Electric heating – Metal heating – By arc
Patent
1999-12-01
2000-11-28
Ryan, Patrick
Electric heating
Metal heating
By arc
21912163, 2191216, 21912165, 21912166, B23K 2600
Patent
active
06153854&
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an aluminium sheet product, suitable for use as a structural component in welded construction, and to welded constructions made from the aluminium sheet product. The invention also relates to methods of welding aluminium alloy structural components. The invention is especially applicable to the welding of aluminium alloy structural components in ships and in the aerospace industry.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
In welded aluminium constructions mostly AA5xxx type Al-alloy materials are used; these alloys have the best mechanical properties of the non-heat-treatable type Al-alloys. Usually the magnesium content of the alloy is kept low to obtain good corrosion resistance. These alloys, also in the strain hardened tempers, are however prone to loss of strength in the heat effected zone.
Heat-treatable AA6xxx type Al-alloy materials are considered use for welded constructions; they suffer however, loss of mechanical properties in the heat affected zone. AA2xxx and AA7xxx type Al-alloys have generally lack of weldability and corrosion resistance.
Particularly in the aerospace industry, it has hitherto been found very difficult to weld aluminium alloy load-bearing structural components used in the outer skin of aircraft, without causing loss of strength. Such allow components must have resistance to impacts. It has been common to join such components by rivetting. There is a desire to replace rivetted joints by welded joints without loss of the integrity of the load-bearing alloy.
Proposals have been made to provide a clad layer on aluminium alloy sheets, in order to increase their weldability. FR-A-1010072 shows a method of resistance welding, in which two sheets are joined face-to-face. Each sheet consists of three alloy layers, one of which has high strength, one is of good weldability and the third has low electrical resistance. The resistance heating effect is concentrated at the weldable layer. EP-A-117352 discloses a welding arrangement intended to provide an air-tight seal in the packaging of semiconductor devices, using laser welding. An intermediate material, such as Al--Si alloy in the form of a clad layer, is interposed between the elements welded by laser irradiation at the weld zone. It appears that the welded elements themselves are substantially melted by the welding, since the intermediate material may be silicon, zinc or nickel metal.
EP-A-66009 describes aluminium alloy composite plates for use as armour plating. A central component of the plate has high strength and hardness, while inner and outer components have high toughness and good weldability. When the plates are joined edge-to-edge, the respective inner components are welded together, using external filler material, as are the respective outer components.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the invention is to provide a weldable aluminium sheet product, particularly a weldable product based on a type of Al-alloy generally considered to be either weldable with loss of properties or non-weldable, which product can be used in welding constructions without substantial loss of properties.
According to the invention in one aspect there is provided an aluminium sheet product for use as a structural component in a welded construction, comprising a core sheet made of heat treatable aluminium alloy and on at least one side of said core sheet a clad layer adhered to the core sheet, said clad layer being made of an aluminium alloy welding filler material intended to form the welding pool during welding without substantial melting of the core sheet.
The invention further provides a welded construction having at least two aluminium alloy structural components joined by welding, at least one of the components being the aluminium sheet product of the invention, as defined above. Particularly the invention provides such a construction as an automotive vehicle body sheet and in the aerospace and ship-building industries, for example as a part of the outer skin sheet of an aircraft or other aerosp
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Dickerson, Paul B. and Irving, Bob, "Welding Aluminum: It's Not As Difficult As It Sounds" Welding Journal Including: Welding Research, vol. 71, No. 4, Apr. 1, 1992, pp. 45-50.
Haszler Alfred Johann Peter
Weber Guido
Corus Aluminium Walzprodukte GmbH
Elve M. Alexandra
Ryan Patrick
LandOfFree
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