ESAB offers a complete line of welding and cutting products and solutions. Explore our equipment offering with ease based on product line and industry.
ESAB is a world leader in welding and cutting equipment and consumables. Explore our complete line of welding & cutting products for virtually every application.
ESAB University is your online learning destination for welding and fabrication technology. Make personalized playlists of your favorite resources including videos, blogs, articles, webinars and more.
Articles cover industry topics more in-depth and are created in partnership with ESAB engineers and master welders. Click the links to see the latest.
ESAB blogs include information and tips from ESAB Experts to improve your welding and fabrication knowledge.
ESAB Courses are structured learning paths designed to take your welding knowledge and skills to the next level.
The ESAB University FAQ section is curated to elevate the workplace efficiency and skills of your welding, cutting, and fabrication projects. Find expert answers to the frequently asked questions and everyday challenges that welders face.
ESAB University videos are curated with tips and best practices from top fabricators around the world. Learn new techniques or improve your current skills with ESAB University videos.
Enhance your knowledge of welding, cutting, and fabrication with free and accessible webinars on a variety of topics, including welding best practices, tips for using ESAB products, new product launches, and more, presented by trusted ESAB experts.
ESAB's Future for Fabricators platform is committed to highlighting those who lead education for aspiring future fabricators. We aim to share inspirational stories, facilitate initiatives to bring tools and expertise to communities, and make our equipment accessible to ensure future fabricators are set up for success - right from the start.
ESAB is a world leader in welding and cutting equipment and consumables. We offer a complete line of fabrication solutions for virtually every application.
ESAB Newsroom - Stay up to date with the latest news from ESAB. View press releases, product announcements, corporate news, and more here.
ESAB EHS (Environment, Health & Safety) initiatives are monitored with the highest degree of importance and commitment to safety is ingrained in our culture.
The history of ESAB is the History of Welding. Go here to view an interactive look at ESAB's history in shaping the future of innovation in welding, cutting, and fabrication.
View available job openings and more on the ESAB Careers page.
Purchasing from an ESAB Authorized Distributor guarantees you first-class customer service and support for all ESAB products.
ESAB offers a wealth of product support resources, including a range of technical and service publications, from Safety Data Sheets and downloadable product manuals to product certifications.
Visit ESAB's global manual search engine to access the items below and more.
Global User Manuals
Instruction Manuals
Spare Parts List
Product Storage Instructions
View Main Contact Page
View ESAB Location Information
1.800.ESAB.123
No playlist found! Your playlist can be created here.
4047 Aluminum Alloys: Features, Benefits, Applications
- I have been informed that there is a filler alloy (4047) that can sometimes be used in lieu of the commonly used filler alloy 4043. What are the advantages of using the 4047 filler alloy and when would it make sense to substitute it for filler alloy 4043.
You are correct there is a filler alloy 4047. The filler alloy 4047 was originally developed as a brazing alloy (BAlSi-4) or (718) taking advantage of its low melting point and narrow freezing range (1070 to 1080 deg F). The main difference between 4043 and 4047 is the silicon content of these alloys. The 4043 filler alloys contain 4.5 to 6.0% silicon and the 4047 contain 11.0 to 13.0% silicon. The higher silicon additions in the 4047 alloy result in improved fluidity (wetting action) during the welding operation. This characteristic has proven itself to be extremely desirable when welding thinner materials that are required to have leak-tight joints.
Welding procedures used in the heat exchanger fabrication industry have been improved by changing from 4043 to 4047 filler alloy.
In terms of the AWS D1.2 Structural Welding Code for Aluminum, 4047 is acceptable as a replacement for 4043 as both of these filler alloys have the same “F” number (F23). The 4047 filler alloy like the 4043 is suitable for elevated temperature service. However, the same problem with 4047 as 4043 can occur if post weld anodizing is to be performed. Because of their silicon content, both of these alloys will typically turn dark gray after anodizing, and for this reason, they are usually not recommended for products requiring this type of post weld surface treatment.
While aluminum can be joined to most other metals relatively easily by adhesive bonding or mechanical fastening, special techniques are required if it is to be arc welded to other metals such as steel. Very brittle intermetallic compounds are formed when metals such as steel, copper, magnesium or titanium are directly arc welded to aluminum. To avoid these brittle compounds, some special techniques have been developed to isolate the other metal from the molten aluminum during the arc welding process. The two most common methods of facilitating arc welding of aluminum to steel are bimetallic transition inserts and coating the dissimilar material prior to welding.
Bimetallic transition materials are available commercially in combinations of aluminum to such other materials as steel, stainless steel and copper. These inserts are best described as sections of material that are comprised of one part aluminum with another material already bonded to the aluminum. The method used for bonding these dissimilar materials together, and thus forming the bimetallic transition, are usually rolling, explosion welding, friction welding, flash welding or hot pressure welding, and not arc welding. The arc welding of these steel aluminum transition inserts can be performed by the normal arc welding methods such as GMAW or GTAW.
One side of the insert is welded steel-to-steel and the other aluminum-to-aluminum. Care should be taken to avoid overheating the inserts during welding, which may cause growth of brittle intermetallic compounds at the steel-aluminum interface of the transition insert. It is good practice to perform the aluminum-to-aluminum weld first. In this way, we can provide a larger heat sink when the steel-to-steel welding is performed and help prevent the steel aluminum interface from overheating. The bimetallic transition insert is a popular method of joining aluminum to steel and is often used for producing welded connections of excellent quality within structural applications. Such applications as attaching aluminum deckhouses to steel decks on ships, for tube sheets in heat exchangers that have aluminum tubing with steel or stainless steel tube sheets, and for producing arc welded joints between aluminum and steel pipe lines.
A coating can be applied to steel to facilitate its arc welding to aluminum. One method is to coat the steel with aluminum. This is sometimes achieved by dip coating (hot dip aluminizing), or brazing the aluminum to the surface of the steel. Once coated, the steel member can be arc welded to the aluminum member, if care is taken to prevent the arc from impinging on the steel.
A technique must be used during welding to direct the arc onto the aluminum member and allow the molten aluminum from the weld pool to flow onto the aluminum coated steel. Another method of joining aluminum to steel involves coating the steel surface with silver solder. The joint is then welded using aluminum filler alloy, taking care not to burn through the barrier layer of silver solder. Neither of these coating type joint methods are typically depended upon for full mechanical strength and are usually used for sealing purposes only.