Düsseldorf, 20-02-08 

Welding of Castings – an Overview

Among the iron-based casting materials, steel stands out not only because its mechanical properties are uniform in all directions but also because of its good weldability. This distinguishing characteristic is used to advantage in the design of heavy-duty components that are subject to the same criteria that apply to forged and rolled steel.

Although may believe that most ferrous casting materials are not weldable at all, there are process technologies today that make welding easy. This is true for cast iron with lamellar (GJL) and with spheroidal graphite (GJS) as well as for malleable cast iron (GJMW and GJMB). For all these, tailor-made welding technologies have been developed which are described in detail in DIN EN 1011-8 and successfully used in practice by foundries and jobbing welders.

It is generally thought that aluminium die-castings are difficult to weld because the speed at which the die cavities are filled necessarily causes blowholes to form in the material. Yet even these components can be welded today using the same methods that are applied to other aluminium-based materials, provided that not only the casting production process itself but also certain design elements are adapted accordingly. Thus, heavy-duty welded body and chassis components of motor vehicles are mass-produced today that contain finely structured die castings.

The subject of 'welding of castings – an overview' was addressed in detail in No. 3/2007 of 'konstruieren + giessen '. For more information, please request your free copy of this special issue at zgv@bdguss.de.

Photo: Welding of EN GJS-500-7  ( Caspar Hahn, Remscheid)

 

The subjects dealt with in previous ZGV information brochures include

• High-tech Castings Mirror the Dynamic Development of Wind Power Generation
• Cast Iron with Lamellar Graphite – still the most Frequently Used Cast Iron Material
• Cast Cylinder Heads and Crankcases Offer Versatile Solutions for the Cars of Today and Tomorrow
• High-alloy Casting Materials for Special Applications in the Pump Industry World
• Steel Castings for Buildings all over the World
• What to know about Cast iron with spheroidal graphite
• Versatile Non-destructive Tests for Castings
• Black Malleable Cast Iron – Strong and Tough
• Visual Determination of the Surface Quality of Castings by Reference Samples Graphite
• New Studies of the Bending-fatigue Behaviour of Cast Iron with Spheroidal Graphite
• Continuous Castings – Versatile Quality Semis
• Thin-walled complex components made of white malleable cast iron