Posted on November-11-2017
If you’re reading this blog post, it’s fair to assume that you understand the basics of welding, but for those who don’t: welding is the process of joining two pieces of metal together by melting them at the intended joining point. A filler metal – or welding alloy – is utilised to blend with the melted metal of these two pieces, which can offer various benefits, dependant on the alloy itself.
There are a variety of different metals that are utilised together in welding alloys – in many iterations – in order to concur with the various metals that are welded: aluminium, bronze, cast iron, cobalt, copper, magnesium, nickel, steel, titanium and zirconium.
Welding alloys are all made of a different combination of the aforementioned metals, with the term ‘alloy’ meaning a combination of any different metal, usually in order to utilise the different benefits of each metal bonded: common benefits include improved strength and corrosion resistance. This is contextually transferrable with different welding alloys offering different benefits to the weld itself, but we’ll get more into this later.
Choosing the right welding alloy has a lot to do with many different factors, including Universal Tensile Strength, yield strength, the metals being welded and the context of the finished piece.
Universal Tensile Strength (UTS) refers to the breaking load of the alloy, or the point at which the alloy will no longer hold, and this will determine the most appropriate welding alloy for the job in accordance with safety standards. Yield strength is along similar lines, in that is refers to the point at which an alloy will begin to deform under stress or pressure.
Moreover, other factors to consider when choosing the right welding alloy for your job are things like appearance and exposure to water. Different alloys are more resistant to corrosion than others, which places naval-bronze, aluminium-bronze, nickel-aluminium-bronze and copper-nickel as better suited to deal with welds exposed to water than others, for example.
Essentially, there are a variety of different welding alloys to suit all metals that are to be welded, but choosing the right one is not as simple as blindly picking one that simply ‘works’. You should take into consideration all of the facets of the welding process, including the installation of the weld and the universal context your handy-work will be placed within.
If you’d like to hear more about the welding-related services we provide, please get in touch. Arc Welding Services Ltd specialise in the hire, sale and repairs of welding equipment and you can contact us by calling on 0121 327 2249 or by filling out our simple contact form.
