Pictures of Aluminum welded to Steel

[CladMan]

I see it has come up a few times in this forum (sometimes brought up by me!) - explosion welding aluminum to steel. I wanted to post a picture so everyone could see what the transition pieces look like. Sorry about my lack of photography skills. I've been thinking about what to do about people thinking it is really expensive, or impossible to get. The material isn't all that expensive, but the company I work for makes people order minimum amounts, more than a guy working on a project in his garage or shop would ever use in two lifetimes. So it's typically ship yards or other fabricators with huge projects that buy this stuff. I'm thinking of giving some samples away...any takers?

[CladMan]

If you are interested, I'd want you to have some plan of what to do with it, and need some idea of how much you'd be looking for (sizes, qty). Maybe we make it a contest - the two or three best stories/ideas in the next couple weeks get a package from me with some aluminum welded to steel. Who knows, if you make something cool, you can post your project on this forum!

[CladMan]

This is how the ship builder guys use this stuff (this is just a mock-up, but you get the idea). I hate to spoil anyones creativity, but I wanted you to see more than just a two colored square with a ruler .

[dhem]

That is a pretty cool application actually. How do they handle galvanic corrosion issues with that?

[soutthpaw]

Cool pic of how its used. thanks

[WeldingMachine]

That's some cool stuff!
What types of steel could be used? Is the junction as strong as the Aluminum?
I'll take a 8' X 6" X1/2" chunk! I could use a new snowplow cutting edge. Lightweight with a steel edge!
or a sword!

[DemonSpeeder]

When I read the title two thoughts came to my mind...1. explosion welding or 2. Mr danny was at it again

[soutthpaw]

Originally Posted by DemonSpeeder

When I read the title two thoughts came to my mind...1. explosion welding or 2. Mr danny was at it again

you should drop him a msg on his youtube page and ask him if he can do a demo of welding aluminum to steel. that should be pretty entertaining

[kustomizingkid]

That is very cool... how strong is the bond between the two?

[ThorsHammer]

How about some simple stuff. like mounting an aluminum box to a steel trailer frame or truck bed. or aluminum fenders to a steel trailer.

steel bbq to Alumium stand.

The plow idea is good too.

Aluminum bumper to steel winch plate. Half aluminum half steel welding table.

[DemonSpeeder]

I wonder what the difference is in weight between a ship built with all steel and this concept of using welded alum/steel ??

[Showdog75]

I will put my name in the hat, I'd like to play with some.

[shortarc]

I can see great potential with a piece of this. Winning bets at the local LWS and also should be able to win you a few wagers at the local watering hole.

[CladMan]

Originally Posted by shortarc

I can see great potential with a piece of this. Winning bets at the local LWS and also should be able to win you a few wagers at the local watering hole.

I regularly keep a piece in my pocket (actually a piece of copper welded to titanium welded to aluminum) for exactly this purpose!

[CladMan]

Originally Posted by dhem

That is a pretty cool application actually. How do they handle galvanic corrosion issues with that?

The coast guard / navy / cruise ships will paint it. scratches in the paint get filled with the corrosion product (aluminum hydroxide) which stops the corrosion. We've got lots of test data and blah blah blah to support it, but the end of the story is it's not an issue in years of service in ocean environments.

[CladMan]

Originally Posted by WeldingMachine

That's some cool stuff!
What types of steel could be used? Is the junction as strong as the Aluminum?
I'll take a 8' X 6" X1/2" chunk! I could use a new snowplow cutting edge. Lightweight with a steel edge!
or a sword!

We typically use a carbon steel - 516 grade stuff, but we could use alloy steel (like 387) or structural steel (A36). I will make a note of your request...I was thinking people might want little bits and pieces...8' long? You may qualify for a 'minimum order' .

[CladMan]

Originally Posted by kustomizingkid

That is very cool... how strong is the bond between the two?

We meet a MIL-J specification that requires a tensile strength of 11,000 psi, our stuff typically measures 20,000 psi. They also ahve a shear requirement of 8,000 psi, and our tests average about 13,000. We also have to do some impact testing - the stuff it pretty tough. It would maybe be higher, but we have a little pure aluminum between the alloy aluminum (we use a 5000 series for most things) and the steel. Thats why you see the cross section of the joint is a little thicker than the things it is joining in the photo above.

[CladMan]

Originally Posted by ThorsHammer

How about some simple stuff. like mounting an aluminum box to a steel trailer frame or truck bed. or aluminum fenders to a steel trailer.

steel bbq to Alumium stand.

The plow idea is good too.

Aluminum bumper to steel winch plate. Half aluminum half steel welding table.

Cool ideas - you are in the running.

[CladMan]

Originally Posted by DemonSpeeder

I wonder what the difference is in weight between a ship built with all steel and this concept of using welded alum/steel ??

Weight is only part of the deal, but for many ships, being able to drop the center of gravity lower on the ship is a huge benefit to stability.

[tamollyman]

I would also love a small piece to show my coworkers. I work in an aluminum shop and most of them never welded anything but aluminum. This would blow their minds.

[sjames]

the ship i was on the island was aluminum, joined to the steel flightdeck with this method i believe.

[Scott Young]

what size sample pieces are you thinking? how much? I would love a sample to show off. or even use for a paper weight on my desk.

[Hertz]

I know of a few professors that would like a small chunk to show classes.

[ThorsHammer]

My thinker is having problems because typically a project is either all steel or all aluminum.

could make for some interesting boom arm attachments for a bobcat or a back hoe.

It would be seriously ambitious, but someone could use them to do a steel to ali tube frame for a buggy or rock crawler or something.

[TIGger305]

There can be alot of uses for this stuff..but as to thinking of something that that would be useful its hard because like "ThorsHammer" said a project is usually one type of metal or another. and if it involves both then it usually get bolted or riveted where it needs too.....i can see this being useful tho for a really nice art piece.(using the copper to aluminum or titanium) .or something machined to art.. im gonna think about this at work tomorrow an hopefully come up with something cool using the copper and aluminum or titanium...question?

Which metal combo can withstand the most heat?