Welding Titanium
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- Опубликовано: 14 окт 2024
- This video shows some cool techniques for welding titanium.
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As you may know, the USSR had some titanium submarines made (aka Typhoon, still the largest ever). To get those done, there were really big cabinets made, all filled with argon and the welders had their working suit, much like space suit - with air supply and etc. So yeah, as a result you get some quality welds. The main reasons for using Ti were much obvious - it's inert to corrosion in salt water and when we talk about large things like submarines, yeah, they will be significantly lighter if made from Ti, which makes them agile (if it's applicable). The project cost was ridiculous, sadly, 2 of them were cut due to various international agreements. Such things will never be duplicated, they are a work of engineering and production art, I think.
I was not aware that the USSR had built the largest titanium submarines. Yes, that's an incredible engineering feat. Thanks for opening my eyes to this!
I can add that those submarines was so expensive they received nickname "GoldFish".
The Alfa and Mike lass submarines had a Ti hull, the Typhoon-class was steel.
Hab Par are There any documentation photographs videos on how they did it
Amazing skills right there!!
this is first useful titanium video I found, thank you.
Glad to hear it!
Very good this information about welding titanium, a big Thanks Ron!
Messias Carvalho, from Brazil Welds - Brazil.
Messias, I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
That weld is better than any weld I ever made on mild steel. I know just enough to know....how much I don't know...I love these videos. Fire up that 3,000 horse monster and get the party started....
+Brad Deal Yes, Rick Lefevers race car is pretty amazing, isn't it?
Ron, Thankyou so much for taking the time to share your knowledge. Vids such as your justify using RUclips. Again thank you very much. Cheers!
I'm so glad you enjoyed the video. Yes, RUclips has become an unbeatable source of good information for a huge number of people!
Well, you learn something new everyday.
+dowserdude Each day is better, the more you learn!
just insane. thank you for all the inspiring and surprising data. no wonder why titanium parts are so expensive now :)
Yes, Titanium is truly a 'space age' material.
I had no idea that titanium was so fussy to weld. The purge chambers are probably something that NASA uses a lot of. Great info Ron!
+Keith Ward Glad you enjoyed it! While it is possible to weld titanium without a chamber, if you went the best quality welds possible, a chamber is essential.
+Keith Ward I actually use a similar deal (in reverse of course) to de-gas suspension oil in my shocks when rebuild. You just can't be technical enough sometimes.
+Keith Ward You can also do a simialr pruge technique when welding on a used gas tank, I use nitrogen to displace teh oxygen/fumes in teh tank while welding
Great video. Appreciate the sharing of your methods and tips. One suggestion would be to highlight the precautions with having that much Argon concentrated in one place. Like don’t be tempted to stick your face inside the bubble until it is well ventilated. Just saying that confined space awareness is important no matter how unlikely you are to have a problem the consequence is very bad. Best regards MW
Yes, that's a good point. Argon is colorless and odorless, and if it displaces the air necessary for breathing, it could be very dangerous indeed!
Amazing work! I had no idea titanium was so finicky. Above my pay grade for now.
Yes, titanium is 'finicky', but it's a great material for many applications.
Ron- This is a very informative video. I am curious about his car though. It seems that the car has been around for almost 15 years but there is very little information about it on the interweb since the early 2000's. Has he ever raced it? It seems like a ton of money spent on a static display.
Yes, the car has been finished for a while, and did go to many car shows. I don't know if Rick has raced it.
It's like performing surgery
+Michael Herrera HAH - that's a good way to put it!
I have only chamber TIG welded once and I used vacuum pump to remove the air and purge it after with argon. the weld look beautiful. But I like to use Isotopic alcohol I find it leave No residue compared to degreasers. Thanks for some nice tip on titanium welding. I just need a new TIG machine, do you like the miller dynasty 3000? Big Fan of your work for 20 yrs.
+Glen Badgley Isopropyl alcohol is a good degreaser, but I more often use acetone. Acetone does not leave any residue, either. I have both a Miller Dynasty 210, and 350, and they are two of the best welders I've ever used! I'm glad you have enjoyed my work for many years. The new Rodder's Journal magazine has a wonderful article on me, with a focus on the work I did back in the '60's and '70's!
That takes a ton of skill...
+Invincible Extremes Muscle Cars Garage Yes, TIG welding titanium is right up there on the scale of difficulty, but I think Rick Lefever does a great job of explaining what's important, and how to work through the challenges.
I might add that cleaning the joint AFTER it is put together is counter-productive. The joint's components must be cleaned BEFORE the joint is assembled for welding.
+Larry Fry Yes, you're absolutely correct.
Thank you for your great video a lot of good info, you mentioned that you used a de-greaser... what type of degreaser do u use? and why dont you use acetone? Do you also use a degreaser on aluminum and stainless?
Acetone is an excellent degreaser, as is mineral spirits (paint thinner). For welding, all metals will suffer from contamination on the surface, but titanium is more fussy than most other metals.
Ron Thxs for ur fast reply, What type of degreaser do u use? if I may ask.....thxs
I use acetone most often.
How do you control the environment welding of the cages in the car?
While it is ideal to weld smaller parts in an argon-filled chamber, it is possible to use a standard TIG torch, utilizing the argon shielding gas that flows through the cup.
thanks for sharing ron. when mr lefever is welding the piece in open air i see an attachment to the cup, i guess is for improving the coverage of argon, do you feed this with the same line as the torch?. pete
+thebrokenbone Yes, many welders use a torch attachment like this to extend the amount of time the hot metal is covered by the argon gas shield. While it's possible to use a 'Y' branch on the argon regulator for this hose, Rick uses a separate regulator, to have better control of the individual flow rates.
What a Master!
Glad you liked it!
Ron, are their any problems Titanium causes when welding due to having a very high reflective index in infrared and for a metal low heat conductivity?
I'm not aware of any limitations on the weldability of titanium based on the issues you list, but you are the first in my experience to ask these questions. Titanium has been successfully welded for decades, so apparently these issues do not seriously limit its weldability.
What type of rod would you use to weld titanium? And how much heat do you need to put into the part to get a weld going?
+DTLSchiller There are several alloys of titanium filler rod, and it's important that you select the one that matches the base metal you're welding, and there are several different alloys used in industrial fabrication. You can see a listing of some of the alloys of welding rod on the ArcZone website. There is a 'rule of thumb' for welding current that works with most weldable metals - one amp for every thousandth of an inch of the base metal thickness. That means that for 1/16" thickness metal, you will be welding at around 60 amps.
Thank you!
Brilliant welding :)
I'm glad you enjoyed watching!
Great video... Keep'm going 👍🏽😀
+Miguel G. There will be many more videos posted, I promise you.
Cool. I bet stainless would look amazing in a purge chamber
Yes - welding stainless in a chamber would prevent any discoloration, and the welded joints would be a gleaming silver color - both top side and underneath!
I saw him on a older Covell video and he said it takes 5 hrs to purge the bag.How do you know its completely purged?
The only sure technique I know of is to make a small weld, and see if there is discoloration. If there is NO discoloration, the chamber has been sufficiently purged.
Thanks Ron!
this video is just so good
I'm very glad you enjoyed it!
I'm barely get into this. Can you recommend one good welding machine for me. good for beginner, but can do a very professional job. cost is not so much of concern.
I have used the Miller line of welder for years, and I consider them to be exceptionally good. Rick LeFever, the presenter in this video, uses a Miller Dynasty 350. That's a very good machine, but unless you need to weld aluminum thicker than 1/4", the Miller Dynasty 210 should work just fine. Miller makes a 'Diversion' line that's even more affordable, leaving out some of the fine adjustments that the Dynasty line has.
I'm practicing welding mainly for roll cage and making harness bar. so 210 or 350 should do just fine ?
The Dynasty 210 should easily do everything you need!
Is there any kind of titanium which would be even stronger than forged steel? I'm asking because I've always heard that forged steel is used the strongest engine connecting rods.
+ucallthatatweet Great question, which is a little tricky to answer, because there are many grades of steel, and many grades of titanium. The short answer is that any forging is stronger than a cast or wrought piece, and forged titanium connecting rods are available, but they are super-expensive!
티타늄용접시 챔버안에서 용접을 하는군요. 좋은 정보입니다.
네가 좋다 니 기쁘다!
Hello Ron..Wonderful VDO...Can I know wat electrode is used for welding....grade...???
Arvind, it's been a few years since I videotaped this segment, but I believe Rick uses 2% Cerriated electrodes for pretty much all his welding.
Arvind - the electrode is 3/32" diameter 2% Cerriated tungsten.
Ok tats of great use...I want to start making this is India too
Well, that explains the argon shortage my local supplier keeps telling me about lol
is argon the only inert gas we can use?
Argon is far and away the most reasonable choice. When TIG welding was first invented, helium gas was used. (ever hear the term 'Heliarc'?) Argon is the norm these days for welding titanium.
Thank you
You're welcome!
What tungsten size and amperage was that? 1.6 mm or smaller?
I'm not the guy who was welding in that video, but I believe Rick used 1.6 mm tungsten (1/16-inch) and the amperage was probably around 120.
1:41 You shouldn't even lay those stainless brushes on the table like that either. Mine have a labeled plastic bag they go in immediately after each use. One for aluminum. One for stainless. I don't/haven't welded any titanium, so I don't have a titanium brush. Laying them on the table on their side like that will pick up contaminants and oil off the table. Just a little filth or grease is all it takes to ruin a weld.
monocorp1 - Wow - that makes sense! I never considered that the brushes could be contaminated in that way, but every step to insure cleanliness is good!
so awesome!
+Denz m Glad you like it!
what grade of Titanium are you welding?
I am no longer in touch with the welder in this video, but it is likely he used 3AL2. 5V titanium for these demonstrations.
wow i thought that pool floaty chamber would melt as soon as you lit your torch.
Of course the plastic will melt if touched by anything hot, but there is a stainless plate on the bottom of the chamber, which protects the most vulnerable place.
That titanium sure loves oxygen.
Yes, titanium is extremely reactive.
I'm just curious, and I may even already have the answer to this question, but until I ask I'm unsure of which answer is correct, LOL! I'm just curious about the heat-affected zone, does welding in a purge chamber reduce the heat affected zone, or does it only improve color and weld purity? Thanks in advance, Aloha...the Farmer.
+Knolltop Farms Well, I'm not trained as a metallurgist, but while a purge chamber will certainly reduce or eliminate the color change at the weld, a more important function is that it prevents the titanium from combining with oxygen in the weld zone, which definitely affects the strength of the weld.
Welding in chamber has no impact on the HAZ, its purpose is solely to avoid contamination from air, controlling HAZ is done by the welding operator via welding settings, travel speed, usage of heat soaking props etc
Thanks for 'chiming in' on this!
purge that little tube for 15-20 minutes? yikes!
I think something that small probably doesn't need to be purged that long, but I have had some unfortunate experiences where I thought I had purged something long enough, but the quality of the weld showed me that I hadn't! Better safe than sorry.
Point taken, thank you for the clarification. better to do it correct once.
so how is it different from welding stainless?
+loveanianimeme Titanium is even more fussy about contaminants than Stainless.
Ron Covell but otherwise its the same? like heat treatment wise?
+loveanianimeme There is a lot of science associated with heat treating metals, and I don't know a lot about that. There are companies that specialize in heat treating, and they should be able to answer your questions.
By degreaser, we are talking 100% acetone on a clean cotton cloth (not polyester, carbon contaminates)
Acetone is my favorite degreaser!
Best video ever thanks lots.
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
bit how much does it pay ?
Welders in the United States have an average salary of around $18 per hour. Of course, your location and skill level will make a difference, too. Some top welders are paid more than $65,000 per year.
i bet titanium tig welders are paid better than regular tig welder.... How about this piece you done in video ? How much you would ask for work on that piece in video, included gas price, tungsten and filler metal ?
Thanks
Yes, titanium TIG welders are at the top of the scale. I don't do work for customers any more, so I won't comment on what I would charge to do that particular welding job.
im just curious, i want to have clue about pricing tig work so thats why i want to know just approximate :)
What is the filler material?
I am no longer in contact with Rick Lefever, but I believe he used ERTi-2 filler rod for these demonstrations.
Thank you for the response
I stick weld titanium....... no big deal. My truck runs 14 second 1/4 miles. :0)
That's a very fast truck!
Why nobody build a boat hull in titanium alloy using these soldering techniques ? Do they are really so expensive ? A marine boat with a titanium hull would be the perfect boat!
Well, titanium IS extremely expensive, and that's why it is not commonly used for boat construction. A few military submarines and airplanes have been built from titanium, but I don't know of any civilian transportation applications, other than high-end bicycles. You might enjoy this video about an amazing Russian submarine made from titanium: ruclips.net/video/51kCrPsuAEI/видео.html
did he say “purge for 20 minutes”?
Yes, that's what Rick said, but I think that's a lot more than necessary.
You must clean the components BEFORE you assemble them, if you want maximum cleanliness.
Yes - you know your stuff!
Wow. Welders must hate working with this stuff lol.
It's demanding, but many welders enjoy it!
That's understandable. It is tough to work with, but the outcome is worth the trouble.
As a formerly MIL-STD_1595A-certified titanium welder, I can assure you that professional welders who do a lot of titanium welding LOVE working with the metal.
Larry Fry I'm
argon feed tube should be at the bottom as its heavier than oxygen
Zack G - Thanks for watching, and for commenting. You are correct that argon is heavier, but it will still pool at the bottom of any enclosed space and push the air out of the top, regardless of where the feed tube is located.
@@RonCovell hey man, great vid, yeah i was just thinking of ways that you could optimize the fill rate ! cheers and great build :)
Zack G - I appreciate your helpfulness!
HOW ON EARTH CAN HE SEE THROUGH THE HELMET AND THE NOT SO CLEAR PLASTIC BLOW UP CHAMBER
There is a level of challenge in looking through the window of the chamber, but it is possible.
Why cant there be color
+Allen Fisher Color on a titanium weld shows that some oxygen was present, and the more oxygen contamination present, the more questionable the integrity of the weld. Titanium is super-sensitive to this kind of oxidation.
3000 hp? show me the graph
If you doubt the credibility of the statement, you can just as likely doubt the credibility of the graph.
The bottom line is that 4 turbos means he can dial in a huge amount of boost. The use of alcohol allows far more boost without destructive pre-ignition (detonation). The same applies to top fuel dragsters running nitro methane and getting over 8000 horsepower. Top fuel dragsters use more than 10 gallons of nitro methane in a single ~4 second pass.
Gregory - thanks for 'chiming-in' on this one.
You're welcome. Years ago, I asked myself the same question about horsepower ratings. The basics are simple.... 'X' horsepower requires at least 'Y' amount of fuel per second. To burn 'Y' fuel per second requires 'Z' cubic feet of air per second, where 'Z' is known to be proportional to 'Y' and corresponds to the air/fuel ratio (by mass/ not volume) for optimum horsepower. A lot of boost means a LOT of air, fuel, and horsepower (barring detonation)
Is that Bill Clinton?
Well, the presenter is Rick LeFever, but I guess there is some resemblance.
My old granny done better welds during the war !!!!
I wish I could have met her. I know that there were many outstanding female welders who helped with the war effort - back in the days of 'Rosie the Riveter'!