welding aluminum to steel... i seen it here 7 years ago

So, in spite of what you "seen", the sort answer is , NO. Aside from a few very specialized processes, aluminum cannot be welded to steel, at least in a garage or small shop situation

 

Was it these?
Never tried them but the informercial made them sound like they would Braze/Weld anything with a propane tourch.
http://www.alumaloy.net/

 

DUMB-- DUMB-- DUMB !!!!!! Don't think so. No f__ing way. Come on, guys. I went to school on this shit. Material properties of metal and aluminum have a completely different makeup. I'm not going to start copying out of a college textbook. Most of you guys understand this stuff. The aspects involving both metal properties have a completely different melting temperature. Let alone the difference in the makeup of alloy vs. steel.

 

you would have a beter chance welding a cats ass to a glass door knob than to weld alum to steel..... ain't gona hapen

 

I heard you just need a buddy to switch your TIG from AC to DC really fast while your welding...

 

I don't doubt it "can be done" but the dissimilar metals conjoined at the hip would definitely cause galvanic corrosion.

 

I believe that in John's opinion the answer is .... no.

 

...... then the tabs are inserted into slots in steel rim and welded. I have seen a couple of those wheels break, and heard about a couple more, but they are a lot stronger than you would think.

 

I have seen plenty of aluminum pistons welded to iron cylinders. If you think it isn't welded, try getting it off. You either bore the cylinder or burn it out with acid.

Aluminizing steel is a process that essentially welds aluminum to steel.

Not welding, but can't that aluminum solder stuff join dissimilar metals?

 

[QUOTE=Cutaway have seen plenty of aluminum pistons welded to iron cylinders. If you think it isn't welded, try getting it off. You either bore the cylinder or burn it out with acid.

Aluminizing steel is a process that essentially welds aluminum to steel.

Not welding, but can't that aluminum solder stuff join dissimilar metals?[

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There's a difference between being glued and welded. The aluminum piston has seized itself to the cylinder wall. But, it's properties have not melted into the iron cylinder walls. The molecules and property matter are contained.

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" Real Hot Rods don't have fenders "

 

I can do that too.


http://www.esabna.com/us/en/education/knowledge/qa/Can-I-Weld-Aluminum-to-Steel.cfm

There's definitely a transition medium involved and an extra step or four.

 

I agree, it's not actually welded. There is a name for it I can't recall at the moment. My point was it's bonded surprisingly well. It's the same as when rod or main bearing material "welds" to a crank journal. Although not actually welded, the bond can be strong enough to break things.

 

In a cylinder, or square hole even things are different with 360 * containment.
We could fit that hole with wood and you would swear its welded.

 

Look at the back of a cragar or similar wheel. I've always wondered how the aluminum centers are welded in.

 

Yes, but after you pound it out there isn't likely to be any wood "welded" to the bore.

Thinking of that, when I was nine years old a guy at the woodworking shop next door to our house told me beat up arc welder under the bench was an old wood welder. He said you hardly see them anymore. I was a little skeptical, but he seemed sincere. It was several years before I figured out he was messing with me.

 

"In a cylinder, or square hole even things are different with 360 * containment.
We could fit that hole with wood and you would swear its welded."


wouldnt that be where the wooden welding rod from the hobby section of the hard ware store come into play?

 

They are not welded in, well sort of, the aluminum is cast around a steel piece that is welded to the rim.

You can trap the seel like when you use a rivet with a plug weld. I have seen it done and have done it myself in machinery steel frame with aluminum table. But it still isn't aluminum welded to steel or vice versa.

There are processes I know that join aluminum to steel but it isn't something that is going to be done with a piece of rod that someone picked up at the county fair.

 

When I was in the Navy, about a hunnert years ago, the ships superstructure was made of aluminum and the watertight doors were made of steel. I watched the yard workers weld the doors in. To this day I don't know how it was done but they did it.

 

I have know i guy that weld aluminum to steel by misstake with a normal mig welder with steel wire and the were strong and not broken even with lot of force

 

you can not weld aluminum to steel, case closed !!!!

 

I posted that on page one of this thread!

 

On the broken Crager SS wheels I have seen you could see the strap had holes in it to help lock it into the casting. It looks like a heavy duty piece of plumbers pipe strap.

 

Piper aircraft used to join steel fuel tank necks to aluminum tanks. I think the steel neck is tinned with something and then the whole deal is somehow fused. This was in Cubs and other similar type aircraft in the 30's and 40's. From looking at one there is no weld bead just a sweated joint.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrari_456

The name 456 is derived from the fact that each cylinder displaces 456 cubic centimeters. This was the last Ferrari to use this naming convention. It is essentially a detuned version of the engine that appears in the 550 and 575. Despite its supercar performance, the 456 has a relatively unstressed engine, which has proven to be a very reliable unit.
The chassis is a tubular steel spaceframe construction with a one-piece composite bonnet and body panels of aluminium. The body panels are welded to the chassis by using a special "sandwich filler" called feran that, when laid between, allows steel and aluminium to be welded.
Approximately 3,289 of all versions were built. These consisted of the following versions: 456 GT: 1,548; 456 GTA: 403; 456M GT: 688; 456M GTA: 650.
==================================================================

http://anasa.com.mx/pdf/Wickeder clad materials.pdf

Have you ever heard of clad materials?
May be not but nearly every day all of us
come into contact with “smart combinations” of clad materials from Wickeder
Westfalenstahl.
Well-known products, including ballbearings, coins and medals
are made from BRAFER (brass
on steel), BRONFER (bronze
on steel) or TOMFER (red
brass on steel). Cylinder
head gaskets and radiator
frames and many electrical
contact parts are made from
FERAN®
(aluminium on steel) or
CUFER (copper on steel). These can
be found in automobiles, domestic
appliances, home and commercial
electronic systems.
FERAN®
is used to produce parts
for muffler systems, heat shields,
cylinder head gaskets and fasteners for
automobiles. Also for air-conditioning
systems and heating units, microwave
ovens and barbecues manufacturers
trust the properties of the composite
aluminium clad steel strip. These are
only a few examples, where composite
strip materials with a steel core developed by our engineers fulfil important functions in your everyday activities, where
non-clad materials would be unsuitable.


Clad strip is a composite metal consisting of different metallic layers. Metallic
layers of varying thicknesses can be clad
together.
During the cladding process the surfaces of the metal strips including the core
strip are pre-treated and then brought
together in the rolls of the cladding
stand. Under high pressure the individual strips are compressed forming a
(metallurgical) bond between the contact
surfaces (also known as a continuous
friction pressure weld).
Subsequent heat treatment ensures
that the layers become inseparable
(through diffusion welding) and any
strain-hardening caused during forming
is eliminated through recrystallization.

So ? Yes you can weld Aluminum to Steel .

 

So ? Yes you can weld Aluminum to Steel .

OK You fire up your induction furnace and your press and give us a you tube tech.
Or perhaps your explosion welder for us low tech guys.

Aluminized exhaust pipe isn't aluminum welded to steel, its more a kin to plating end results, yes the process is different.

Sticking the two metals together is different than welding. Aluminum and steel will not mix in a puddle. Can you get a molecular mechanical bond, yes. Are they fused,
no.

 

This reminds me of something I'm guilty of... I had attempted to weld a nickle plated hinge that looked, "felt" like and appeared to grind as stamped steel from a gas door I was modifing. It was actually some type of mystery metal casting that had the press marks from the prototype still in it. So I looked like a dumbass when it melted away from the joint and my buddy was rubbing it in. I told him I just had the welder set wrong while offering a Crager SS for proof. I then drilled an aluminum plate part way through and used the bit to taper out the inside of the holes larger than the initial drilled hole which he didn't see. I then spot welded a piece of twelve guage to it making sure the steel puddled inside the drilled holes. I offered this for further proof which kept him amazed for the rest of the day.

 

Based on what has been posted I think everyone sees the difference between welding and plating/cladding/hot dip/metal spray/vapor deposition/etc. The bottom line is that steel cannot be directly welded to alumiunum, but the can be firmly and reliably joined in a variety of different ways.

 

QUOTE hlfuzzball





Clad strip is a composite metal consisting of different metallic layers. Metallic
layers of varying thicknesses can be clad
together.
During the cladding process the surfaces of the metal strips including the core
strip are pre-treated and continuous
friction pressure weld).
Subsequent heat treatment ensures
that the layers become inseparable
(through diffusion welding) and any
strain-hardening caused during forming
is eliminated through recrystallization.

So ? Yes you can weld Aluminum to Steel QUOTE
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DON'T THINK SO!!!!! NOT EVEN. -IT'S NOT A WELD!!--JACK


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" Real hot rods don't have fenders "

 

Most of the miracle "welding" rods, are just some type of Solder.

 

Galling?