Aluminium are created by the high thermal conductivity , the melting points of the oxydes and the solubility for Hydrogen. In alloys additionally so-called hot cracking occurs due to the solidification kinetics. How to cite this paper: Schubert, E. (2018) Challenges in Thermal Welding of Aluminium Alloys. World Journal of Engineering and Technology, 6, 296-303.