GTA welding and heat treating of high purity aluminum. [-452/sup 0/F]
Gas tungsten arc welding is a suitable way to join high purity aluminum with only small increases in the electrical resistivity at 4.2 K (i.e., -269 C or -452 F) if proper welding procedures are used. High purity aluminum weld zone properties, useful for the design of cryogenic superconducting devices, are now available. The additional electrical resistivity caused by welding is independent of original base metal resistivity and can be decreased significantly by heat treatments as low as 260 C (500 F) for 30 minutes. Tungsten contamination caused from welding is small (on the order of 0.2 ppM) but it is a significant contribution to weld zone resistivity. This suggests that other welding techniques such as laser welding or electron beam welding may be successful alternatives. Additional GTA welding tests for various welding conditions and welding procedures would lead to a greater understanding of the tungsten emission levels during welding. Perturbations during GTA welding such as electrode spitting or electrode contact with the weld metal must be eliminated to successfully weld high purity aluminum. Improper welding techniques causing arc instabilities, for any reason, cause highly resistive welds that must be properly repaired.
- Research Organization:
- Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison
- OSTI ID:
- 6518091
- Journal Information:
- Weld. J. (Miami); (United States), Vol. 58:1
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ALUMINIUM
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
GAS TUNGSTEN-ARC WELDING
CONTAMINATION
CRYOGENICS
CURRENT DENSITY
ELECTRIC CABLES
ENERGY STORAGE
HEAT TREATMENTS
POWER TRANSMISSION LINES
SUPERCONDUCTING MAGNETS
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
TUNGSTEN
ULTRALOW TEMPERATURE
ARC WELDING
CABLES
CONDUCTOR DEVICES
ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
ELECTROMAGNETS
ELEMENTS
EQUIPMENT
FABRICATION
JOINING
MAGNETS
METALS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
REFRACTORY METALS
STORAGE
SUPERCONDUCTING DEVICES
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
WELDING
360101* - Metals & Alloys- Preparation & Fabrication
420201 - Engineering- Cryogenic Equipment & Devices