Welding Copper-Base Alloys Copper and copper-base alloys have specific properties which make them widely used.

Their high electrical conductivity makes them widely used in the electrical industries and corrosion resistance of certain alloys makes them very useful in the process industries. Copper alloys are also widely used for friction or bearing applications. Copper shares some of the characteristics of aluminum. Attention should be given to its properties that make the welding of copper and copper alloys different from the welding of carbon steels. Copper alloys possess properties that require special attention when welding. These are: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. High thermal conductivity. High thermal expansion coefficient. Relatively low melting point. It is hot short, i.e., brittle at elevated temperatures. The molten metal is very fluid. It has high electrical conductivity. It owes much of its strength to cold working.

Copper has the highest thermal conductivity of all commercial metals and the comments made concerning thermal conductivity of aluminum apply to copper, to an even greater degree. Copper has a relatively high coefficient of thermal expansion, approximately 50% higher than carbon steel, but lower than aluminum. One of the problems associated with copper alloys is the fact that some of them, such as aluminum bronze, have a coefficient of expansion over 50% greater than that of copper. This creates problems when making generalized statements about the different copper-based alloys. The melting point of the different copper alloys varies over a relatively wide range, but is at least 538oC lower than carbon steel. Some of the copper alloys are hot short. This means that they become brittle at high temperatures. This is because some of the alloying elements form oxides and other compounds at the grain boundaries, embrittling the material. Copper does not exhibit heat colors like steel and when it melts it is relatively fluid. This is essentially the result of the high preheat normally used for heavier sections. Copper has the highest electrical conductivity of any of the commercial metals and this is a definite problem in the resistance welding processes. All of the copper alloys derive their strength from cold working. The heat of welding will anneal the copper in the heat-affected area adjacent to the weld and reduce the strength provided by cold working. This must be considered when welding high-strength joints. There is one other problem associated with the copper alloys that contain zinc. Zinc has a relatively low boiling temperature, and under the heat of an arc will tend to vaporize and escape from the weld. For this reason the arc processes are not recommended for the alloys containing zinc. Copper and copper alloys offer a unique combination of material properties that makes them advantageous for many manufacturing environments. They are widely used because of their excellent electrical and thermal conductivities, outstanding resistance to corrosion, ease of fabrication, and good strength and fatigue resistance. Other useful characteristics include spark resistance, metal-to-metal wear resistance, low-permeability properties, and distinctive color.

Copper and Copper alloys remain to this day among the most important engineering materials due to their good electrical and thermal conductivity, corrosion resistance, metal-to-metal wear resistance and distinctive aesthetic appearance. Copper and most copper alloys can be joined by welding, brazing and most copper alloys can be joined by welding, brazing and soldering. The major markets for copper and its alloys include the building industry, electrical and electronic products, industrial machinery and equipment and transportation. This section outlines the different types of copper alloys and gives guidance on processes and techniques to be used in fabricating copper alloy components without impairing their corrosion or mechanical properties or introducing weld defects.

Weldability of Copper and Copper Alloys: Welding processes such as Gas Metal Arc Welding and Gas Tungsten Arc Welding are commonly used for welding copper and its alloys, since high localized heat input is important when welding materials with high thermal conductivity. Manual Metal Arc Welding of Copper and Copper alloys may be used although the quality is not as good as that obtained with the gas shielded welding processes. The weldability of copper varies among the pure copper grades (a) (b) and (c). The high oxygen content in tough pitch copper can lead to embitterment in the heat affected zone and weld metal porosity. Phosphorus deoxidized copper is more weldable, with porosity being avoided by using filler wires containing deoxidants (Al, Mn, Si, P and Ti). Thin sections can be welded without preheat although thicker sections require preheats up to 60C. Copper alloys, in contrast to copper, seldom require preheating before welding. The weldability varies considerably amongst the different copper alloys and care must be taken to ensure the correct welding procedures are carried out for each particular alloy to reduce the risks of welding defects. Welding Processes In manufacturing, copper is often joined by welding. The arc welding processes are of primary concern. Arc welding can be performed using shielded metal arc welding (SMAW), gas-tungsten arc welding (GTAW), gas-metal arc welding (GMAW), plasma arc welding (PAW), and submerged arc welding (SAW). Arc Welding Processes- Copper and most copper alloys can be joined by arc welding. Welding processes that use gas shielding are generally preferred, although SMAW can be used for many noncritical applications. Argon, helium, or mixtures of the two are used as shielding gases for GTAW, PAW, and GMAW. Generally, argon is used when manually welding material is less than 3 mm thick, has low thermal conductivity, or both. Helium or a mixture of 75% helium and 25% argon is recommended for machine welding of thin sections and for manual welding of thicker sections of alloys that have high thermal conductivity. Small amounts of nitrogen can be added to the argon shielding gas to increase the effective heat input. Shielded metal arc welding can be used to weld a wide range of thickness of copper alloys. Covered electrodes for SMAW of copper alloys are available in standard sizes ranging from 2.4 to 4.8 mm.

Gas Tungsten Arc Welding- Gas-tungsten arc welding is well suited for copper and copper alloys because of its intense arc, which produces an extremely high temperature at the joint and a narrow heat-affected zone (HAZ). In welding copper and the more thermally conductive copper alloys, the intensity of the arc is important in completing fusion with minimum heating of the surrounding, highly conductive base metal. A narrow HAZ is particularly desirable in the welding of copper alloys that have been precipitation hardened. Many of the standard tungsten or alloyed tungsten electrodes can be used in GTAW of copper and copper alloys. The selection factors normally considered for tungsten electrodes apply in general to the copper and copper alloys. Except for the specific classes of copper alloys, thoriated tungsten (usually EWTh-2) is preferred for its better performance, longer life, and greater resistance to contamination. Gas Metal Arc Welding- Gas-metal arc welding is used to join of the coppers and copper alloys for thickness less than 3 mm, while GMAW is preferred for section thickness above 3 mm and for the joining of aluminum bronzes, silicon bronzes and copper-nickel alloys. Plasma Arc Welding- The welding of coppers and copper alloys using PAW is comparable to GTAW of these alloys. Argon, helium, or mixtures of the two are used for the welding of all alloys. Hydrogen gas should never be used when welding coppers. Plasma arc welding has two distinct advantages over GTAW: (1) the tungsten is concealed and entirely shielded, which greatly reduces contamination of the electrode, particularly for alloys with low-boilingtemperature constituents such as brasses, bronzes, phosphor bronzes, and aluminum bronzes, and (2) the constructed arc plume gives rise to higher arc energies while minimizing the growth of the HAZ. Submerged Arc Welding- The welding of thick gage material, such as pipe formed from heavy plate, can be achieved by continuous metal-arc operation under a granular flux. Effective deoxidation and slagmetal reactions to form the required weld-metal composition are critical and the SAW process is still under development for copper-base materials, A variation on this, process can be used for weld cladding or hardfacing. Commercially available fluxes should be used for the copper-nickel alloys. Alloy Metallurgy and Weldability Many of the physical properties of copper alloys are important to the welding processes, including melting temperature, coefficient of thermal expansion, and electrical and thermal conductivity. Certain alloying elements greatly decrease the electrical and thermal conductivities of copper and copper alloys. Several alloying elements have pronounced effects on the weldability of copper and copper alloys. Small amounts of volatile, toxic alloying elements are often present in copper and its alloys. As a result, the requirement of an effective ventilation system to protect the welder and/or the welding machine operator is more critical then when welding ferrous metals.

Zinc reduces the weldability of all brasses in relative proportion to the percent of zinc in the alloy. Zinc has a low boiling temperature, which results in the production of toxic vapors when welding copper-zinc alloys. Tin increases the hot-crack susceptibility during welding when present in amounts from 1 to 10%. Tin, when compared with zinc, is far less volatile and toxic. During the welding tin may preferentially oxidize relative to copper. The results will be an oxide entrapment, which may reduce the strength of the weldment. Beryllium, aluminum, and nickel form tenacious oxides that must be removed prior to welding. The formation of these oxides during the welding process must be prevented by shielding gas or by fluxing, in conjunction with the use of the appropriate welding current. The oxides of nickel interfere with arc welding less than those beryllium or aluminum. Consequently, the nickel silvers and copper-nickel alloys are less sensitive to the type of welding current used during the process. Beryllium containing alloys also produce toxic fumes during the welding. Silicon has a beneficial effect on the weldability of copper-silicon alloys because of its deoxidizing and fluxing actions. Oxygen can cause porosity and reduce the strength of welds made in certain copper alloys that do not contain sufficient quantities of phosphorus or other deoxidizers. Oxygen may be found as a free gas or as cuprous oxide. Most commonly welded copper alloys contain deoxidizing element, usually phosphorus, silicon, aluminum, iron, or manganese. Iron and manganese do not significantly affect the weldability of the alloys that contain them. Iron is typically present in some special brasses, aluminum bronzes, and copper-nickel alloys in amounts of 1.4 to 3.5%. Manganese is commonly used in these same alloys, but at lower concentrations than iron. Free-Machining Additives- Lead, selenium, tellurium and sulfur are added to copper alloys to improve machinability. Bismuth is beginning to be used for this purpose as well when lead-free alloys are desired. These minor alloying agents, while improving machinability, significantly affect the weldability of copper alloys by rendering the alloys hot-crack susceptible. The adverse effect on weldability begins to be evident at about 0.05% of the additive and is more severe with larger concentrations. Lead is the most harmful of the alloying agents with respect to hot-crack susceptibility. Factors Affecting Weldability Besides the alloying elements that comprise a specific copper alloy, several other factors affect weldability. These factors are the thermal conductivity of the alloy being welded, the shielding gas, the type of current used during welding, the joint design, the welding position, and the surface condition and cleanliness. Effect of Thermal Conductivity. The behavior of copper and copper alloys during welding is strongly influenced by the thermal conductivity of the alloy. When welding commercial coppers and lightly alloyed copper materials with high thermal conductivities, the type of current and shielding gas must be

selected to provide maximum heat input to the joint. This high heat input counteracts the rapid head dissipation away from the localized weld zone. Depending on section thickness, preheating may be required for copper alloys with lower thermal conductivities. The interpass temperature should be the same as for preheating. Copper alloys are not post-weld head treated as frequently as steels, but some alloys may require controlled cooling rates to minimize residual stresses and hot shortness. Welding Position- Due to the highly fluid nature of copper and its alloys, the flat position is used whenever possible for welding. The horizontal position is used in some fillet welding of comer joints and T-joints. Precipitation-Hardenable Alloys- The most important precipitation-hardening reactions are obtained with beryllium, chromium, boron, nickel, silicon, and zirconium. Care must be taken when welding precipitation-hardenable copper alloys to avoid oxidation and incomplete fusion. Whenever possible, the components should be welded in the annealed condition, and then the weldment should be given a precipitation-hardening heat treatment. Hot Cracking- Copper alloys, such as copper-tin and copper-nickel, are susceptible to hot cracking at solidification temperatures. This characteristic is exhibited in all copper alloys with a wide liquidus-tosolidus temperature range. Severe shrinkage stresses produce interdendritic separation during metal solidification. Hot cracking can be minimized by reducing restraint during welding, preheating to slow the cooling rate and reduce the magnitude of welding stresses, and reducing the size of the root opening and increasing the size of the root pass. Porosity- Certain elements (for example, zinc, cadmium, and phosphorus) have low boiling points. Vaporization of these elements during welding may result in porosity. When welding copper alloys containing these elements, porosity can be minimized by higher weld speeds and a filler metal low in these elements. Surface Condition- Grease and oxide on work surfaces should be removed before welding. Wire brushing or bright dipping can be used. Miliscale on the surfaces of aluminum bronzes and silicon bronzes is removed for a distance from the weld region of at least 13 mm, usually by mechanical means. Grease, paint, crayon marks, shop dirt, and similar contaminants on copper-nickel alloys may cause embrittlement and should be removed before welding. Miliscale on copper-nickel alloys must be removed by grinding or pickling; wire brushing is not effective.

2.1 Weld joint designs for Joining Copper and Copper alloys: The recommended joint designs for welding copper and copper alloys are shown in Figures 1 & 2. Due to the high thermal conductivity of copper, the joint designs are wider than those used for steel to allow adequate fusion and penetration.

NOTE A = 1.6mm, B = 2.4mm, C = 3.2mm, D = 4.0mm, R = 3.2mm, T=thickness Figure 1. - Joint designs for Gas Tungsten Arc Welding and Manual Metal Arc welding of Copper and Copper Alloys. 2.2 Surface Preparation: The weld area should be clean and free of oil, grease, dirt, paint and oxides prior to welding. Wire brushing with a bronze wire brush followed by degreasing with a suitable cleaning agent. The oxide film formed during welding should also be removed with a wire brush after each weld run is deposited. 2.3 Pre-heating: The welding of thick copper sections requires a high preheat due to the rapid conduction of heat from the weld joint into the surrounding base metal. Most copper alloys, even in thick sections, do not require pre-heating because the thermal diffusivity is much lower than for copper. To select

the correct preheat for a given application, consideration must be given to the welding process, the alloy being welded, the base metal thickness and to some extent the overall mass of the weldment. Aluminum bronze and copper nickel alloys should not be preheated. It is desirable to limit the heat to as localized an area as possible to avoid bringing too much of the material into a temperature range that will cause a loss in ductility. It is also important to ensure the preheat temperature is maintained until welding of the joint is completed.

3) Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) of Copper and Copper alloys: 3.1 GMAW of Copper: ERCu copper electrodes are recommended for GMAW of copper. Aufhauser Deoxidized Copper is a versatile 98% pure copper alloy for the GMAW of copper. The gas mixture required will be largely determined by the thickness of the copper section to be welded. Argon is generally used for 6mm and under. The helium-argon mixtures are used for welding of thicker sections. The filler metal should be deposited with stringer beads or narrow weave beads using spray transfer. Table 1 below gives general guidance on procedures for GMAW of Copper. Metal Joint Electrode Thickness Design* Diameter 1.6mm 3.0mm 6.0mm 6.0mm 10mm 12mm 16mm + A A B B B C C,D 0.9mm 1.2mm 1.2mm 1.6mm 1.6mm 1.6mm 1.6mm Preheat# Temperature 75C 75C 75C 100C 250C 250C 250C Welding Current 150-200 150-220 180-250 160-280 250-320 290-350 320-380 Voltage Gas Flow Rate Rate(l/min) 21-26 22-28 22-28 28-30 28-30 29-32 29-32 10-15 10-15 10-15 10-15 15-20 15-20 15-25 Travel Speed 500 mm/min 450 mm/min 400 mm/min 350 mm/min 300 mm/min 300 mm/min 250 mm/min

*refer to figure 2

Recommended Shielding Gases for the GMA welding of Copper and Copper Alloys: - Welding Grade Argon. - Ar + >0-3% O2 or equivalent shielding gases. - Ar + 25% He or equivalent shielding gases. - He + 25% Ar or equivalent shielding gases. 3.2 GMAW of Copper Silicon Alloys: ERCuSi-A type welding consumables plus argon shielding and relatively high travel speeds are used with this process. Aufhauser Silicon Bronze is a copper based wire recommended for GMAW of

Copper Silicon Alloys. It is important to ensure the oxide layer is removed by wire brushing between passes. Preheat is unnecessary and interpass temperature should not exceed 100 C. 3.3 GMAW of Copper Tin Alloys (Phosphor Bronze): These alloys have a wide solidification range which gives a coarse dendritic grain structure, therefore care must be taken during welding to prevent cracking of the weld metal. Hot peening of the weld metal will reduce the stresses developed during welding and the likelihood of cracking. The weld pool should be kept small using stringer beads at high travel speed.

4) Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) of Copper and Copper Alloys: 4.1 Gas Tungsten Arc Welding of Copper: Copper sections up to 16.0mm in thickness can be successfully welded using the Gas Tungsten Arc Welding process. Typical joint designs are shown in Figure 1. The recommended filler wire is a filler metal whose composition is similar to that of 4) Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) of Copper and Copper Alloys cont.: the base metal. For sections up to 1.6mm thick Argon shielding gas is preferred and helium mixes is preferred for welding sections over 1.6mm thick. In comparison to argon, argon/helium mixes permit deeper penetration and higher travel speeds at the same welding current. A 75% Helium-25% Argon mixture is commonly used to give the good penetration characteristics of helium combined with the easy arc starting and improved arc stability properties of Argon. Forehand welding is preferred for Gas Tungsten Arc Welding of Copper with stringer beads or narrow weave beads. Typical conditions for manual GTAW of copper is shown in Table 2 below. Metal 0.3-0.8 1.0-2.0 2.0-5.0 6.0 10.0 12.0 16.0 Joint A B C C E D F Shielding Tungsten Type & Welding Rod Preheat# Welding Current Diameter Thoriated/DCThoriated/DCThoriated/DCThoriated/DCThoriated/DCThoriated/DCThoriated/DC__ 1.6 mm 3.2 mm 3.2 mm 3.2 mm 3.2 mm Argon Argon Argon Argon Argon Argon Argon _. __ 100C 250C 250C 250C Welding 15-60 40-170 100-300 250-375 300-375 350-420 400-475

Thickness (mm) Design* Gas

Temperature Current

2.4 - 3.2 mm 50C

4.2 Gas Tungsten Arc Welding of Copper-Aluminum alloys: The ERCuAl-A2 filler rod can be used for GTAW of Aluminum Bronze Alloys. Alternating Current (AC) current with argon shielding can be used to provide an arc cleaning action to assist in removing the oxide layer during welding. Direct Current (DC-) electrode negative with Welding Grade Argon or Argon-Helium mixes can be used in applications requiring deeper penetration and faster travel speed. Preheat is only required on thicker sections. 4.3 Gas Tungsten Arc Welding of Silicon-Bronze: Aufhauser Silicon Bronze Rod (ERCuSi-A) can be used to weld Silicon Bronze in all positions. The

Aluminum Bronze welding rod ERCuAl-A2 may also be used. Welding can be performed with DCusing argon or argon/helium shielding or AC using argon shielding gas. 5) Manual Metal Arc Welding (MMAW) of Copper & Copper Alloys: 5.1 Manual Metal Arc Welding of Copper: MMAW is normally used for the maintenance and repair welding of copper, copper alloys and bronzes. Aufhauser AC-DC electrode (ECuSn-C) can be used for the following: A Minor repair of relatively thin sections. A Fillet welded joints with limited access. A Welding copper to other metals. Joint designs should be similar to that shown in Figure 1. Direct Current electrode positive (DC+) should be used with a stringer bead technique. Sections over 3.0mm require a preheat of 250C or greater. 5.2 Manual Metal Arc Welding of Copper Alloys: Bronzecraft AC-DC (ECuSn-C) can be used to weld Copper-Tin and Copper-Zinc alloys. Large butt angles are required and the weld metal should be deposited using the stringer bead technique. Recommended AWS Electrode Code ECuSn-A or ECuSn-C ECuSn-A or ECuSn-C Aufhauser Welding Electrode Electrode Polarity Joint Design C in Figure 1 C in Figure 1

Copper Alloy Brasses Phosphor Bronze

Aufhauser PhosBronze DC+ AC-DC Aufhauser Phos Bronze DC+ AC-DC

Table 3 - Recommendations for MMAW of Brasses and Phosphor Bronzes.