Argon welding is able to protect metal surfaces from oxygen and harmful impurities. It provides a high-quality weld, and also preserves all the physical characteristics of the metal. At the same time, the consumption of argon is much lower than when using other welding equipment.
Argon belongs to the category of inert gases, therefore, in the medium it does not combine with external gases and alloys.
Many people wonder how to cook aluminum or stainless steel with argon. The technique will be described in this article.
How is aluminum cooked?
How to cook aluminum with argon? It should be noted that when working with this metal, this type of welding cannot be dispensed with, since it ignites from oxygen. This method provides a high-quality seam. The arc is formed using a tungsten-based electrode. Such an electrode can last a long time. An arc is ignited between the tungsten electrode and the part to be welded. An aluminum wire is fed into the combustion zone. Welding is performed in a narrow area with fast electrode movement. This allows aluminum to not melt. For the weld to be of high quality, the wire must be exactly the same structure as the metal being welded.
What is needed for argon welding?
An argon apparatus for welding aluminum includes the following components:
- power supply current;
- cylinder with argon;
- filler wire feeder.
Preparation of aluminum surface
Can argon be cooked on an uncleaned surface? Aluminum must remove dirt, grease and engine oil. This can be done with a solvent. If the thickness of the parts to be welded is more than 4 mm, it is necessary to cut the edges.
Experts advise to cook aluminum in sheets with a thickness of 4 mm only end-to-end.
Before you start welding aluminum, the master should ask what is the thickness of the sheet and the width of the edges. Edge protection is carried out with a file or an emery machine. If the part has a complex shape, then the welding spot should be cleaned with a grinding machine. An oxide film is removed from the surface of aluminum.
Features of aluminum argon welding
How to cook aluminum with argon? For high-quality metal welding in this way, one should resort to the use of tungsten electrodes. Their diameter should be 1.5-5.5 mm. The electrode is held at an angle of 80 degrees. The filler wire is at a right angle. The maximum arc length must be 3 mm.
Subject to these rules, the consumption of materials will be economical. During operation, the filler wire must move in front of the torch. When welding aluminum, the electrode and filler wire must move along the weld. Cross movements cannot be made.
When welding thin sheets of aluminum, a stainless steel can act as a lining. This will ensure increased heat dissipation from the work area, and the risk of burn-through will be significantly less. Energy consumption will also decrease, as the work will be completed faster.
Pros and cons of argon aluminum welding
Welding aluminum products in an argon atmosphere has several advantages compared to other methods. The weld has the same penetration depth over the entire length.
The disadvantages of this type of welding include the complexity of the equipment. When welding with argon, you need to fine-tune all the elements of the device. The wire should be fed into the work area gradually. To this end, the feeder is set up correctly. If the wire feed is irregular, the arc will be intermittent. This will cause increased consumption of argon and electrical energy. For high-quality welding of aluminum, the master must have the proper experience. Theoretical knowledge and advice will not be useful in this matter.
Preparation for argon welding of stainless steel
How to cook aluminum with argon is understandable. What rules should be followed when working with stainless steel? To weld this type of metal you will need:
- apparatus for welding;
- electrodes selected in accordance with the characteristics of the material;
- stainless steel wire;
- steel brush;
- solvent.
Before welding the parts, their edges are processed. An important principle should be observed: to ensure free shrinkage of the seam when creating a welded joint, a small gap is made.
Before work, the edge surface is cleaned. To this end, apply a steel brush. The edges are also washed with solvent. You can use acetone or aviation gasoline. Such processing will remove fat from the surface of the stainless steel, which can provoke a decrease in the stability of the arc during welding. This will cause the appearance of pores on the seam.
Argon welding using a floating electrode
How to cook argon using melting electrodes? Welding stainless steel with the use of coated electrodes makes it possible to obtain seams of high strength. If you do not have high requirements for the quality of the connection, then argon welding should be used.
The assortment has a fairly wide range of electrodes. Each of them is designed for a specific type of stainless steel. If the master knows the type of steel being welded, then he can easily select the desired type. Electrodes should be selected that will not contribute to reducing the corrosion resistance of the material and its mechanical properties.
As a rule, work is carried out using the inverse constant level. It is necessary to work so that the penetration of the seam occurs to a lesser extent. For this purpose, small electrodes are used. It should strive to ensure that thermal energy is released in a small amount. Professionals in the field of welding note that when working with stainless steel, electricity should be used 20% weaker than when welding ordinary steel.
The electrodes have a low value of thermal conductivity and high electrical resistance. For this reason, the use of high currents is unacceptable. If this rule is violated, the electrodes will be subject to overheating and destruction. For this reason, stainless steel electrodes are more likely to melt than those used to weld conventional steels.
To maintain the stability of the weld to rust, it is necessary to make its cooling quick. For example, this can be achieved by laying copper or air. If stainless steel belongs to the category of chromium-nickel metals, then it can be subjected to water cooling.
How to cook a stainless steel tungsten electrode?
How to cook stainless steel with argon using tungsten electrodes? It should be noted that this method is applicable if it is necessary to weld an object from the thinnest stainless steel and to obtain high-quality welds. For example, argon welding using tungsten electrodes is suitable for stainless steel pipes through which gases or liquids are transported under pressure.
How to cook argon stainless steel? Work is carried out when applying alternating or direct current. Variable type suitable for welding aluminum.
Before starting work, it is necessary to prepare the filler wire for work. Well, if it will have a higher level of alloying than stainless steel or aluminum. When working with a tungsten electrode, oscillatory movements cannot be made. They are the cause of the violation of the protective space of the welding zone, the weld metal will be susceptible to oxidation. The reverse side of the weld is protected from air by blowing argon.
Tungsten must not enter the weld pool. You can use non-contact arcing. It can also be ignited on a plate of coal or graphite, followed by transfer to the base metal.
At the end of the process, do not turn off the argon supply immediately. This must be done in about 15 seconds. In this way, excessive oxidation of the hot working electrode can be avoided. So he can last longer.
How to weld a stainless steel semiautomatic in argon?
How to cook argon stainless steel, using a semiautomatic device. This welding method is widespread, as it provides a high level of productivity and allows you to get durable seams. Nickel is added to the wire to improve the quality of welding.
This type of welding is suitable for joining materials of large thickness. In this case, the welding will proceed very quickly. Thus, the level of productivity increases. A protective medium in this case is a mixture of carbon dioxide and argon.
A number of techniques are used to weld a stainless steel semiautomatically:
- short arc welding;
- jet transfer welding;
- pulse mode application.
Inkjet transfer is used to weld large metals, and thinner objects are connected with a short arc.
The advantage of the pulse method is that this process is most controlled. The metal wire is fed into the bath for pulse welding. Each of them is a separate welding drop. This mode helps to reduce the average value of the arc current, which is important when welding stainless steel. In pulsed mode, the metal is practically not sprayed. This makes it possible to consume materials economically and increase the level of productivity by reducing the time it takes to clean the seam.
The article described how to cook argon aluminum and stainless steel.
This type of welding is the best suited for aluminum surfaces. There are also a number of different techniques for welding stainless steel using argon. Each master must choose the option suitable for the particular case.