2014 aluminium welding procedure required

[danielhobby]

I am looking for a welding procedure for 2014 alli,its possible it is 2017 grade also. I HAVE SEARCHED TO THE LIMIT OF MY ABILITY AND PATIENCE ON THE INTERNET and am now putting it out there for an alli specialist to help me out please. the product is forged horse shoes(expensive) put on extremely expensive show jumpers. So far i've had mixed success with about ten pairs and am getting more requests from farriers so does any one have a clue?cheers.

[WelderMick]

Are the shoes snapping and you're trying to weld them back together?

[Michael G]

Welding shoes onto show jumpers? Wow - what will they think of next?

From memory some of the 2000 series of alloys do not weld very well, so you may find the current success rate is all you can get if you have the "wrong" alloy (2011 for example).

Michael

[Master Splinter]

A description of the problems you are having, and the equipment you have would probably help.

Otherwise, it's "buy a good Aluminium-capable TIG welder, a bottle of argon and appropriate grade filler rod and away you go!"

20XX grade aluminium is one of the grades of aluminium that can be hardened - welding will upset any heat treatment and re-heat treating might be appropriate.

2014 is also one of the 'pretty hard to weld' alloys so you may never achieve a perfect success rate.

[Grahame Collins]

Has it occurred to you that there is no info on welding 2014 /2017 aluminium alloys as they are not recommended for welding by conventional processes?



I recall reading that 2017 at least is only suitable for resistance welding. 2xxx series means is copper alloying which indicates heat treatment will occur.
I would say it fairly likely it one of welding problems that the industry has tossed in the "too hard basket" and is waiting for a technology breakthrough.

The other things is this: I fully agree with Master Splinter comments about detailing your problem and would add the following to it.

If posters don't list as meany details as possible can be difficult to help these people with their problems.

People who have the expertise to assist may just not bother to reply if you ( and I mean posters in general) don't provide them with sufficient scope to fully answer questions as they tire of having to tease the needed details from the OP.

Grahame

[Karl Robbers]

When dealing with aluminium, grade is everything, from choice of consumable through to heat treatment.
Many is the time a customer entered our workshop with an engine mount out of a Ford Louisville truck that had failed and asked for the mount to be welded. These welded beautifully, with no real impurities showing, even the normal grease and grime seemed to not penetrate as would normally be experienced. One problem. They all failed just as predictably in about a fortnight to a month. They were just plain unweldable, being a heat treated forging.
All the aluminium horseshoes I have seen seemed to be fairly ordinary material, being able to be cold bent etc.
I am guessing that the OP is making custom horseshoes for remedial purposes - an equine podiatrist

[Master Splinter]

Maybe CNC machining new shoes from 20XX billet would be a more cost effective solution??? Or casting new shoes with a backyard furnace and sandcasting???

[Karl Robbers]

Taken direct from the BOC technical publication on welding aluminium and its alloys.

2XXX series: Copper as Main Alloying Element
These alloys are virtually unweldable because the formation of
aluminium-copper intermetallics in weld metal renders them
brittle. They tend to crack if attempts are made to weld them using
fusion welding processes, although the use of Al-12% Si filler may
sometimes give reasonable results. Non-fusion techniques, such as
friction welding and friction stir welding may give some success.

There's the answer right there. Do not pass go, do not collect $200, go directly to gaol.

If you were persist with this endeavour, 4047 would be a suitable filler with the aforementioned 12% Si content.
2014 seems to be quite an exotic material to make horseshoes from, (are you positive that it is a 2000 series alloy), most seem to use 6061 or similar as far as I was aware.
From a practical/business perspective, I would have grave reservations about working on anything involved with high end horses that was not 100% reliable, known and defendable. You could find yourself in a whole world of hurt if there is a failure that causes injury to a prize horse.
I have learnt to assume that if there is a failure, it will always be at the worst time and of the greatest magnitude.
Sorry if I seem negative, but all the information suggests that this is really a no go.