Welding copper and its alloys with steel. How to weld copper and steel?

Usually copper is welded to steel in butt joints. The seams in this case can be external or internal. The choice depends on the type and purpose of the structure.

It is best to join steel and brass using gas welding. Electric arc welding with electrodes is used to join steel and red copper. Also, a high-quality weld can be achieved using graphite electrodes when joining submerged arcs or gas welding using BM-1 flux. Typically, when joining brass and steel, copper is used as an additive.

Before the procedure, it is necessary to prepare the edges of the metal. With the same thickness of parts, preparation is carried out in the same way as for ferrous metals. If the metal sheet has a thickness of less than 3 millimeters, then cutting is not required. If more than 3 millimeters, then bevel of the edges is required.

If you have not sufficiently cleaned the welding area or the bevel of the edges is small, then the quality of the weld will be poor. Thus, when joining metal with a large thickness, there is no need to make a blunting during the X-shaped groove.

Welding copper and its alloys with steel. How to weld copper and steel?

In practice, welding of copper and steel is most often carried out in butt joints. Depending on the nature of the structure, the seams in such a connection can be external or internal.

For welding brass to steel, gas welding is best suited, and for welding red copper to steel, electric arc welding with metal electrodes. Good results are also obtained when welding with carbon electrodes under a layer of flux and gas welding under a submerged arc BM-1. Often in practice, gas welding of brass to steel is performed using copper as a filler material.

The preparation of welded edges with the same thickness of non-ferrous metal and steel is carried out in the same way as when welding ferrous metals. Welding of sheets less than 3 mm thick is performed without cutting, and sheets starting from 3 mm are welded with beveled edges.

If the edges are insufficiently beveled, or if there is contamination at the ends of the parts being welded, good penetration cannot be achieved. Based on this, when welding parts of large thicknesses in which an X-shaped groove is made, blunting should not be done.

Welding copper with steel is a complex task, but quite feasible for surfacing and welding, for example, parts of chemical equipment, copper wire with a steel block. The quality of welding of such joints meets the requirements for them. The strength of copper can be increased by introducing up to 2% iron into its composition. With more iron, strength begins to decrease.

When welding with a carbon electrode, it is necessary to use direct current of straight polarity. The voltage of the electric arc is 40-55V, and its length is approximately 14-20mm. The welding current is selected in accordance with the diameter and quality of the electrode (carbon or graphite) and is in the range of 300-550A. The flux used is the same as for welding copper; the composition of these fluxes is given on this page. Flux is introduced into the welding zone, pouring it into the groove.

The welding method is used “left”. The best results when welding copper busbars to steel are obtained when welding “in a boat”. The diagram of such welding is shown in the figure. First, the copper edges are heated with a carbon electrode, and then welded with a certain position of the electrode and filler rod (see figure). The welding speed is 0.25m/h. Welding copper with cast iron is carried out using the same technological techniques.

Welding of low-alloy bronze of small thickness (up to 1.5 mm) to steel with a thickness of up to 2.5 mm can be done overlapping with a non-consumable tungsten electrode in an argon environment on an automatic machine with a filler wire with a diameter of 1.8 mm supplied from the side. In this case, it is very important to direct the arc towards the overlap from the copper side. Modes of such welding: current 190A, arc voltage 11.5V, welding speed 28.5m/h, wire feed speed 70m/h.

Copper and brass can be welded well to steel using flash butt welding. With this welding method, steel edges melt quite strongly, and non-ferrous metal edges melt slightly. Taking into account this circumstance, and taking into account the difference in the resistivity of these metals, the overhang for steel is taken to be 3.5d, for brass 1.5d, for copper 1.0d, where d are the diameters of the rods being welded. For butt welding of such rods using the resistance method, an overhang of 2.5d for steel, 1.0d for brass and 1.5d for copper is recommended. The specific resistance of the upset is assumed to be in the range of 1.0-1.5 kg/mm 2.

Welding with carbon and graphite electrodes

This type of welding of copper alloys is rarely used. Carbon electrodes are used when connecting workpieces up to 15 mm thick, graphite electrodes are larger than this value. Welding mode:

The current is constant.
Polarity is straight.
The filler rod is not immersed in the weld pool. Distance 5-6 mm.
The process is carried out in a protective flux. It is applied to the filler rod, which is pre-dipped in liquid glass.
The gap is 0.5 mm.
An asbestos or graphite lining is used.
Copper up to 5 mm thick is welded without preheating.
Welding must be done in one pass.

Welding copper to steel

Usually copper is welded to steel in butt joints. The seams in this case can be external or internal. The choice depends on the type and purpose of the structure.

Basic mistakes when soldering yourself

Most often, it is haste that leads to the fact that the connection of two elements is unsuccessful. Because they forget to inspect the surface of the parts being connected. The first action to correct an error is to check for defects. They could appear when cutting parts.

How reliable the seam will be depends on the cleanliness of the surface. Therefore, it is still worth brushing off even invisible specks of dust. One of the most basic mistakes is made when applying flux. The master may forget to process a small area of the product. And it will cause the proper connection to fail.

It is also important to monitor the temperature of the torch or soldering iron, since overheating of the element being processed leads to combustion of the flux. But insufficient melting point is also harmful. In this case, the connecting compounds do not soften or stick.

Source of the article: https://strop-snab.ru/novosti/pajka-stali-medyu.html

How is copper welded to steel?

In reality this is quite a difficult task. But a good welder can still cope with such a task. Such compounds are used in the production of chemical equipment parts. One of the options encountered is to connect a copper wire to a steel block. The welding quality indicators of such joints are quite sufficient for their task. To increase the strength characteristics of copper products, up to 2% iron is added to the composition. It is not recommended to use a larger volume, as the strength will begin to decrease.

For welding work using graphite electrodes, direct current of direct polarity is used. In this case, the arc length of electricity should be in the range from 14 to 20 millimeters, and the voltage from 40 to 55 volts. The current is selected depending on the quality of the electrode and its diameter. Typically it is in the range of 300-550 amperes. Fluxes are used exactly the same as for working with copper. Their composition can be viewed on this page. Flux should be poured between the cutting edges into the welding area.

You should start welding from the left. The best result is achieved when processing with a “boat”. The process is carried out as follows:

First, heat the edges of the copper product with a carbon electrode.
Then the parts are connected in a certain position of the filler rod and the electrode. The rod should be inclined against the movement at an angle of 30-40 degrees to the metal. The electrode should be inclined in the direction of welding at an angle of 75-85 degrees.

The welding speed should be 25 centimeters per hour. The connection of copper and cast iron occurs in the same way.

An overlap joint is used to weld bronze with a low content of alloying elements and a thickness of up to 1.5 millimeters to steel up to 2.5 millimeters. In this case, non-consumable tungsten electrodes and 1.8 mm filler wire are used. It is served from the side. The welding itself is carried out in an argon environment in automatic mode. Processing must occur from the side of the copper element. The current should be 190 amperes, the wire feed speed should be 70 meters per hour, and the welding speed should be 28.5 meters per hour. In this case, the electric arc voltage should be 11.5 volts.

Flash butt welding is used to join copper or brass to a steel workpiece. This method allows you to achieve different degrees of melting of the edges, while non-ferrous metals melt less. Based on this, departures are made equal to:

3.5 d for steel,
1.5 d for brass,
1.0 d for copper.

Argon arc welding

Welding occurs using an electric arc in argon, i.e. in an inert environment, using consumable or non-consumable electrodes. A tungsten electrode is most often used as a non-consumable electrode. The additive is supplied to the arc zone from the outside and is not connected to the electrical circuit. Tig welding is usually used to join small products.

The quality of the welded joint depends on the degree of penetration of the steel and will be more acceptable with as little steel as possible in the resulting weld. This is achieved by correctly adjusting the heating and controlling the melting of both metals: the high temperature of the arc is concentrated on the copper, and the steel is heated and melted thanks to the thermal energy coming from the resulting weld pool.

Taking this feature into account for welding copper with thick iron, preheating is not performed. In this case, it is better to perform welding using flux. To prevent the leakage of liquid metal, with this approach, appropriate limiters are used on the copper side.

When using a non-consumable electrode, direct current of straight polarity and pure argon without impurities are used. Material thicker than 4 mm is welded after preheating to 800°C. It is better to weld by tilting the electrode towards the area to be welded by 85-90°, while the filler wire should be tilted by 15-20°, and the electrode extension should be maintained by 5-10 mm. It is also very important to choose the correct filler material. Typically, various copper alloys are used.

Stud welding

Often there is a need to attach studs with a diameter of 8-12 millimeters made of pure copper or its alloys to steel, or vice versa. In this case, direct current of reverse polarity is used. The flux used is rather fine OSTS-45. No heating required.

Studs made of copper or brass L62 up to 10-12 millimeters in cross-section with a current strength of 400 amperes attach quite well to steel or cast iron elements. Brass LS 59-1 is not used.

Steel studs are very difficult to weld to copper or brass. A more or less normal result can be achieved by putting a copper ring with a height of 4 millimeters and a diameter of up to 8 millimeters on the end of a steel pin. To achieve good results, it is recommended to use K-100 electrodes.

Source: atl-met.ru

We perform copper welding at home

Welding of metal parts is a technological procedure that makes it possible to obtain permanent connections by forming a bond between intermolecular and interatomic particles of the material under significant heating until melting and plastic deformation. Spot welding of copper at home is used, as a rule, to join many metals and their alloys in all industrial fields, even medicine.

To carry out welding work, different energy sources can be used: friction, ultrasound, electric arc, electric current. Modern technologies are so advanced that work related to welding joints of metal structures can be performed not only in industrial enterprises, but also in the field, on reservoirs, under water, even in space.

But, as in any type of activity, there are nuances, advantages and disadvantages, requirements for the safety of work, etc. Thus, when organizing welding work at home with workpieces made of copper, aluminum, brass, and stainless steel, it is necessary to follow the established precautions. This type of activity is particularly dangerous to human health: there is a danger of damage to the organs of vision by ultraviolet radiation, contact with molten metal on the skin, electric shock, etc.

Copper Gas Welding Technology

Gas welding of copper at home is the most common technology used in domestic conditions. The resulting weld using this technique is highly durable. It is thanks to this parameter that gas welding is in great demand among home craftsmen. To connect copper products at home, you need to have on hand:

Welding machine
Gas-burners
Gas cylinders (acetylene)
Copper wire
asbestos

Some advice from experienced welders

If the thickness of the copper product is no more than 1 cm, the connection can be made with one torch.
If the thickness of the copper sample is more than 1 cm, it is necessary to use two burners at once, the second will serve for heating.
To reduce the outflow of thermal energy in this case, additional asbestos sheets will be needed.
When welding copper products, it is recommended to use electrical wire made of copper, previously cleaned of paint and varnish insulating coatings.
Cleaning must also be carried out on the welded edges of the products. This condition should not be neglected, since the possibility of cuprous oxide formation depends on it.

All necessary conditions for preliminary preparation for welding work have been completed. This means you can proceed directly to connecting the prepared copper products.

Recommendations

You should try not to overheat the heated sections of the connection that are located close to each other.
The concentrated flame must be directed perpendicular to the seam directly to the edge of the wire.
The wire should melt before the edges of the product. The cooking process continues until the entire seam is completely formed.
It must be remembered that stopping an unfinished connection can lead to overheating of some areas of the product, resulting in cuprous oxide and the formation of cracks.
The completed weld must be forged.
For small thicknesses of products, the wire must be kept cold.
If the thickness of the product is more than 0.5 cm, then the wire must be heated to a temperature of 200 degrees. Higher temperatures are also allowed, but not more than 500 degrees, since the grain of the metal will form, which will subsequently become quite brittle.
The welded, forged seam must be brought to a temperature of 500 degrees and cooled instantly.

At this point, the connection of copper parts can be considered complete.

Other types of welding

Let's look at less common types of welding:

Friction welding allows you to obtain welded joints with strength at the level of the base material.
Explosion welding produces a high-strength connection . The method is used to produce layered sheets and tapes.
Roll welding is used to produce bimetallic sheets and steel + copper strips . Usually the connection is not inferior in strength to the base metal.
Resistance welding provides intense heat generation in the welding zone and high temperature gradients.
Ultrasonic welding of small thickness parts . Vibrations are supplied from the copper side.
Diffusion welding . Provides heat-resistant, vibration-resistant welded joints while maintaining high accuracy of geometric dimensions and shapes of products.
Fusion welding . A layer of another metal is first fused onto the steel or an intermediate insert is used.
Electron beam welding . A very promising, but still rarely used technique. This is a relatively safe and environmentally friendly method that almost does not endanger the health of the welder.

Source

Argon-arc welding of copper samples

Argon-arc welding at home is performed using welding equipment using direct current, non-consumable tungsten electrodes. The procedure is reminiscent of soldering products: the electrode is heated to a high temperature. As a result, the copper begins to melt.

With this welding technique, it is important to instantly cool the areas being joined. Argon-arc welding involves the use of argon and copper filler wire, which is pre-cleaned from the paint and varnish insulating coating.

Copper welding: area of application of technology

Argon welding is used to repair structures made of copper. It has proven itself to be quite effective when performing welding work in hard-to-reach areas.

Argon-arc welding is quite in demand at manufacturing enterprises, and if you have the appropriate equipment, it can also be successfully used in domestic conditions. If you have inverter welding equipment and special fusible electrodes, the procedure for joining copper samples can be carried out using the technology of welding steel products. There are practically no fundamental differences in this case. But, with this joining method it is much more difficult to make a vertical seam than a horizontal one.

How to connect a copper pipe to a steel pipe

Copper pipes are used in the installation of hot water supply, hot water supply, air conditioning, heating and gas supply systems. They are expensive, but durable, ductile and have excellent corrosion resistance.

But in order for engineering communications from them to last for decades, the connection of copper pipes must be done correctly. There are several technologies for installation, and each of them has its own design features.

What you need to know about electrodes used for welding copper parts

To ensure a high quality weld, it is recommended to use electrodes coated with a special compound. Such a coating is necessary for the production of slag formed with metal oxides. It will prevent air from coming into contact with the weld. The coating fills the voids formed during welding of parts due to burnout of components and subsequently introduces new components into the seam. This coating contributes to better stability of the electric arc. The slag layer produced by this coating will slow down the cooling of the molten copper, causing more gases to escape from the weld.

Electrodes used in the welding process are divided into two types:

melting - wire made of copper, steel, aluminum, cast iron is used for their production;
non-melting - synthetic graphite and electrical coal are used for their production.

When choosing electrodes, you need to look at their color:

yellow electrodes are intended for samples made of heat-resistant, corrosion-resistant steels;
red - used for electric arc welding of copper products;
gray – for blanks made of non-ferrous metals;
blue - designed for connecting heat-resistant components.

Electrodes for removing broken pins

Selectarc SCREW/SKRYU Special electrode for removing broken bolts, drills, taps from parts of almost all types (cast iron, steel, aluminum, bronze, etc.). The special electrode coating forms a graphite layer that effectively protects the thread during surfacing and serves as a lubricant after cooling. Easily alloys with low- and high-alloy steels, as well as hardened steels. Conditions of use: fix the nut on the surface of the part. Light an arc strictly in the center of the broken product and fuse it. Then scald along the contour of the nut. Let cool and unscrew. Electrode diameters: Ø 2.0; Ø 2.5; Ø 3.2

Welding brass structures

Welding brass at home is a rather complicated procedure, since brass contains zinc, which evaporates when heated, as a result of which the product loses its original strength.

Brass itself is an alloy with zinc. The technology for joining parts made of brass is considered difficult due to the evaporation of zinc at high temperatures; this chemical element instantly oxidizes, resulting in the formation of a toxic, refractory oxide. Therefore, welding of brass samples should be carried out in specially equipped places equipped with an exhaust hood; welders should work in respirators.

Basic requirements for welding brass

Cleanliness of the process when using argon-arc welding. Before starting work, the products are thoroughly cleaned to a characteristic metallic shine on the surface.
There should be no oxides on the surface of the parts being welded; if present, they must be removed. Nitric acid is used for this. After this cleaning is completed, the product is washed in hot water and then dried.

When welding parts with argon, a characteristic continuous crackling sound is felt, and the welding arc has an amazing color. This is all due to the presence of zinc in the alloy. Brass does not burn through during the joining process, nor does it fly off in separate pieces, as it melts. Experienced welders advise welding brass in separate sections and not melting it in a continuous layer. When the material melts completely, there is a possibility of burning through the metal.

If it is necessary to weld a crater, then it is recommended to gradually reduce the welding voltage, increase the length of the arc and subsequently move it away from the workpiece. In the process of such a connection, the seam is filled in full; roasting of the zinc leads to its evaporation, resulting in the formation of defects in the metal. To reduce the evaporation of this chemical element, it is necessary to increase the presence of oxygen in the flame and use filler materials alloyed with boron, aluminum, and silicon.

Advice! When connecting brass parts, carry out welding work outdoors, do not neglect safety requirements!

Source: electrod.biz

How to connect copper pipes with and without soldering

Even taking into account the fact that polymer pipes are being used more and more often, metal products are still enjoying considerable success. Typically, the metal used is copper, brass and steel. Copper is superior in terms of resistance to corrosion and high temperatures. Actually, the connection of copper pipes will be discussed in this article.

Even though copper pipes are expensive, taking into account all the characteristics of the material, their use is quite justified.

First of all, before connecting copper pipes, you should decide how to connect them, by soldering or another method.

Connecting pipes using soldering

Let's consider connecting copper tubes with fittings followed by soldering, which can be low- and high-temperature. In the first method, soldering is carried out at a temperature of 300 ºC. The second method is used when installing systems with high loads for industrial purposes.

Couplings are used as connectors for copper pipes; tin-lead solder and flux are additionally needed.

The pipe soldering technology will be as follows:

First of all, a pipe of a certain size is cut. This process must be carried out carefully, taking into account the size of the existing fittings.
The ends of the pipes must be inspected - there should be no defects such as chips, cracks or burrs. If they are not eliminated, there will be problems with the tightness of the connection after all the work is completed.
After making sure that the ends are clean, you can start connecting. Due to the fact that several pipes will be connected, and they can be of different sections, the fittings must be selected accordingly.
Next, the end of the pipe and the inner walls of the couplings should be treated with flux, which will degrease the surfaces to obtain the highest quality connection.
Now the end of the pipe is threaded into the copper tube connector and heated. It must be selected so that the cross-section is 1-1.5 cm larger than the cross-section of the pipe. The pipes are heated with a gas burner. The gap between the pipe and the coupling is filled with molten solder. Currently, you can find any type of solder on the market to suit your needs, so there should not be any problems with the choice.
After the solder is evenly distributed around the circumference, the parts to be joined must be left until it has completely hardened.

At the final stage, you need to check the connectors for the copper pipes and the entire system by running water into it. At this moment, not only the system will be checked, but it will also be cleaned of flux residues, which over time can cause metal corrosion.

Sealed joining of copper pipes without soldering

Additionally, it is worth noting that, despite the fact that connecting pipes by soldering is considered the most reliable method in most cases, there are still situations when it is not possible to use this method. In such cases, you can resort to connecting copper tubes without soldering. Special fittings will be required that will ensure a reliable connection due to the clamping effect that is formed by the threaded connection.

In this case, the connection is made in the following sequence:

First, the fittings are disconnected, which often have two components.
One of the elements is put on the pipe. As a rule, this is a nut and a clamping ring.
Next, thread the pipe into the fitting and tighten the nut.

Typically, such fittings are equipped with detailed instructions, which must be followed, otherwise the work performed will be of poor quality.

It is worth noting that before connecting copper tubes without soldering, you should be aware of all the risks, since it is quite difficult to obtain a high-quality connection. Minimal distortions of the connected parts are not allowed at all, otherwise the technology is grossly violated. To make the threaded connection extremely tight, it is advisable to additionally seal it with special threads. At the same time, it is worth making sure that they do not end up on the inside of the pipe, since subsequently water may not pass through the system properly.

Mandatory connection rules

For any type of connection, the list of work performed will look like this:

The connected pipes must be made of the same metal. If you are going to connect a copper pipe with a pipe made of any other material, you must decide on the desired connection method. For example, the soldering method cannot be used to join pipes made of copper and polyvinyl chloride.
When connecting a copper pipe to a steel pipe, the copper pipe should be placed after the steel pipe.
When tightening a threaded connection, you need to be extremely careful, especially if you have pipes with thin walls.
To correctly determine the amount of solder required, the piece of wire must have the circumference of the pipe being soldered.
A special burner is best suited for heating pipes. You can, of course, use a simple blowtorch, but in this case you need to be prepared that the joint will overheat and the entire work process will become somewhat more complicated.
It's no secret that copper pipes are a rather expensive material. In this regard, even before carrying out the work, it would not be superfluous to make preliminary calculations of the volume of required material. At the same time, remember that all connecting parts also have their own dimensions, so they must be taken into account.

In conclusion, it would not be amiss to note that connecting copper pipes is technologically a process of medium complexity. If you are doing this kind of work for the first time, then you need to be prepared for the fact that some nuances may arise. To understand the process and get as much insight as possible about it, it would be a good idea to get advice from professional workers, or at least get acquainted with the available video materials.

Source: https://trubaspec.com/soedinenie-trub/kak-vypolnyaetsya-soedinenie-mednykh-trub-s-paykoy-i-bez-neye.html

Welding and soldering of copper and steel

#1 hperak

#2 HUMBLE

Is it possible to weld copper to iron tig ac ds?

Welding of all types of metal in SAMARA -

#3 hperak

#4 HUMBLE

What type of solder should there be and is it possible to make it yourself?

Welding of all types of metal in SAMARA -

#5 AVN

#6 Mengon

what and how is unclear. There is brass on the surface and it looks like it was just poured out when it was molten.

#7 hperak

#8 Funtik

Copper-phosphorus is neither good nor bad for the little blackie!

#9 Elkin

Is a copper radiator or honeycomb that has already been soldered with tin soldered with hard solder?

#10 LamoBOT

Try it and tell us. Purely theoretically, in my amateurish opinion, there will be no problems, because copper + tin + lead = bronze.

#11 Nail02

Let me ask in a similar thread. I have no experience with soldering at all. I'm trying to learn. Here's my first "damn". Tell me what's wrong. I tortured both the detail and myself. I couldn’t solder it properly, without experience. Acetylene-oxygen heating pad. I used borax and uncut brass from the radiator. Heated, heated, heated, on the heating element it melts normally, on the lower metal plate it melts normally. What is better to use for such details. Tin solder probably won't work here? After all, the heating element will heat up. Or maybe solder everything with tin solder, since the water in the tank still won’t heat up above 100 degrees?

Silver solders

SILVER SOLDER BRAND Enrobe 5030/Enrob 5030 (or SP Ag 30/SP Ag 30) Solid silver solder containing Ag=30% for soldering steel (including stainless steel), cast iron, nickel alloys, copper, brass, bronze , gold, silver, carbide plates. It is used in the food, medical, jewelry industries, weapons production, repair of refrigeration equipment, etc. Hardness: 108 HB, weld metal: Cu-Zn-Ag-Sn Solder diameters: Ø 2.0

SILVER SOLDER BRAND Enrobe 1005/Enrob 1005 Hard silver solder containing Ag=5% for soldering steel (including stainless steel), cast iron, nickel alloys, copper, brass, bronze, gold, silver, carbide plates.

It is used in the food, medical, jewelry industries, weapons production, repair of refrigeration equipment, etc. Tensile strength (R.daN/mm2): 38, relative elongation: 15%, operating temperature: 615-630 º C, density (kg/mm3): 8400, weld metal: Cu-Zn-Ag-Sn. Solder diameters: Ø 2.0