CATHODIC CLEANING OF ALUMINUM ALLOYS FOR X-RAY-CLEAR WELDS
Abstract
The problem of producing an X-ray clear weld lies in the ability to remove Al2O3. H2O (aluminum hydrate) from the surfaces inside, outside or at the joint, as any hydrate near the welding arc disassociates and produces nascent hydrogen. The nascent hydrogen is absorbed quite readily by the aluminum materials in the solidus state and upon cooling migrates to the last point of freezing forming voids of numberous sizes, configurations and at random depth levels. The present method of cleaning after the standard chemical cleaning is to mechanically scrap and draw file all surfaces subjected to fusion, which is an art and has not been reduced to a science. The preliminary tests using cathodic cleaning conducted on 6061 aluminum strips and evaluated by welding with automatic direct current tungsten arc process shows a very definite improvement over previous cleaning methods.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 1966
- Accession Number
- AD0811990
Entities
People
- F. B. Gurtner
- J. C. Williams