I can't believe I don't already know the answer to this, but I need to ask. Can 6061-T6 be welded to 5052-H32? Don't worry, I'm not the one doing the welding, but I am the one specing out the materials for the job. Thanks and sorry if this is a stupid question. Never welded aluminum. BTW... this will be done with TIG
In Ron Fourniers book, he says that the 6061 T6 is weldable but the welds may crack....same thing with bending it on a tight radius. The 5052 is weldable...time to experimnent I guess. Good luck! John www.ghiaspecialties.com
When I did a search I basically find the same answer... not much. I know they're both wedable, just not sure about to eachother.
You can weld them, no prob. Depending on thickness, may want to preheat or use a bit of helium. 5356 would be more prone to cracking, but it is able to be annodized with no prob. 4043 would work fine, but turns black when annodized. Good luck
WOW! That's good info about the anodizing! I never thought about welds and their effect on Anodizing. Good point! Also, thanks for replying with the info. Glad to know they are compatible! Here's another stupid question you just made me think of. Let's say one were to get an ideal weld between two Aluminum pieces, can these welds be virtually ground and polished out of sight like you can when you're smoothing steel welds?
You could grind and polish the metal afterwards, but you will probably see a slight color difference between the two. I know I've polished aluminum welds before, and the weld was visible as a stripe on the finish.
From my understanding, to properly weld aluminum, you need to send it out to a heat treater and take the "hardness" out of the alum before welding it. (example: T6 taken down to T0) you then can weld it, then get re heat treated back to a T6. The heat from the welding changes the hardness of the material making it more prone to cracks... hope this helps Steve
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