What is ferrous alloys?

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Ferrous alloy is a metal whose composition contains mostly iron. Other alloying elements can be
added to give its mechanical and chemical characteristic that are required. Some example of ferrous
alloy are carbon steels, alloy steels, stainless steels, tool steels, cast iron and cast steel.

How ferrous alloys are classified? *

Ferrous alloys are classified by the composition of carbon inside the ferrous alloy. If the ferrous alloy
have the composition of carbon less than 2.1% it is categorized as steels and if more than 2.1% it is
categorized as cast iron.

Define weldability
Weldability is the capacity of a metal to be welded under the fabrication conditions imposed into
specific, suitably designed structure and to perform satisfactorily in the intended service. Weldability
can also known as joinability. The metal is said to have good weldability when nearly any process can
be used on that metal and minimal effort is necessary to produce a sound weld. Meanwhile if the
welder can only choose from a limited number of processes and must carefully prepare the joint and
execute the welding procedure to create a strong weld, the metal is considered to have poor
weldability. https://www.tws.edu/blog/welding/what-does-weldability-mean-in-welding/

Define thermal expansion

Thermal expansion is the tendency of matter to change in volume in response to the change of
temperature. When a substance is heated the, its particle will absorb the energy and increase its
movement which will cause the particle to take more space in the substance and increase its
volume. It is usually expressed as a fractional change in length or volume per unit temperature
change.

Define thermal conduction

Thermal conduction is the transfer of heat energy from one body to another that has different
temperature when the bodies are in contact with each other. The heat will transfer from high
temperature region to low temperature region as stated in second law of thermodynamics.

How thermal expansion and thermal conduction influence the welding process of
stainless steel and aluminium?
Each material has its own coefficient of thermal expansion. This is a measure of how much a material
expands during heating and contracts during cooling. The higher the coefficient of thermal
expansion the more the material going to expand and contract for the given temperature change.
Therefore, the higher the coefficient of thermal expansion, the higher the distortion susceptibility.
Meanwhile thermal conductivity is the measure of how easy heat can flow when the material are in
contact. The higher the thermal conductivity such as aluminum, it will dissipates heat very quickly.
This is why we tend to get cold starts when mig welding aluminum. Materials with low thermal
conductivity, like stainless steels, don’t dissipate heat as rapidly. In terms of distortion, a low
thermal conductivity will increase the chances of the material to distort. This is due to the increased
shrinkage effect brought on by the steep temperature gradient. So higher thermal conductivity is
better in preventing distortion.
How stainless steels can be lose it stainless properties?
Stainless steel can lose it stainless properties when the chromium composition alloy in the steel
cannot react with oxygen accordingly to create unreactive protective film of chromium oxide and
will cause the stainless steel to rust. There are some condition that can cause stainless steel lost its
stainless properties and one of it is when the stainless steel is completely submerge in water. This
will prevents oxygen from reacting with the metal's surface and can prevent a chromium oxide layer
from reforming if scratched or damage. For non-specialized grades stainless steel can also be
damaged at very high temperatures which is more than 400°C where chromium atoms bond with
carbon and cause chromium deficiencies in the metal surface.

What are the limitations of welding the stainless steels?

The limitation of welding stainless steel is it tends to lose its stainless properties especially heat
affected zone since during welding process high heat is needed to melt the base metal and the filler
metal which will cause the chromium atoms bond to bond with carbon and cause the chromium
deficiencies in the metal surface. Besides it can cause the weld metal and heat affected zone to crack
since it has low thermal conductivity and high thermal expansion which will cause the metal to
distort and cause cracking.

How selection of welding methods stainless steel welding is done?

The selection of welding methods stainless steel welding is done by firstly ensure the composition of
the stainless steel that need to be weld. This is to ensure the suitable temperature and suitable type
of welding that can be used to weld the material. Besides the dimension of the material is also an
important aspect in order to select the best method to welding stainless steel.

Define the meaning and function of each of aluminium series available in the the
market 
1XXX series. These are aluminums of 99 percent or higher purity which are used primarily in the
electrical and chemical industries.

2XXX series. Copper is the principal alloy in this group, which provides extremely high strength when
properly heat treated. These alloys do not produce as good corrosion resistance and are often clad
with pure aluminum or special-alloy aluminum. These alloys are used in the aircraft industry.

3XXX series. Manganese is the major alloying element in this group, which is non-heat-treatable.
Manganese content is limited to about 1.5 percent. These alloys have moderate strength and are
easily worked.

4XXX series. Silicon is the major alloying element in this group. It can be added in sufficient
quantities to substantially reduce the melting point and is used for brazing alloys and welding
electrodes. Most of the alloys in this group are non-heat-treatable.

5XXX series. Magnesium is the major alloying element of this group, which are alloys of medium
strength. They possess good welding characteristics and good resistance to corrosion, but the
amount of cold work should be limited.

6XXX series. Alloys in this group contain silicon and magnesium, which make them heat treatable.
These alloys possess medium strength and good corrosion resistance.
7XXX series. Zinc is the major alloying element in this group. Magnesium is also included in most of
these alloys. Together, they form a heat-treatable alloy of very high strength, which is used for
aircraft frames.

What are the limitations of aluminium welding ?

Aluminium forms a very hard oxide layer which unless removed prevents proper fusion it also forms
very quickly so you need to weld with reverse polarity or AC so the current flow strips off the oxide
as it forms. Besides, Aluminium has high thermal conductivity which tends to mean that the start of
the weld needs more current to achieve adequate penetration than the end of the weld. Welds can
be prone to cold starts at the beginning and excessive penetration at the end. Moreover, Aluminium
welds are prone to cracking from weld defects, inadequate penetration or too-rapid cooling. Other
limitation are that filler alloys don’t flow very well and care is needed to create a consistent bead.
Another limitation can be found in MIG welding where the filler wire is relatively soft and tends to
kink, potentially causing feed problems.